Doctoral Studies at the Faculty of Computer Science

Welcome

Welcome to the pages for doctoral students at FIN. Here you will find all the relevant information, guidelines, and forms you need to successfully start and complete your doctoral project.

Information Channel for Doctoral Students

Sign up for our mailing list. This is especially important for external doctoral students and scholarship recipients who are not employed as research assistants at the faculty.

Step 1: Apply for Doctoral Student Status

To obtain doctoral student status, please submit an application for admission using the form in the OVGU Cloud. In addition, we require documents relevant to admission (e.g., original transcripts or certified copies) in accordance with the doctoral regulations and the doctoral guide. Please also check the doctoral regulations to ensure that you meet the admission criteria.

You can now apply for doctoral student status using the form in the OVGU Cloud (OVGU access required). Please follow the instructions in the form when submitting your application.

Step 2: Doctoral Requirements

According to the April 2026 doctoral guidelines, the doctoral requirements include:

• Thesis Proposal
• Presentation at the Doctoral Student Day
• Publications
• Dissertation
• Dissertation Defense

Step 3: Initiating the Doctoral Program (register in advance with the examination office)

Once you have completed all requirements necessary to initiate your doctoral program, you may submit an application to start the program. To do so, follow the checklist for submitting the application documents.

Step 4: Awarding of the Degree 

Your dissertation must be published in order for the degree to be awarded. We require proof of publication upon completion. 

Doctoral Regulations and Guidelines 

• Guidelines: Doctoral Procedures at the FIN 

• FIN Doctoral Regulations (2018)  

  •  Amemdment (2018) 
  • FIN Doctoral Regulations – 2nd amendment (2016) 
  • FIN Doctoral Regulations (2012) 
  • FIN Doctoral Regulations (1999) 

Extract of the doctoral regulations (courtesy translation) 

• Extract from the doctoral regulations of the faculty of computer science 

Other important documents

• Guidelines on the use of generative AI in dissertations at the FIN 

• Policy on External Reviewers in Doctoral and Habilitation Procedures 

• Recommendation from the Faculty Councils and the German Association of Universities (DHV): 
  Good academic practice for writing academic papers 

Information sheets and forms

• Admission Criteria for Applying for Doctoral Student Status: Guidelines 

• Preparing the Thesis Proposal: Information Sheet 2 

• Thesis Proposal Confirmation: Form 1 

• Doctoral Student Day Confirmation: Form 2  

• Title Page of the Dissertation upon Initiation of the Doctoral Process: Form 3 

• Declaration of Honor: Form 4 

• Titel page of the mandatory copies: Form 5 

• Declaration of Criminal Convictions: Form 6 

• Title page of the dissertation when submitting legal deposit copies to the University Library: Form 7 

• Regulations for the Submission of Legal Deposit Copies 

• Proposed Reviewers for Doctoral Projects at the FIN 

• Form for the Use of Generative AI

Important Information on Using Forms 3, 4, 5, and 6 

Please note that these templates include various notes for the sake of clarity and ease of understanding. When you print the completed PDF, these notes will automatically disappear, and the document will take on its final form. 

If you wish to incorporate the PDF into your work, we recommend using a PDF printer driver to generate the forms in their electronic and final form without the notes.