For two years, THWS has now been running its own graduate school in collaboration with Aschaffenburg UAS and Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts. After several rounds of admissions to NISys, the coordinators and doctoral students are taking stock – the testimonials speak for themselves.
Published on 05 March 2026, updated on 20 March 2026
The Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (THWS) looks back on its first year of independently supervised doctoral programmes. With a focus on energy and infrastructure systems, mobility and production, and materials, students can earn a doctorate in engineering at NISys, short for Sustainable and Intelligent Systems. THWS cooperates with the Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts and Aschaffenburg UAS. Thanks to this innovation, doctoral supervision no longer requires the involvement of a university but can be carried out by the higher education institution alone. The fact that cooperation with a university is no longer necessary has several advantages: coordination is easier, especially in the preparatory phase, and the distances are shorter.
Great interest and exclusivity of the doctorates
Many of the processes established by the graduate school have now been run through at least once, allowing for initial optimisations to be made. "Of course, every beginning is marked by questions. But now, following the first intake rounds, things are slowly settling into a routine," says Dr. Simone Stork, coordinator for early-career researchers. An intake round takes place every quarter: doctoral candidates can then submit an application for admission to the graduate school. The first candidates were admitted in October 2024.
Interest in the programme is palpable: currently, 96 doctoral candidates are members of the graduate school. While some are still in the early stages, others are already well advanced in their academic work.
"Our doctoral students are closer to the graduate school than they would be at a university," explains Johanna Franke, coordinator at the graduate school. "While our current doctoral students are one of just under 100 doctoral students, at a university you are often one of 1,000." Leonie Laskowitz can confirm that this results in a certain exclusivity. She says about her doctoral studies at NISys: "The support is very good: you always have a contact person, which makes me feel well looked after."
NISys offers exchange formats and an annual scientific retreat. The aim here is to promote peer-to-peer interaction among doctoral candidates. In addition, doctoral candidates complete a structured qualification programme. On the one hand, this programme focuses on scientific aspects, such as conference attendance and publications. On the other hand, it also includes additional elements, such as teaching as a skill and personal development.
Financing a doctorate
After the second active year of the graduate school, it is time to take stock: the majority of doctoral candidates have a position at the university of applied sciences to finance their doctorate. In most cases, doctoral candidates work on a research project that is often related to the topic of their doctorate. Others combine their doctoral studies with a professional activity, doing it on the side. In rarer cases, doctoral students receive a scholarship, as these are few and far between and competition for them is high. For anyone interested, there is a German THWS e-learning course on offers for prospective doctoral students and doctoral candidates that provides information on financing options and other topics.
Tips for a successful doctorate
Based on her experience, Leonie Laskowitz would give the following advice to everyone looking to do a doctorate:
- Choose a topic that you are passionate about. If you are really interested in a topic, you will be intrinsically motivated to stay disciplined.
- Create useful structures early on: especially regarding time management and regarding writing by using a citation software for example.
- Network and exchange with others: You are not alone. There are others in a similar position.
- Also helpful: take breaks. During your studies and your doctorate, no one tells you to end the working day. It is essential to take breaks yourself to gain new energy and inspiration.
Leonie Laskowitz pursues her doctorate as a secondary activity: one day a week, she works in the laboratory at THWS. Otherwise, she works on her doctorate alongside her job, mainly in the evenings or at weekends. "It requires a lot of self-organisation but it also makes the whole thing very flexible if both employers allow it. Then it's a great change of pace," she says.
Practical relevance and qualification programme
Leonie Laskowitz’ doctorate at NISys is in the field of motion capture with the aim of providing technical support for training processes and refining motion analysis – a topic she also has a personal connection to through martial arts. "NISys offers the ideal combination of applied research and an interdisciplinary environment," she says about her decision to join the THWS graduate school. This is particularly evident in the collaboration with companies, as they are helpful in both the application and testing of developed approaches. "I often need real training data and a set-up that can be implemented in practice – I get that through collaboration," explains Laskowitz. "In addition, feedback from companies is incredibly important for the further development of the methodology and the overall set-up."
She participates in the graduate school’s qualification programme throughout her doctoral studies. The programme offers various seminars and workshops, ranging from publication strategies to academic writing, as well as tips on presentation techniques and how to deal with different stakeholders at external conferences. All of this is designed to provide doctoral students with helpful insights. The programme also provides for exchange with other doctoral students, which, according to Laskowitz, is "motivating on the one hand and relieving on the other." This is because most doctoral students have the same questions when it comes to technical issues – and on an emotional level, it is helpful to realise that there are others with similar problems and questions and that you can exchange ideas.
Graduate School LiWa
At THWS, there is not only the Graduate School for Sustainable and Intelligent Systems (NISys). In July 2025, the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts granted THWS the right to award doctorates through the Graduate School Changing living environments – perspectives from social and health sciences, or LiWa for short. This means that doctorates in the fields of health and social sciences can also be obtained at THWS without cooperation with a university.
Further information on the graduate school LiWa
Looking to the future
The qualification programme also helps to ensure that the doctoral programme is successful. It not only connects you with potential partners, but also with other doctoral candidates – for example, at the annual doctoral retreat. This is also on the agenda again for spring 2026. And there are even more plans for the future.
NISys specifically asks its members for feedback, as this enables processes to be continuously adapted and improved. One of the planned developments is: "We would like to engage even more in dialogue with doctoral students – in a regular online exchange format," explains Johanna Franke. There is a lot going on behind the scenes. The graduate school is currently working on introducing software to digitally support the process of admitting doctoral students . Dr. Simone Stork adds: "We are providing all members with a kind of intranet so that doctoral students and professors can find all the information they need in one place." This is particularly important due to the cooperation with Aschaffenburg UAS and Coburg University of Applied Sciences and the Arts – because the joint platform will make it possible to link all three universities of applied sciences even better.
