Acceptance of the dissertation and doctoral examination¶
Overview of the assessment and acceptance of the dissertation and the oral examination¶
The Dean’s Office NAT organizes and coordinates the evaluation of the dissertation and the oral examination, after we receive the submitted documents from the examination office in Munich.
The required steps are summarized here:
We ask your supervisor for suggestions for the examination committee.
We forward this suggestion to the Dean.
The Dean will decide and confirm whether the NAT School will conduct the examination procedure and determine the degree to be awarded (Dr. rer. nat. or Dr.-Ing.).
The Dean will appoint the examination committee.
We make the dissertation available to the examination committee and request expert opinions from the examiners.
After receiving all positive evaluations from the examiners, the Dean’s Office initiates the acceptance procedure.
The respective acceptance committee decides on the acceptance of the dissertation by circulation.
Once the acceptance committee has accepted the dissertation, the candidate and the examination committee agree on an examination date, which the Dean’s Office will announce at least 7 days in advance.
The oral examination takes place.
Appointment of the examination committee and assessment process¶
The Dean’s Office formally requests the dissertation supervisor, who typically serves as the primary examiner, to propose candidates for the examination committee. Per the Doctoral Degree Regulations (Promotionsordnung), the chair of the committee, as well as at least one reviewer, must hold a position as a university lecturer at the NAT School.
To uphold standards of good scientific practice, it is important that the second and any third reviewers prepare independent evaluations. These reviewers should maintain an appropriate distance from both the supervisor and the candidate to ensure objectivity, while also possessing familiarity with the dissertation topic.
The Dean holds the authority to determine whether the NAT School will oversee the examination process and to decide on the specific degree to be awarded (Dr. rer. nat. / Dr.-Ing.). The Dean will assess the proposed committee members and appoint the examination committee in accordance with principles of good scientific practice.
Upon appointment, the Dean’s Office will notify all committee members and the candidate. Each committee member will receive a digital copy of the dissertation. Additionally, the Dean’s Office will request written evaluations from the reviewers.
Acceptance of the dissertation through the Umlauf-Verfahren¶
Upon the examination of a doctoral thesis by all designated reviewers, and evaluation as “passed” or better, the Dean’s Office will advance the dissertation along with the accompanying expert opinions to the relevant acceptance committee within the TUM School of Natural Sciences.
Currently, there are four established acceptance committees:
The professors serving on these committees are required to submit their evaluations, indicating either “accept” or “reject,” within a timeframe of seven days.
In instances of a rejection, it is mandatory to provide specific justifications. Conversely, if the thesis is accepted, an optional comment may be included. These evaluations, along with their respective justifications and comments, will be communicated to the School Executive Board or the examination committee, while maintaining the confidentiality of the identities of the voters and the authors of remarks.
Following the seven-day period, the dissertation will be deemed accepted if a sufficient number of “accept” votes are received, and no votes indicate rejection. For committees comprising 20 to 39 members, a minimum of fifteen affirmative votes is required for acceptance, while for committees with 40 or more members, a threshold of twenty positive votes is necessary.
During the Umlauf-Verfahren (circulation procedure), it is the responsibility of the candidate to proactively solicit the necessary “accept” statements.
Once the Umlauf-Verfahren commences, candidates will receive an email notification and can subsequently monitor the status of the procedure through the DSSNAT platform. Please note that while the number of votes will be visible, the identities of the voters will remain confidential.
Oral examination¶
Exam coordination:
After the acceptance procedure (Umlauf-Verfahren), the committee chair organizes the exam date and location with both the examiners and the candidate.
The agreed-upon date must be submitted to the Dean’s Office. It’s preferable for the exam to take place in a NAT building or, at least a room at TUM.
Announcement of exam date:
Once the acceptance procedure is finished, the Dean’s Office will announce the exam date. This date must be at least seven days after the announcement.
The Dean’s Office is responsible for inviting both examiners and candidates to the oral examination.
Public information:
The Dean’s Office will publicly share details about PhD committees and exam dates.
The oral defense of the PhD is generally open to all examiners at NAT. Exam committees may also choose to allow other attendees, so it’s important to confirm this directly with your committee (and report it for the invitation).
Adjustments to the thesis:
During the exam, the examination committee may suggest modifications to the dissertation to improve its quality and ensure it meets academic standards.
If no changes are noted during the exam, the candidate is required to publish the thesis as it was submitted, except for adding any missing information on the title page.
Documentation:
The Dean’s Office will supply the necessary examination documents to the committee chair.
After the oral exam, the committee chair must return the completed documents to the Dean’s Office, which will then forward them to the central examination office.