Faculty of Educational Science

The Faculty of Educational Science confers the doctoral degree Dr. phil.with an individual doctorate. A PhD in Educational Science is possible on application. Admission to the doctoral examination procedure requires having completed successfully a relevant Masters degree course. University studies completed in foreign countries are to be recognized by the doctoral examination board. Recognition requires the equivalence with university studies completed in Germany. When deciding on the equivalence of university studies completed in foreign countries, the equivalence agreements approved of by the Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (= Kultusministerkonferenz) and the Conference of University Presidents (= Hochschulrektorenkonferenz) or corresponding legal provisions are to be taken into account. Please send your certifications, degrees and transcripts (in english language) as a pdf-document by email.

The doctoral regulation of the faculty [PDF - german] provides for the assignment of a supervisor (= members of the professorial body of the Faculty of Educational Science). The doctoral regulation provides for a supervisory agreement between the academic supervisors and the doctoral candidate. Those who intend to write a thesis have to contact a potential supervisor directly and ask for supervisory agreement.

Those who found a professor who supports them and meet the admission requirements have to apply for the acceptance as a doctoral candidate by the doctoral examination board (= Promotionsausschuss). The following documents are to be enclosed with the application:

a) evidence of meeting the admission requirements,

b) indication of the proposed subject of the thesis and of the supervisor as well as the declaration of the supervisor stating that he or she agrees to supervise the candidate (= Betreuungsvereinbarung),

c) a CV detailing personal and professional development,

d) a declaration about current or previous applications for the doctoral examination procedure, indicating the point of time, the subject and the faculty/university department where the candidate applied to commence the doctoral examination procedure,

e) exposé.

Those who have been accepted as a doctoral candidate by the faculty have to enrole as a doctoral student at the Bielefeld University until the completion of the doctoral examination procedure.

The doctoral examination procedure consists of a piece of academically significant written work (thesis, german or english, 200-300 pages) and an oral examination in form of a thesis defence (90 minutes).