Doctoral Studies

Table of contents

1. 1. Welcome to the Faculty of Environmental Sciences
   2. Admission Requirements
   3. Promovendus
   4. Admission as a Doctoral Student
   5. Official Certification and Equivalency Assessment of Foreign University Degrees
   6. Enrollment in the Doctoral Program
   7. Additional Requirements and Aptitude Assessment
   8. Opening of the Doctoral Examination Procedure
   9. Completed Doctoral Degrees and ALUMNI Network
   10. Contact Persons

Welcome to the Faculty of Environmental Sciences

We are delighted that you are interested in doing your doctoral studies at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences and wish you every success with your doctoral project!

On this website, you will find all the important information regarding the doctoral procedure. How the doctorate works – all phases and steps – you can find in our overview of the doctoral process.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with your supervising university lecturer or the contact persons listed below.

​Note on the Transition Period

The new doctoral regulations dated February 2, 2026, took effect on March 25, 2026, and are available in the download section.
Pursuant to Section 22 (Transitional Provisions) of the new doctoral regulations, the old doctoral regulations remain in effect for one year. For up to 12 months after the new regulations take effect, candidates may submit a formal written request to the Doctoral Board to complete their doctoral project under the previous Doctoral Regulations of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences dated August 22, 2014 (Official Announcements of TU Dresden No. 5/2014, September 11, 2014, p. 63) upon submitting an application to open the doctoral procedure.

IMPORTANT: Applications to open the doctoral procedure under the old doctoral regulations of 2014 will only be accepted by the Doctoral Office until December 21, 2026 (the date of receipt by the department coordinators applies)! For applications to open the doctoral procedure under the old regulations submitted after this date, there is no guarantee that they will be processed by the Doctoral Board’s final deadline in March 2027. This depends on the extent of the revisions required. Please check the schedules of the departmental committees in your respective departments before submitting your application. The committees review the application at least two weeks before the Doctoral Board meets!

All doctoral projects beginning after the new regulations take effect must be conducted in accordance with these new regulations dated February 2, 2026. Decisions regarding admission as a doctoral student that were made prior to the new regulations taking effect remain valid; beyond that, the new regulations apply. This means that all ongoing procedures will automatically transition to the new doctoral regulations on March 25, 2027.

Regarding requests for extension of the processing time for procedures that transition to the new regulations, the Doctoral Board adopted the following rule on June 29, 2026: If requests for an extension of the processing time have already been approved under the old doctoral regulations of 2014, no more than one additional request for an extension may be submitted after the transition to the new doctoral regulations of 2026.

Overview of Changes

• The current Statutes for Ensuring Good Scientific Practice, Avoiding Scientific Misconduct, and Handling Violations apply to all members and associate members of TU Dresden and are therefore also binding for you as a doctoral candidate. You are now required to complete at least four 45-minute teaching units as part of a training course —either online or in person—on the topic of Good Scientific Practice (GSP). Detailed provisions on this can be found in Section 10 (1) 6 of the new doctoral regulations. Proof of participation in such a training session must be provided with the application to initiate the doctoral program.
  Training courses are offered, for example, by the Graduate Academy at TU Dresden.
• In addition to your primary supervisor, you must have at least one other experienced researcher as part of a supervisory team.
• Furthermore, the statutes stipulate that the dissertation must be evaluated by at least one reviewer employed full-time outside TU Dresden who was not involved in either the substantive supervision or the academic preparation of the dissertation. Detailed provisions regarding the reviewers can be found in Section 11(6) of our new doctoral regulations.
• Please note the slightly modified regulations regarding cumulative dissertations. Under the new doctoral regulations, three related publications are required (at least two of which must list the candidate as first author), and the work must correspond in quality and internal coherence to a monographic dissertation.
  • At least one manuscript as first author must have already been published in a recognized international journal or a scholarly book with a peer-review system (as part of a publisher’s review process), or must have been demonstrably accepted for publication by the publisher.
  • A second manuscript as first author must have been demonstrably accepted by a publisher for review.
  • The doctoral student must explain the thematic connection between the works and their methodological and technical background in writing in a separate treatise; together with the submitted scholarly articles, this treatise constitutes the dissertation.
  • None of the submitted scholarly articles may have been published prior to the application for admission as a doctoral student.
• Doctoral candidates in Human Geography and related fields may now earn the academic degree of Dr. phil. Also doctoral candidates who wish to change their academic degree to Dr. phil. may now submit a written request for the change to the Doctoral Board. Please note: This also entails a transition to the new doctoral regulations, and the new rules therefore apply.
• A certificate of good conduct (no older than 3 months) in accordance with Section 30(5) of the Federal Central Register Act (BZRG) must be submitted only with the application to open the doctoral procedure. Therefore, please submit your application to your local registration office in a timely manner.

Admission Requirements

The requirements of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences for doctoral candidates are set forth in § 6 of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences’ Doctoral Regulations dated February 2, 2026. Admission to the doctoral program generally requires an overall grade of “good” in a completed university degree program in a relevant academic degree program—typically a Diplom or Master’s program with a research thesis.

In addition, you must have a university lecturer from the Faculty or a TUD Young Investigator from the Faculty and at least one additional supervisor (typically from TU Dresden and with qualifications equivalent to a habilitation) who agree to jointly provide you with academic guidance as a supervisory team during your doctoral studies.

Promovendus

All procedures related to your doctoral project (e.g., application for admission as a doctoral student at the very beginning, application to open the doctoral proceedings upon submission of the dissertation, requests for changes—e.g., an extension of the completion period or a change in the type of dissertation), are initiated by you via the Promovendus doctoral candidate management system and administered by the Doctoral Office.

