Prospective doctoral candidates
Are you interested in doing a doctorate at Hochschule München? Find out more about the different types of doctorates, entry requirements, the process and funding options.
A doctorate or Quick Access into the workforce?
A doctorate is an option that can be chosen after completing a Master’s degree as an alternative to Quick Access to the workforce in a company or taking up self-employment. You should consider in advance what your goals are in pursuing a doctorate, or whether you wish to conduct research in a specific field. A doctorate can be undertaken at a university or at a University of Applied Sciences (UAS).
Doctoral centres and cooperative doctorates
At the HM, there are two types of doctorate: an independent doctorate at a Doctoral Research Center and a cooperative doctorate involving a university. Independent doctorates are available in the subject areas for which the HM has been granted the right to award doctorates, or in which the HM participates in Doctoral Research Centers at other Universities of Applied Sciences. These are currently Civil Engineering, Economics, Materials Science and Production Engineering, and Computer Science.
In the case of cooperative doctorates, the doctoral degree is awarded in collaboration with the universities at which the principal supervisors are based.
Areas of research excellence
Hochschule München boasts many areas of strong research activity. Particularly pioneering are the fields of building services engineering and building physics, as well as the Applied Natural Sciences, in which high-calibre, solution-oriented research is carried out within Munich’s academic landscape in collaboration with regional industry. However, Munich University of Applied Sciences also stands out for its academic diversity, meaning that it is generally possible to pursue a doctorate in any of its departments.
Doctoral topics are offered in the following research areas in particular:
• Automotive
• Digital value creation
• Energy efficiency
• Production and materials
• Socio-economic innovations
• Sustainable energy systems
• Energy Technology
Further information on the research areas and research institutes can be found here .
However, doctorates are also awarded in other fields. For further information on this, please contact the professors whose research covers your chosen field directly.
The cooperative doctorate at HM, explained simply
Have you successfully completed your master's degree programme and are you considering the possibility of doing a doctorate? In this video, we explain how, as part of a cooperative doctorate programme at Hochschule München, you can not only earn your doctorate but also gain practical experience in exciting research projects, thereby opening up a wide range of career opportunities.
(Please note that the video is in German, English subtitles are available.)
The entry requirements for a doctorate at the HM are governed by the RPromO/FPromO of the doctoral centres or, in the case of cooperative doctorates, by the regulations of the partner university. As a rule, applicants are required to have completed above-average studies (Diplom, Magister or master's degree) at a university, or to have passed an equivalent state examination or a master's degree examination at a University of Applied Sciences. Equivalent foreign qualifications are also taken into account.
Prospective doctoral candidates should contact the relevant Doctoral Research Center or university directly to find out whether they meet the access requirements.
Further information can be found here.
The application process for a doctorate consists of several steps:
• Find a doctoral research topic and supervisors
• find a supervisor at HM or, in the case of a cooperative doctorate, an additional supervisor at a partner university
• secure funding
• complete the necessary procedures at the partner university.
• to become a member of the HM by registering with a Doctoral Research Center, by undergoing enrolment, or by entering into an employment contract.
Find out more here about the funding options available for your doctorate .
Doctorates at the doctoral centres or cooperative doctorates can also be organised in collaboration with a foreign university .
You can find further information on doctorates at HM here .
Contact
You can find details of the contact persons at the HM Graduate School here .
Downloads
Statutes, regulations, laws
• Guidelines on ensuring good academic practice: Hochschule München – Good academic practice
• Part-Time and Fixed-Term Employment Act: TzBfG – Act on Part-Time Work and Fixed-Term Employment Contracts
• Act on Fixed-Term Employment Contracts in Academia: WissZeitVG – Act on fixed-term employment contracts in academia