Doctoral studies with a foreign degree

Doctoral candidates with a foreign degree are required to make an Application for Nostrification of their degree at the Students-Service-Center (SSZ, Admissions Office [Zulassungsamt or Immatrikulationsamt]) of the TU Munich. This request is subjected to a fee.

An early application at the Admissions Office is strongly recommended!

Contents:

Preconditions
Matriculation
Procedure for applicants with foreign degrees
Partial Doctorate
Rules and Regulations
Membership in the TUM Graduate School

Preconditions

• In order to register for doctoral studies, you must have concluded your undergraduate studies with excellent results. According to the TUM PhD regulations, an above-average performance is equivalent to a final grade of at least 2.5, which for foreign applicants can be calculated using the „Bavarian formula“:
  
  x = 1 +3(N_max -N_d)/(N_max -N_min),
  
  where N_d is the grade obtained and N_max and N_min are the best achievable grade and the lowest pass grade, respectively.
• If you decide to pursue doctoral studies, you must have already chosen the topic of your doctorate, and have a supervisor for your dissertation.

Matriculation

• You are free to choose whether to matriculate for your doctorate or not. However, it is mandatory that you register in the faculty's doctoral list.
• After you have registered in the faculty's doctoral list, you can matriculate at the TUM for six terms.
• Please note: you may continue to work on a doctorate after six terms, but will lose your student status.
• You may register at any time, including during the periods when no lectures are being held. Nevertheless, the counting of terms starts with the date on which you register. In other words, if you register on the last day of the winter term, the winter term also counts as the "1st term".

Procedure for applicants with foreign degrees

• As an applicant with a foreign degree, you are required to undergo a recognition procedure.
• Foreign university degrees can be recognized as a precondition for doctoral studies. Frequently, however, this does not occur until further conditions, such as an examination of knowledge and/or successful participation in additional seminars, have been satisfied.
• The faculty decides whether to recognize foreign degrees.

• Please note the following procedure for the recognition of your foreign university degree:

• Submit the application form for the recognition of a foreign university degree as a precondition for doctoral studies completely filled in, along with the required documents (see in the form steps a to e) to the Admissions Office of TU Munich (Arcisstr. 21, 80333 Munich).
• The Admissions Office will then review the application, as long as it is complete. You will receive an invoice requiring you to transfer a fee of €75. Once you have transferred this amount, the Admissions Office will start processing your application.
• At this point, the application passes from the Admissions Office to the Zentralstelle für Ausländisches Bildungswesen (ZAB, central office for international educational systems) in Bonn for its classification.
  The Admissions Office communicates the conclusions of the ZAB's report to the faculty's Board of Examiners as well as the converted final grade, calculated as mentioned above, and asks them for a final statement.
• The faculty's Board of Examiners subjects the application to an additional review. As soon as this review has been concluded, you will receive a decision concerning the recognition of your degree from the Admissions Office.
• Please note: the complete recognition procedure may require some time.
• As soon as your degree has been recognized for doctoral studies, you should submit a written application for registration in the doctoral list in the Deanery (Dekanat). Either you or your supervisor can do this.
• You may submit an application for recognition at any time, there are no time limits.

• If you subsequently would like to enroll, submit a copy of the confirmation of your entry on the doctoral list, your certificate of nostrification and a copy of the application for admission form completely filled in, along with a passport picture, to the Admissions Office (student admission).
• The Admissions Office will then re-process your documents, as long as they are complete.
• You will then receive a written certificate of admission that includes further details concerning enrollment. The date on which you can enroll at the TUM will be notified on your admission certificate. You will then also receive a Student Card (Student Card) as part of this registration.
• For enrollment the following documents must be presented at the Admissions Office:

• Admission certificate
• Proof of a health insurance valid in Germany
• Proof of payment of the Student Union fee (Studentenwerk) of €42
• Valid passport

Partial Doctorate

• You are recognized as a part-time doctoral student if you only perform research at TUM for a limited period (max. 6 terms) and intend to complete your doctorate at your home university. In both cases, you can enroll for up to 6 semesters.
• Please note the following nostrification and enrollment procedure (for part-time doctoral students with German or foreign degrees):

• Send the filled-out application for admission to TUM's International Office (Technische Universität München, International Office, Incoming, Arcisstr. 21, 80333 Munich, Germany).
• Include also a passport photograph and a curriculum vitae, as well as the following certificates from your home university and your doctoral supervisor at the TUM (we would kindly request you, as far as possible, to fill out both certificates by typewriter or in capital letters):

• Confirmation of supervision by the home university (PDF)
• Confirmation of supervision by the TUM

• The International Office will review your application and forward this to the Admissions Office.
• You will then receive a written certificate of admission that includes further details concerning enrollment. The date on which you can enroll at TUM will be notified to you on the admission certificate. You will then also receive a Student Card (Student Card) as part of this registration.
• For enrollement the following documents must be presented at the Matriculation Office:

• Admission certificate
• Proof of a health insurance valid in Germany
• Proof of payment of the Student Union (Studentenwerk) fee of €42
• Valid passport

Rules and regulations for the doctoral program

• At an early juncture, please read the TUM's rules and regulations for doctoral programs, which set out the regulations regarding your doctoral studies.
• You should also consult your faculty's website or ask your supervisor, as to which additional regulations are set out by the faculty.

Membership in the TUM Graduate School

• The TUM Graduate School and its graduate centers offer doctoral students many ways to network and qualify.
• As a doctoral student at the TU Munich, you can become a member of the TUM Graduate School, irrespectively of whether you have enrolled or not.
• You will find detailed information and a membership application form on the pages of the TUM Graduate School.

Contact: Immatrikulationsamt