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PhD at the Faculty of Computer Science

You have successfully completed your studies and are ready to begin your doctoral project at the faculty. This page contains all the important information you need about the doctoral process—from initial orientation to the final examination.

As a rule, doctoral studies at the faculty are conducted within the framework of a position as a research assistant at a chair. Doctoral topics are assigned directly by the chairs; current vacancies and possible research areas can be found on the respective chair websites.

This page provides clear guidance on the entire doctoral process at the faculty, including aspects to consider before and during your doctoral studies.

Steps 1 and 2 should be completed within the first three months after starting your doctoral studies. The remaining steps will then be completed shortly before or immediately after completing your doctoral studies.

The exact regulations for doctoral studies at the Faculty of Computer Science can be found in the Doctoral regulations of the Faculty of Computer Science..

Admission requirements

To be admitted to doctoral studies at the Faculty of Computer Science, one of the following requirements must be met:

  • a degree in a relevant computer science-related field of study with a standard duration of at least eight semesters, for which a degree other than a bachelor's degree is awarded, or

  • a degree in a relevant, computer science-related field of study with a standard period of study of at least six semesters, as well as appropriate, preparatory studies in the doctoral subjects, or

  • Completion of a master's degree program within the meaning of § 61 Abs. 2 Satz 2 HG.

Step 1: Supervision Agreement

Before admission to doctoral studies can be granted, a Supervision Agreement with a professor of computer science is needed. A list of professors of computer science can be found on the website of the Faculty of Computer Science.

Step 2: Admission to PhD

Required Documents

The following documents are required for the application for admission to doctoral studies:

  • The signed care agreement from step 1
  • Proof of university entrance qualification (e.g., high school diploma)
  • A tabular resume
  • Proof of a completed degree that meets the above admission requirements. This is not necessary if you have successfully completed one of the following degree programs at RWTH Aachen University:
    • Master Computer Science
    • Master Data Science
    • Master Software Systems Engineering
    • Master Media Informatics
  • Proof that there is no legally binding conviction for a criminal offense.
    The doctoral degree may be revoked in accordance with § 22 (1d) of the doctoral regulations if an intentional criminal offense has been committed that has resulted in a final prison sentence of at least one year. For this reason, proof that no such conviction has been made is required both for admission to the doctoral program and later for admission to the doctoral examination (step 4). This proof can be provided either by a valid employment contract in the public sector (e.g., at RWTH Aachen University) or by a certificate of good conduct for official purposes (document type O). The certificate of good conduct must be sent directly from the issuing authority (e.g., the city of Aachen) to the following address:

    Ina Rensinghof
    Promotionsbüro der Fakultät für Informatik
    AhornstraĂźe 55
    52074 Aachen

Application via Paperless

You must submit your application for admission to doctoral studies in the Faculty of Computer Science via the application for Admission to doctoral studies at the Faculty of Computer Science via Paperless You can log in to Paperless using RWTH Single Sign-On (SSO). If you do not have a Single Sign-On account, you can also create a local account in Paperless. If you encounter any problems, please contact bitten the doctoral office of the Faculty of Computer Science.

With RWTH Single Sign-on (SSO)

If you already have an SSO account from a previous course of study at RWTH, you can submit the application directly here. If this is not the case, you must first create a degree program profile for the degree program Computer Science (Doctorate) in Paperless. If you do not yet have a matriculation number, please use the number “123456.” You can then submit the application. here. stellen.

If you have not already done so due to another application, Paperless will first ask you whether your address from the RWTH IDM may be used.

You can then select the degree program under which you wish to submit your application. If you are able to select one of the following degree programs, please do so:

  • Master Computer Science
  • Master Data Science
  • Master Software Systems Engineering
  • Master Media Informatics

If you can only choose another degree program, select that one first.

If the next step indicates that the application for the selected degree program is not available, please select the option “Apply for another degree program” and then select the degree program Computer Science (Doctorate).

Without RWTH Single Sign-On (SSO)

If you do not have access to RWTH Single Sign-On, you must create a local account in Paperless. You must then enter your contact details and create a study program profile for the Computer Science (Doctorate) program in Paperless. If you do not yet have a matriculation number, please use the number “123456.” You can then submit your application. here. stellen.

Processing of the application / approval

Once the application has been submitted in Paperless, it will be processed by the doctoral office. Depending on the type of application, processing can take up to two weeks.

Applications in which the university entrance qualification and/or the degree used for admission to doctoral studies was obtained abroad may take longer to process. In these cases, other authorities must verify the university entrance qualification, and conditions may be imposed for admission to doctoral studies.

You will then receive notification of your admission to the doctoral program via Paperless. With this notification, you can enroll in the doctoral program at RWTH Aachen University.

Step 3: Appointment of the second/third reviewers

In step 1, you have already specified the first reviewer. In this step, you can specify the second reviewer via the Request for appointment of a reviewer . Before submitting this application, you should discuss this with your supervisor.

As a rule, an evaluator should be a university lecturer, adjunct professor, honorary professor, or private lecturer at another German or foreign university or a non-university research institution. In addition, at least one of the reviewers must have voting rights in the Faculty of Computer Science. In most cases, this is the first reviewer.

If these conditions are not met, it may be necessary to appoint a third-party reviwer..

For this application, you will need the signed Declaration of Bias of the second or third reviewer.

Processing of the application

Once the application has been submitted in Paperless, it will be processed by the Doctoral Office. Depending on the type of application, processing can take up to two weeks. You will then receive notification via Paperless regarding the appointment of the second/third reviewers. 

Step 4: Admission to the PhD examination

When applying for admission to the doctoral examination, you must submit your dissertation for review. The following documents are required for the application for admission to the doctoral examination:

  • The dissertation
  • Proof of successful participation in the course “Scientific Integrity”
    • If you have already taken this course as part of a master's program at RWTH Aachen University, you do not need to take it again.
  • Proof that there is no legally binding conviction for a criminal offense.
    • As described in step 2, this proof can be provided either by means of a valid employment contract in the public sector (e.g., at RWTH Aachen University) or by means of a certificate of good conduct for official purposes (document type O).

Procedure

The Application for admission to the doctoral examination can be found (as mentioned in step 2) on Paperless.
Once your application has been processed, you will receive notification via Paperless as to whether your admission to the doctoral examination has been accepted or rejected.

At the same time, the reviewers will be informed of the receipt of the dissertation and asked to send their reviews to the doctoral office within three months. As soon as the expert opinions have been received, the doctoral office will inform you of their receipt and the start of the display period. The display period is two weeks.

Step 5: Ordering the Commission

Comming Soon…

Step 6: Publication

For publication, the Cover Sheet of the Faculty of Computer Science has to be used.

Comming Soon…