Doctorate (PhD)

Are you aiming for a doctorate? Ruhr University Bochum offers doctoral candidates comprehensive supervision and support with the campus-wide Research School and five international graduate schools.

Enrollment in a doctoral program is possible year-round and is not subject to any deadlines set by the Student Office. However, please note that your doctoral regulations may specify deadlines that you must adhere to.

In order to enroll in a doctoral program at Ruhr University Bochum (RUB), you generally need a degree (e.g. a Master's, diploma, magister, or state examination in medicine or law) as well as a supervisor for your doctorate.

The doctoral regulations (Promotionsordnung) of the faculties describe the doctoral procedure and provide information on admission to the desired doctoral program. You can find doctoral regulations on the faculties' websites or request them from the relevant academic advisory service.

Enrollment for a Doctorate

All doctoral candidates at RUB must be enrolled. Before you enroll or re-enroll as a doctoral candidate, the dean's office of the respective faculty must certify that you have been accepted for a doctorate. You must show/upload this certificate when you apply for enrollment.

Information on the documents required for enrollment as a doctoral candidate can be found below on this website.

If you change your place of study within Germany, de-register at your previous German university before you enroll at RUB.

Step by Step: Enrollment in the Doctorate

Register in our application and enrollment portal.

Link to the application and enrollment portal
Once you have registered there, you will find a button labeled "To the application" in the portal. After clicking it, you will have the option to create an application for enrollment in the Doctorate (PhD).
Please answer the subsequent questions truthfully. During the application process, you will be asked to upload your documents.

_{Please note: This is not an application for doctoral studies, but rather direct enrollment. Although you must first answer a few questions as part of a "preliminary application," these questions serve primarily to ensure you are guided correctly through the system later on. Once the preliminary application is submitted, you will proceed immediately to the enrollment application.}

Documents required for enrolment

During the Enrollment Process, You will be Asked to Upload Several Documents:

your high school diploma/university entrance qualification (Abitur, high school certificate, school leaving certificate.) Even if you already have one or more degrees, we still need proof of your first university entrance qualification for enrolment.
your passport / ID-Card
in case you have studied in Germany before: de-registration certificates from all your prior German universities ("Exmatrikulationsbescheinigung")
degree certificates/university diplomas (Bachelor / Master / Diploma / Staatsexamen)
“Annahme zur Promotion” und “Betreuungsvereinbarung”: Acceptance for a doctorate by the faculty (Dean´s Office) or the doctoral committee and supervision agreement
a picture (passport format) for your student ID card

Registration at the Research School

All RUB doctoral students must register at the Research School after enrollment. You can find more information on this topic here.

Important Information about Health Insurance

As a person registered exclusively for a doctorate/phD, you are not subject to compulsory student insurance. You therefore do not have to report your health insurance status to the university.

Exception: You are enrolled in a regular course of study (e.g. Bachelor/Master/state examination) parallel to your doctorate. In this case, a digital notification of your insurance status must be sent to the university by your health insurance company (or by a statutory health insurance company in the case of private insurance). Please contact your health insurance company for advice.

Application, Enrollment, Admission

Overview

RUB

Kramer RUB