Doctoral Graduation
Graduating from our doctoral program is a multi-step process. This page is here to help guide through the maze of milestones, deadlines, and submissions.
Overview
What is this page?
It’s basically a helpful guided tour through all the administrative steps involved in your graduation. The context in which your graduation happens is described in detail below, while you might find the overview and motivation given on the Doctoral School pages a helpful start. There you can also find information on the Doctoral School’s services and programs.
When and where to submit?
Each milestone comes with its own schedule and deadlines, which are explained in detail below. Unless noted otherwise, information on our Dates & Datelines page applies. Digital submissions usually happen via email. For physical submissions (e.g., printed copies of your thesis), please make an appointment with our Study Service team to drop by during office hours.
I have more questions!
No problem, we answered many frequently asked questions below. Please have a look and if you still can’t find your answer, just contact our Study Services team, and all will be well.
Milestones
1. Enrollment
Your first step to successfully graduate from a doctoral school is to enroll as a doctoral student at TU Wien Informatics. The successful completion of a relevant master or other equivalent degree program of a recognized domestic or foreign postsecondary educational institution is a precondition for admission to a doctoral program.
Candidates need to find a supervisor before applying for admission to the doctoral program at the admission office. Depending on the educational background of a candidate, supplementary examinations (specified by the dean of academic affairs in consultation with the supervisor) can be required for full equivalence and have to be sit during the doctoral program.
During the studies, regular meetings between the candidate and the supervisor are expected. At the minimum both the candidate and the supervisor can request a monthly meeting. The role of the supervisor is to guide the candidate (breadth and depth), make sure that the work and results will be of sufficient interest and quality to the scientific community. Normally, this will follow in close collaboration, but it is not the role of the supervisor to solve the problems.
The courses can be submitted for approval after the proficiency evaluation by using the form F-815: Announcement of a Doctoral Thesis. They are chosen by the candidate and the supervisor, and approved by the dean of academic affairs. The regular procedure will be to choose courses from the Fundamental courses and the Area courses (of the respective research area) offered by the TU Wien Informatics Doctoral School, in which case approval by the dean of academic affairs can normally be expected before the proficiency evaluation.
2. Apply for Proficiency Evaluation
The proficiency evaluation, where you present your research proposal to the evaluation committee, is the second significant milestone in your doctoral studies. It has to be completed at the earliest six months and at the latest 18 months after your enrollment.
The date, time, and location of your presentation, as well as your thesis title and supervisor are published on our website. Your presentation is open to all faculty members, including your fellow students of the Doctoral School.
Step by Step
- The candidate submits a research proposal to the supervisor, surveying the chosen field of research including the state of the art with at least 10 relevant references, outlining a research direction and concrete problems, including problems addressed so far, possible approaches and solutions to the defined research questions, the methodology chosen for the doctoral work, schedule mentioning conferences, workshops, and journals where intermediate results are planned to be published. It should also include the list of courses which are planned to be taken. The research proposal is on the order of 10 pages and is intended as a guideline for the remaining part of the doctoral program, but is not a fixed work plan and can (should) change and evolve over time.
- The candidate submits the research proposal together with the form F-848: Admission to the Proficiency Evaluation to the Office of the Dean of academic affairs. The proficiency evaluation committee consists of the supervisor, a national expert (who is a member of another Austrian university) and a chairperson. The chairperson is a member of the Faculty of Informatics but belongs to another research unit than the supervisor.
- The student is required to present the research proposal to the proficiency evaluation committee at the Faculty of Informatics. The oral presentation should be 30 minutes long, is announced officially, and open to faculty members including students of the doctoral program. The focus there is on the research plan, as outlined in the research proposal, not so much on the results achieved so far.
- The proficiency evaluation committee provides two types of feedback: an immediate oral feedback after the presentation with the categories “sufficient” or “insufficient”, and a written feedback with details for improvement.
- The dean of academic affairs formally approves the assessment of the proficiency evaluation committee.
