Go-ahead for all authorised universities of applied sciences and their new doctoral centers. According to the Bavarian state government, the establishment of the doctoral centers marks a "new era". The special characteristic: universities of applied sciences closely cooperate and conduct research with companies.
Published on 30 August 2024
On 15 March 2024, a new era began at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt: their doctoral center "NISys" commenced operations. Within this center, THWS, Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences, and Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts will offer independent doctorates. NISys is a German abbreviation of Sustainable and Intelligent Systems. So, the technical focus areas are energy and infrastructure systems, mobility and production, and materials. The German doctoral title "Dr.-Ing.", a doctorate in engineering, is conferred. This development is new; for a long time, universities of applied sciences were only allowed to supervise doctorates in cooperation with universities. In 1976, they were officially recognised as academic institutions in the Framework Act for Higher Education; 34 years later, the Federal Constitutional Court confirmed that professors at universities of applied sciences have a basic right to free academic work. The individual federal states are still implementing this decision. Since 2023, universities of applied sciences in Bavaria have also been able to apply to the Ministry of Science for the right to award doctorates in 'particularly research-intensive areas', the Bavarian State Government announced.
Cooperative doctorates vs. doctorates at the doctoral center
At THWS, the first applications for independent doctorates at the doctoral center will be accepted in the winter semester 2024/25. "Currently about 80 doctoral candidates are completing a cooperative doctorate," says Dr. Christian Lengl, Head of the THWS Campus for Applied Research. Cooperative doctorates are conducted in cooperation with a university. The difficulty here is to find both a supervisor at the university of applied sciences and a professor at the respective university. In many cases, the dual supervision is an advantage, but in some cases, communication is more difficult, as you have to coordinate with several people and are dependent on individual regulations at the university. "In the best-case scenario, each professor provides important input for the doctoral candidate and a helpful network of contacts," says Dr. Simone Stork, who advises people interested in a doctorate at THWS within the frame of the THWS ProPere (Professorial Personnel recruitment and development) project.
Doctoral center NISys at THWS
"The main advantage of the THWS doctoral center is that we no longer require cooperations with universities," Dr. Lengl explains. This simplifies the entire process and also saves time, especially in the preparation up to the acceptance of a doctoral project, Stork adds. There are several quality assurance measures: On the one hand, the doctorates are supervised in a team, which means that each doctoral candidate is supported by two professors. "On the other hand, there is an accompanying qualification programme, which is mandatory for the doctoral candidates and is intended to support them in their specialist work," Dr. Lengl explains.
If you want to talk about the disadvantages of non-cooperative doctorates, these are the subject restrictions and the fact that the doctoral center is still in its infancy: The subjects, in the case of THWS, are currently still limited to the engineering field. If you are from another faculty, the only way is still through a cooperative doctorate with a university. In addition, the doctoral center is still new and therefore has to contend with the classic problems of a newly introduced system. "We first have to establish the formal criteria," says Professor Dr. Jürgen Hartmann, speaker of the doctoral center. However, this process is in its final stages and should no longer pose any problems until the first doctorates are accepted.
Requirements for a doctorate at THWS
If you are interested in doing a doctorate, you need to consider various aspects and basically bring a few things with you. Firstly, you need a master's degree or an equivalent degree with a grade of at least 'good' or better still 'very good'. Ideally, you should have already gained experience as a research associate or student assistant, which will also provide you with contacts for your own doctorate. It is also an advantage if research is being carried out in the department or a research project can be started, because without your own research topic no doctorate. Enthusiasm for the subject area is also essential. You should think about the topic of your doctorate at an early stage and consider exactly what will motivate you to work on it for many years to come. A tip by Dr. Lengl: "Choose a master's thesis that is already research-orientated." He knows: "The earlier you think about the fact that you want to do a doctorate, the better." Intrinsic motivation for the subject area, which is also sustained throughout the entire process, is crucial, Dr. Stork says. After all, if the subject is only a means to an end, it is more likely that the doctorate will be cancelled early or that there will be a loss of quality. Ideally, this topic will accompany you for the rest of your working life. Only if you are really passionate about it will you remain motivated over such a long period of time. There are various contact points at THWS for students interested in doing a doctorate and even an E-Learning course, where you can find not only information material, but also offers for workshops and events.
Financing a doctorate
A doctorate is usually financed through employment as a doctoral candidate in a research project at the university of applied sciences. These research projects are usually financed by third-party funds, for example from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Being employed by the university of applied sciences means working in the public sector and being paid accordingly. In Bavaria, employees at universities of applied sciences are categorised in salary grade E13 of the TV-L, the collective bargaining agreement for the public service of the states. This results in a full-time gross starting salary of EUR 4,188.38 per month. However, Dr. Lengl points out that the amount of time spent on research work for a doctorate should not be underestimated. A full-time position plus a doctorate is difficult to realise due to the double burden. When it comes to funding, it is also important to think in advance and consider exactly how much money you need and whether you should apply for a scholarship if there is no prospect of employment at the university of applied sciences. However: "A few have the opportunity to get financed through a scholarship," Dr. Stork knows.
Even though doctorates at the doctoral center of THWS, Aschaffenburg UAS, and Coburg University are for now limited to the field of engineering, it is an important and clear sign towards strengthening research at universities of applied sciences.
