FAQ

The doctoral agreement with the supervisor is a prerequisite for acceptance. It is recommended to do both as early as possible, as there are virtually only advantages for doctoral candidates. For external doctoral candidates, i.e. those who are not permanently employed at KIT, the only disadvantage is that enrolment is mandatory upon acceptance. The acceptance avoids unexpected problems and ensures that supervision is guaranteed if, for example, the current supervisor drops out. Once you have been accepted, the Promotionsordnung at the time of acceptance applies, even if new regulations are issued later. Changing to a newer version of the Promotionsordnung is possible on a voluntary basis by submitting an application.

The topic description is presented in Annex 1 to the doctoral agreement, whereby one paragraph may be sufficient. If more is already known about the topic, more can be written. It is important to discuss this with the supervisor beforehand: Some supervisors want a more detailed description or use the acceptance to develop the topic.

Flexibility is intentional, as the field of computer science is very heterogeneous. A general description of the topic can be advantageous, as the doctoral candidate can be offered the legal certainty of acceptance, even if the topic is still very rough. In other cases, an early and specific definition of the topic is better, for example to create clarity between the doctoral candidate and supervisor. Fixed rules would lead to more bureaucracy and effort for most doctoral candidates.

The "monograph" option must be selected when registering. A genuine cumulative doctorate (as a collection of papers with an introduction) is currently not possible in our department.

The interviews last approx. 30-45 minutes and relate to the content of the planned dissertation. The request for these interviews is made via a mailing list using a predefined template. At least two interviews should take place, although this is not a formal requirement for admission. It is only important that you send the request. If there is only one invitation in response to the request, it is advisable to contact the doctoral committee (Promotionsausschuss).

No. The Promotionsordnung stipulate that all invitations to doctoral interviews must be accepted.

For the doctoral interview, an abstract has to be submitted together with the completed invitation form. Slides are not compulsory, but they will make the interview and discussion easier.

The abstract should be a maximum of two pages or about 1000 words, excluding publications. Additionally, a list of your publications should be added, which should be referenced in your work at appropriate places. Related work by other authors should only be references if it is *very* relevant. Take care that your text is understandable to non-experts as many professors work in other fields. Therefore, your text should initially classify your field and topic and, building on that, consisely conclude your contributions and methods. We advise you to write the abstract in english, as it extends the range of possible readers and therefore your chance for invitations.

The second reviewer should be external to KIT and should not have published any work with the doctoral candidate. In addition, there should be no relationship of dependency (teacher/student, supervisor) between the second reviewer and the first reviewer. If the second reviewer does not fulfill these rules, there should be a third reviewer (in accordance with the rules). Further examiners should be independent of both assessors (no teacher/student relationship) and, if possible, come from another institute. So if there is co-supervision at KIT and both supervisors want to prepare a review, a third external independent reviewer must be found.

No, the current Promotionsordnung (2017) only allows professors as reviewers. A possible change to this regulation is currently being evaluated.

The third examiner must be from the KIT-department of Informatics, but should be chosen to be as independent as possible, preferably also independent of the second examiner. It is recommended to take care of the third examiner in good time (approx. six months in advance) in order to avoid scheduling problems. Members of the doctoral committee are not a good choice as they already take part in many doctoral examinations.

The supervisor can still be the reviewer of the doctorate. However, since at least one of the reviewers must be a member of the KIT-department, it is necessary to find an additional (second) reviewer from the KIT-department of Informatics. If the supervisor accepts a new professorship at another university and thus remains eligible for a doctorate, he/she can continue to be a reviewer without any time limit. If the supervisor moves to a position in which he/she is no longer entitled to award a doctorate (e.g. in industry), he/she can continue to be a reviewer for a transitional period of two years in accordance with the Promotionsordnung. The rules on the composition of reviewers remain the same, the supervisor then has the status of an external reviewer, who in most cases is biased due to co-authorship. It may therefore be necessary to find a third reviewer who is unbiased (external and not a co-author).

In the case of a public examination, other members of the department, such as colleagues and students, may attend the examination. External persons from outside the department are generally not permitted; the decision lies with the examination chairperson.

Instructions for making an appointment can be found on the department's website. It is essential to propose 3 dates to avoid problems in finding a date. The exam consists of a thirty minute presentation followed by up to 60 minutes of questions.

The examination normally can only take place during lecture period.

Approximately 8 weeks, in order for reviews to take place. Additionally, the reviews must be made available for inspection at the department at least 2 weeks before the doctoral examination.

The assessment period can be agreed individually with the assessor; it is usually 4-6 weeks.

In a cumulative dissertation, several scientific papers are simply combined with a short introduction. This is currently not possible in our department. At the KIT-department of Informatics, the "cumulative dissertation with monographic character" is common, which means that it is a newly written work, but builds on published work. For example, adapted versions of previous publications can be used as a basis for the individual chapters.

This should be discussed with the supervisor; there are no fixed formal requirements on the part of the department. However, it is expected that substantial publications are available. Conference rankings do not play a role, unless otherwise discussed with the supervisor.

The Department of Informatics actively decided against having own guidelines for the usage of generative technologies as part of the dissertation. Instead, you should orient yourself towards the guidelines from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for dealing with generative models for text and image creation [PDF]. In general, you should discuss any questions regarding the use of such technologies with your advisor.

All information on the formal procedure can be found on the department's website.

In practice, the degree often has no relevance. The doctoral committee decides this during the examination, but is usually guided by the doctoral candidate's submitted request. In doubt, ask your supervisor for advice.

In contrast to Bachelor's and Master's theses, there are no comparable standards for doctoral theses. Doctoral theses can vary greatly, from theoretical to practical work. The doctoral degree shows that a scientific topic has been thoroughly researched and successfully completed. In practice, the choice of supervisor is crucial, as the doctoral candidate's working methods and the supervisor's expectations should be a good match.

The Dean's Office is the right place for procedural questions, and the Doctoral Committee for questions and problems relating to the doctoral regulations. For conflicts and disputes, there are four ombudspersons listed on the KHYS website. For general problems, you can contact the board of the Doctoral Convention. In addition, the AStA has a range of counseling services that can also be used by doctoral candidates.