- If the decision is “insufficient”, the candidate is allowed to re-submit and re-present after at most 6 months. In case of a second “insufficient” feedback the candidate needs to modify the research focus and related issues stated in the feedback.
- In case of a “sufficient” proficiency evaluation the candidate submits the form F-815 (“Doctoral Thesis Agreement”). This document is signed by the doctoral candidate and the supervisor. The dean of academic affairs also needs to take note of the doctoral thesis agreement with his/her signature. In this document, the (working) title of the thesis, the supervisor, the course list, and the details of the interaction between doctoral student and supervisor are fixed – so this is an important document for you.
- Progress is recorded in short yearly reports (ca. 1-3 pages), which covers the reporting agreed upon in the “Doctoral thesis agreement”, backed up by submitted or published papers. The progress report should also discuss current issues, problems and obstacles, and can outline a work plan. The progress report is discussed with the proficiency evaluation committee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions and answers about the proficiency evaluation.
Where do I find the registration deadlines?
Please visit our Dates & Deadlines page.
Who is on the evaluation committee?
The committee consists of your supervisor, a national expert, the dean of academic affairs (or a substitute), and a chairperson. The national expert, suggested by you and your supervisor, is a professor of another Austrian university. In exceptional cases this may be a professor from abroad, but please be aware that international travel costs will not be covered by the Dean’s Office. The chairperson, also suggested by you and your supervisor, is a member of the Faculty of Informatics but not a member of the supervisor’s institute.
How do I register for my proficiency evaluation?
After you decided on your national expert, fill out form F-848 and email it together with your research proposal to dissertation@informatik.tuwien.ac.at.
When and where will my evaluation take place?
Once the dean of academic affairs has received and approved your form F-848, our Study Services team assigns the next available date and informs you about the location. You can also suggest a date where all members of your proficiency evaluation committee have time.
What do I need to prepare for the evaluation?
You need to prepare your research proposal in document (about 10 pages) and slide form.
What happens during the evaluation?
The proficiency evaluation takes about 90 minutes. You start by presenting your research proposal (30 minutes), followed by a scientific discussion.
When do I get the result of my evaluation?
You will get the decision “Passed” or “Failed” right at the end of your proficiency evaluation. If the committee thinks that you need to improve specific issues, they’ll communicate them to you via email later on.
What’s the next step?
After successfully completing your proficiency evaluation, you officially announce your doctoral thesis. Please fill out form F-815 and email it to dissertation@informatik.tuwien.ac.at. This critical document serves as your thesis agreement.
3. Compose Your Thesis
While your thesis is all yours, we still ask you to follow some guidelines. Well, these guidelines are binding, so technically, you must follow them.
Formal Guidelines
Format and Binding
The thesis needs to be in DIN A4 format and bound with a hardcover.
Cover Page
The cover page is the first page of your thesis and needs to be written in the same language as the thesis itself (i.e., either in English or German).
Abstract
Following the cover page is an abstract of your thesis in both English and German.
Citations
Citations should be correctly marked as it is common practice in academia.
Curriculum Vitae
Your CV or a link to your personal webpage can be included on the last page of your thesis.
Cumulative Theses
If you want to write a cumulative thesis, the guideline of our Vice Rector for Academic Affairs has to be followed (available in German only).
Templates and Resources
Template
When choosing the kind of thesis to produce from the template, please absolutely make sure to select “doctor” from the available options.
Good Scientific Practice
Restriction of Use
Restriction of the use of a thesis is an exception and must be in the student’s own interest. You can apply for a restriction for a maximum of two years. To do so, the request must be made in TISS under “Abschlussarbeiten > Meine Arbeiten”, printed out, and sent to studiendekanat.informatik@tuwien.ac.at for approval.
All theses have to be submitted for publication in TU Wien Library, both in printed form (the printed version of the thesis has to be submitted to Study Services only during the Official Submission) and in electronic form to the Study Services. For online publication via library document server the consent of the student is required. (Checkbox in TISS “Veröffentlichung erlaubt”) The declaration of consent can be revoked at any time. In case of a usage restriction, the online publication will only take place after the expiration of the restriction period.
