At Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences, the individual doctorate is the most common route to a doctorate. Doctoral candidates develop an independent research project together with their supervisor at the university. Together or with our support, you will find initial supervision at a cooperating university authorised to award doctorates. The research work and the writing of the dissertation are now carried out in close coordination with your supervisors at the university and the university.

It's easier to work together: in structured doctoral programmes, such as Research Training Groups, several doctoral candidates work together on a range of topics. In most cases, the individual topics are related or complement each other. These programmes often include accompanying qualifications, regular workshops and networking events that support the researchers during their doctorate. A graduate forum has been established at our university in the Department of Social Work, Education and Training. There is a co-operation with the Graduate Academy of the University of Greifswald.

Doctoral students with an international focus have the opportunity to complete a binationally supervised doctorate (cotutelle de thèse). In this case, the dissertation is supervised by professors from two universities in different countries and the doctorate is awarded by both institutions. Our university is integrated into the WASCAL doctoral programme as part of the European Academic Network for Capacity Development in Climate Change Adaptation (NetCDA). You can find out which universities abroad our university cooperates with at the International Office. Insert link

The most common form of a dissertation is a monograph, i.e. you write a coherent dissertation in book form. Cumulative doctorates are also becoming increasingly common. In this form of doctorate, you write several papers on one topic and publish them one after the other in specialist journals. The following also applies here: at the end, you must submit a doctoral thesis in which the individual publications have been brought together in book form.

When a monograph or a cumulative dissertation is recommended often depends on the subject area and the chosen topic and should be carefully considered. Coordinate this with your supervisor in advance. Regulations on publication can be found in the doctoral degree regulations.

Cumulative doctorate (collective dissertation consisting of several specialised articles)

Advantages:

• Early publication of individual research results (peer review)

• Visibility and relevance in the scientific community through publications

• Good preparation for an academic career (publication record)

• More flexible structure through individual articles

• Opportunity for co-authorship and networking with other researchers

Disadvantages:

• Dependence on the publication process (e.g. acceptance in journals, long review times)

• Higher organisational effort (e.g. selection of journals, adaptation to different requirements)

• Possible difficulties with the coherence of the content of individual articles

• Not equally recognised in all departments or universities

Monographic doctorate (coherent, independent research work in book form)

Advantages:

• Uniform, coherent presentation of the research topic

• Full control over content, structure and style

• Well suited for theoretical-conceptual or complex research questions

• The established standard in many humanities and social sciences

Disadvantages:

• No early publication of results (less visibility during the work)

• Higher risk during evaluation (everything stands and falls with a work)

• More time-consuming, as publication is usually only possible after completion

• Fewer publication references for academic careers during the doctorate