There is the possibility to acquire the academic degree Dr rer. pole. or Dr iur. Traditionally, this can be done by working on your own research project with one of our research groups. In addition, the department offers the possibility of a structured doctorate as part of the Graduate School of Economics, Finance and Management. This is part of the Rhine-Main Universities alliance.
General information on doctoral studies at TU Darmstadt can be found on the Doctoral Studies at TU Darmstadt website.
The doctoral regulations applicable to our Department are:
- Doctoral Regulations of TU Darmstadt (PDF file) (opens in new tab)
- Doctoral Regulations: Special Provisions for the Department of Law and Economics (PDF file) (opens in new tab) (2026, translation not legally binding)
Previous Version
Within the Department, the Doctoral Board is responsible for the formal administration of the doctoral process. The Committee is supported by the Departmental Office, which handles many of the administrative steps described on this website.
At the university level, Ingenium. Young Researchers at TU Darmstadt promotes university-wide standards for doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers. It also provides services, information, and networking opportunities to support academic and professional development.
Supervision is provided by a full-time professor in the Department. The topic of the doctoral project must be agreed with the supervisor. Information on the professors and their main areas of research can be found under Research Areas.
Once the research topic has been agreed, the supervisor confirms their willingness to supervise the doctoral project by completing the Declaration by the Supervisor of the doctoral Project form (see Downloads).
Registration via TUCaN is mandatory for all doctoral candidates. Enrolment as a doctoral student is optional. Registration requires a written confirmation of supervision from your supervisor.
For further information on registration and enrolment, please refer to the relevant information provided by TU Darmstadt.
(see Section 7 of the PhD Regulations)
Important deadlines and dates
The PhD Committee will decide on your application. As a rule, the PhD Committee holds three meetings per semester. Please check the department’s website for the current meeting dates.
Your application must be received in full by the Departmental's Office no later than two weeks before the relevant meeting.
Following discussion by the Doctoral Board, you will then receive notification by email.
Application for admission
Please submit the application for admission, together with all the documents listed in the application form, in full and by the deadline, in hard copy to the Dean’s Office. You will find the required documents in the downloads section.
Important: The application can only be processed if all documents are submitted in full and on time.
!!! Keep your contact details up to date !!!
Please always inform the Departmental Office of:
- Your current email address
- Your current postal address
- Any changes of name (with supporting evidence)
(see Section 8 of the Doctoral Regulations)
Important Deadlines
- The Doctoral Board decides on your application. The Board normally meets three times per semester. Please refer to the Department's website for the current meeting dates.
- Your complete application must be received by the Departmental Office no later than two weeks before the relevant meeting.
- After the Doctoral Board has considered your application, you will be notified of its decision by e-mail.
1. Inform the Departmental Office
As soon as your dissertation has been completed, please inform the Departmental Office by e-mail in advance of your planned submission:
2. Upload Your Documents to Hessenbox
After receiving your notification, the Departmental Office will provide you with a personal Hessenbox folder. Please upload the following documents:
- your dissertation as a PDF/A file
- all documents required for the Application to initiate the doctoral examination procedure (see Downloads)
3. Submit Paper Copies
All documents listed in the application form must also be submitted in paper form to the Departmental Office.
If requested by your supervisors, printed copies of the dissertation must also be provided. Please discuss this with your supervisors at an early stage and provide them with the required printed copies.
Important: The doctoral examination procedure can only be initiated once all required documents have been submitted in full.
Important Deadlines and Organisational Information
The examiners' reports must be submitted to the Departmental Office no later than two weeks before the defence to ensure that they are available for inspection in good time.
Please inform the Departmental Office as early as possible of:
- the date of the defence
- the planned format of the defence. This is usually specified in the Application to initiate the doctoral examination procedure.
The Departmental Office will send the official invitation to the defence in due course.
Formats of the Defence
The defence may be held in person, in a hybrid format, or as an electronic remote examination.
For a hybrid defence or an electronic remote examination, the Chair of the Examination Board is responsible for ensuring compliance with the regulations governing electronic examinations. This includes, in particular:
- obtaining the prior consent of all members of the Examination Board and the doctoral candidate
- recording the format of the defence in the examination minutes
- verifying the identity of participants attending electronically and documenting this in the examination minutes
- ensuring that the procedures governing technical disruptions, data protection requirements, and the procedure to be followed if the Examination Board is not quorate are observed in accordance with the regulations for electronic examinations.
(see Sections 19 to 21 of the Doctoral Regulations)
1. Information on publication regulations
Please contact the Darmstadt University and State Library (ULB) directly for information on the requirements and options for publication. The approved electronic version must, in all cases, be uploaded to the ULB’s TUprints university publication server.
If publication by a publisher is planned, this must be stated when submitting the thesis to the ULB. In this case, the electronic version cannot initially be made publicly available. The special provisions of Sections 19 and 20 of the Doctoral Regulations apply to publications by publishers, as well as to extensions of the deposit deadline and embargo periods.
2. Approval of the dissertation
The version of the dissertation to be published must be checked by the first examiner to ensure it meets any conditions set by the examination board and must be approved for publication.
An abstract in German and English must also be attached to the dissertation. This must likewise be approved by the first examiner together with the authorisation for publication.
Please also note the ULB’s guidelines on file format, readability and publication licence. Information regarding the publication licence used must be embedded in the electronic document.
3. Receipt of the doctoral certificate
Once the thesis has been published on the university’s publication server, the ULB will inform the relevant faculty. The doctoral degree is then conferred upon presentation of the doctoral certificate.
Upon application, and subject to certain conditions, the doctoral degree may, in exceptional cases, be conferred prior to publication. Further information on this can be found in Section 21(2) of the Doctoral Regulations.
If you decide not to continue your doctoral project after submitting an application for admission as a doctoral candidate, please submit the Withdrawal of Doctoral Candidate Status form (see Downloads).