In addition, library data and keywords in English and German need to be entered in TISS under “Meine Arbeiten”. Please note that currently, only supervisors can enter keywords.
4. Apply for Pre-Submission
You decide when your thesis is ready for submission and evaluation. When submitting your doctoral thesis for “pre-submission” please make sure to remove the reviewers’ names from the cover page. To guarantee a fair and independent review process, they should not know who is the respective other reviewer at this point.
Once submitted, the thesis is reviewed by an examination committee proposed by you and appointed by the dean of academic affairs. By appointing two independent international reviewers (see FAQ for details), we avoid a conflict of interest and ensure a high-quality thesis.
Step by Step
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For submission evaluation, two independent, (preferably) international, expert-in-the-field reviewers are added to the proficiency evaluation committee. Experts are suggested by the proficiency evaluation committee and formally approved and assigned by the dean of academic affairs. Proficiency evaluation committee plus two international experts build the submission committee which is the committee of the final defense.
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International experts are required to be independent of both student and supervisor, and required likewise to do their review independently of both. At least one of the international experts is expected completely independent, i.e., no joint publications and project proposals with the student or the supervisor for the past five years before the review (roughly aligned with the expected length of the doctoral program).
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The finished, submitted thesis is reviewed by the two international experts. The supervisor is not a reviewer of the thesis.
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The international experts will submit detailed, specific, written reviews at the dean’s office after at most two months. Experts can suggest or request changes to the thesis. These suggestions should be argued in sufficient detail.
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After having the reviews, the submission committee provides a revision letter with detailed reviews including a grade and a description for the justification of the grade. The grade can be one of the following:
- Accepted
- Revision (max. 6 months work necessary)
- Rejected (more than 6 months work necessary)
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The revision letter is signed by all members of the submission committee and sent to the student via the dean’s office.
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In case revisions are requested, the supervisor is responsible for ensuring that these are done by the student accordingly; international experts can require to check the modifications.
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The doctoral work will normally lead to scientific publications, and as a rule a number of publications in relevant workshops, conferences, and possibly journals are expected. More specific requirements and expectations are fixed in agreement with the supervisor.
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The doctoral thesis is a monograph (100-200 pages, single-spaced) and can be heavily based on published research. A purely cumulative doctoral thesis with a substantial summary of the research presented in the papers requires additional justification.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions and answers about your pre-submission.
Who are the members of my examination committee?
The examination committee is formed by the members of your proficiency evaluation committee and two international reviewers. These five people are also the examination committee of your final defense. To avoid any conflict of interest, there must not have been any joint publications or projects during the last five years between you or your supervisor and at least one of the external reviewers.
When do I submit form F-876?
Please fill out form F-876 and email it to dissertation@informatik.tuwien.ac.at at the latest two weeks before the planned date of your pre-submission.
When do I submit my thesis?
We’ll notify you once the dean of academic affairs has approved your form F-876. Please reply to dissertation@informatik.tuwien.ac.at with:
- contact data of your external reviewers (full names, affiliations, email addresses, and website URLs)
- PDF version of your thesis; file name “Diss_LastName_FirstName.pdf” (e.g., “Diss_Miller_Anna.pdf”); max 20 MB file size
- Additionally, please send us form F-945 Consent for Plagiarism Check
If the overall size of your email (including all attachments) is larger than 20 MB, it may not reach us. In that case, please use ACOnet FileSender to send your documents to dissertation@informatik.tuwien.ac.at.
Do I have to send my thesis to the reviewers?
No, we’ll take care of that.
When do I get feedback about my thesis?
In the official invitation we will ask the reviewers to provide their report within two months. After that, the evaluation committee convenes, and you’ll receive feedback via email. In case you urgently need your feedback earlier, your supervisor may get in touch with the reviewers and the evaluation committee directly and arrange a tighter schedule.
How will the evaluation look like?
The evaluation is distilled down to one of three “grades”: Accepted, Revision, or Rejected.
Why do the thesis reviewers need to be “international”?
In essence, we want top-class, internationally renowned experts in your research field to be the reviewers of your thesis. If an Austrian professor happens to be among these, it is, of course, fine to choose him/her as well. That should, however, be well justified on a scientific ground, not just by being a simple solution.
5. Apply for Defense
Once you have successfully passed the Pre-Submission Evaluation, you can apply for the defense.
The defense (Rigorosum) usually takes about two hours. It is a “Defensio” in the classical sense, which means that questions about research methods, state of the art, and understanding and overview of knowledge will be asked by the evaluation committee. The defense will be officially announced and is open to the public.
Required Documents
Submitting all the things for your defense is a two-step process:
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Send Documents via E-Mail
First, send the following documents (filled out and/or scanned) to dissertation@informatik.tuwien.ac.at:
- F-868 Application for Admission to the Doctoral Examination
- F-975 Leaflet for Authors of a Thesis
- UStat2 Confirmation
- PDF document with the thesis title, abstract (~250 words), your full name, full names of the reviewers; file name “DissAbs_LastName_FirstName.pdf” (e.g., “DissAbs_Miller_Anna.pdf”)
- PDF document with the final version of your thesis; file name “Diss_LastName_FirstName.pdf” (e.g., “Diss_Miller_Anna.pdf”)
- Birth certificate
- Proof of citizenship
- Marriage certificate/change of name certificate (if applicable)
- Curriculum vitae
- Master degree certificate, 2nd diploma certificate, or notification letter for admission at TU Wien
- Confirmation of the academic degree of the Master Degree/Diploma Degree Record of Studies
- List of certificates for courses completed as part of the doctoral program; please note that all certificates which cannot be validated electronically have to be stamped and signed by the issuing university
- Further documents about your Doctoral College (if applicable)
If the overall size of your email (including all attachments) is larger than 20 MB, it may not reach us. In that case, please use ACOnet FileSender to send your documents to dissertation@informatik.tuwien.ac.at.
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Hand in Bound Thesis
Next, hand in two hardbound copies of your thesis to the Office of the Dean. To make an appointment, please email dissertation@informatik.tuwien.ac.at.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions and answers about your defense.
Do I have to send my thesis to the reviewers?
No, we’ll take care of that.
What happens once the reviews are in?
The reviews are made available for inspection to all faculty members for two weeks, along with your thesis.
Who picks the date for my defense?
You do. Once reviews are in, you coordinate the date with all evaluation committee members, including the international reviewers. Once everybody agrees on a date, please get in touch with us for final confirmation.
Must all members of the committee be present at the defense?
Yes, all members have to be present.
Can committee members participate by video conference?
Yes, one reviewer can participate via video, but all other members have to be physically present.
How long does the defense take?
In general, it takes about 2 hours. It starts with your presentation (45 minutes), followed by the scientific discussion.
When do I learn the results?
Right at the end of your defense.
When do I get my final graduation documents?
Your final certificate and documents related to your new degree can be picked up at the latest four weeks after your defense. We’ll email you once the documents are ready.
Reimbursement for External Examiners
Under the current TU Wien regulations, the following travel and accommodation expenses can be reimbursed for external examiners (if you have questions, please contact Tamara Lenes):
- Rail travel first class (if applicable, in a sleeping-car)
- Airplane travel economy class (only if the distance is more than 500 km); no reimbursement of airport parking
- Public transport
- Daily allowance for a single day (€26,40)
- Hotel accommodation for a single night
Process
To trigger reimbursement, please fill out the form we provide at the defense and send it, along with all receipts and invoices in original, to the following address:
TU Wien Informatics
Office of the Dean
Erzherzog-Johann-Platz 1/E199-01
A-1040 Vienna, Austria
Notes
- In general, TU Wien tends to only refund costs for public transport
- Taxi/cab only in well-justified exceptional cases (arrival late at night)
- No reimbursement of the expenses for car rental
- No refund of costs for riding in a private car (only in well-justified exceptional circumstances)
- A pre-financing by the student or supervisor is not feasible
- Cash settlement is not possible