To use the Promovendus platform, you need a valid ZIH user account. Employees or enrolled students automatically receive a ZIH user login. If you do not yet have a ZIH login at TU Dresden, your supervisor can request a guest login via the TU Dresden self-service portal .
If you have any questions about your ZIH user account, please contact the TU Dresden Service Desk.

Admission as a Doctoral Student

Admission to the doctoral program is granted upon application to the Doctoral Board (Promotionsausschuss) of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences in accordance with Sections 6, 7, and 9 of the Doctoral Regulations dated February 2, 2026 (Sections 6, 7, and 8 of the 2014 doctoral regulations). The Doctoral Board reviews whether all the necessary admission requirements have been met.
Inclusion on the official list of doctoral candidates entails an obligation on the part of the applicant to complete their doctorate at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences within the next six years.

Please note that you can only earn the academic title of Ph.D. at our faculty if you are admitted to one of the following doctoral programs: Joint Doctor of Philosophy Degree in a Nexus Approach to the Sustainable Management of Environmental Resources, Joint Junior Doctoral Researcher Program in a Nexus Approach to the Sustainable Management of Environmental Resources, or Resource Nexus for Sustainability Transformations (NEXtra).

For all doctoral projects, it is possible to adjust the intended doctoral degree until the defense (upon submission of the completed dissertation). This is always subject to the fulfillment of the substantive and formal requirements. The faculty’s Doctoral Board will make the final decision after a corresponding application has been submitted.

Applications for admission as a doctoral student are submitted electronically via Promovendus AND in writing on hard copy at the Doctoral Office / Dean's Office.

Promovendus generates an application document for admission as a doctoral student, which you must also print out, sign, and submit to the Faculty of Environmental Sciences.
Important: The hard copy application is the legally binding document!

Please note that you must submit the following information and documents in hard copy along with the written application for admission as a doctoral student:

• the planned dissertation topic and the intended academic degree
• Copy of the Supervision Agreement (including a work plan) with the subject-matter experts and responsible supervisors, with the signature of the supervising university lecturer or supervising university of applied sciences lecturer respectively, in the case of cooperative programs
  For industry collaborations see: Supplementary agreement for a doctoral degree in cooperation with a company (industry-based doctoral program)
  For UNU Resource Nexus candidates: Please follow the application guidelines
• An officially certified copy and, if necessary, translations into German or English
  of the university degree relevant for admission
• An officially certified copy and, if necessary, translations into German or English
  of transcripts with grades for the university degree relevant for admission
• An officially certified copy and, if necessary, translations into German or English
  of all other college degree certificates
• Copy of the certificate of general university entrance qualification (usually the Abitur)
• A current, hand-signed resume (CV) detailing your academic background, list of publications, and contact address
• Documentary evidence of any additional studies or exams already completed; in case of doubt, in officially certified form
• A written statement regarding any previous unsuccessful doctoral proceedings, if applicable
• A handwritten or electronically signed declaration acknowledging the doctoral regulations and the “Statutes on Ensuring Good Scientific Practice, Preventing Scientific Misconduct, and Handling Violations” in effect at the TUD Dresden University of Technology, in their currently valid version
• Proof of participation in a training course on Good Scientific Practice (GWP) consisting in at least four 45-minute sessions, if already obtained
  See the offerings of the Graduate Academy for more information

​

Organizational support in the following departments:

Department of Forest Sciences: Ms. Jana Posselt
Department of Geosciences: Dr.-Ing. Anja Jahn
Department of Hydro Sciences: Dr. Susann Kutzner

Official Certification and Equivalency Assessment of Foreign University Degrees

To be admitted as a doctoral student, you will need certified copies and, if necessary, certified translations of your academic transcripts, as well as certified course lists with grades. Information on public certification offices for documents not issued by TU Dresden can be found on the TU Dresden Certification Office website.

If you earned a degree abroad or hold foreign citizenship, the Faculty of Environmental Sciences will forward your documents to the International Office at TU Dresden for an equivalency assessment prior to your admission as a doctoral student. The online database www.anabin.de allows you to check the equivalence of your degree in advance.

Enrollment in the Doctoral Program

We recommend that doctoral students enroll at TU Dresden. You can find out about the many benefits of enrollment (e.g., discounts on the Deutschlandticket, MOBIbike, and Studentenwerk services) on the ServiceCenterStudium website. There you will also find information on the online application process and TU Dresden’s enrollment regulations.

We ask applicants from abroad to also visit the website of the International Office at TU Dresden for additional information.

Applicants can only be enrolled as doctoral students in the Faculty of Environmental Sciences if the Doctoral Board has previously included them on the faculty’s official list of doctoral candidates.
Further information is available on the Admissions Office’s website.

To extend the duration of doctoral studies, an application must be submitted to the Admissions Office, which must be signed by the supervisors and the chair of the Doctoral Board. Go to the application form

Please note: According to the new doctoral regulations of 2026, a request to extend the completion period may be renewed only once. This request must be adequately justified. For each request, the Doctoral Board may grant an extension of up to three years.

Additional Requirements and Aptitude Assessment

Admission to the doctoral candidate list may be contingent upon the completion of additional requirements (e.g., additional modules) or the passing of an aptitude assessment exam pursuant to Section 7 of the Doctoral Regulations of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences for candidates with degrees in unrelated fields. These requirements are specified in the supervision agreement with the advisors or by the Doctoral Board and are communicated to the applicant along with the admission notice for acceptance or, following consultation, for acceptance as a doctoral student.

Depending on the type of additional requirement, proof of successful completion must be provided either before the application for acceptance (e.g., aptitude assessment) or by the time the doctoral program is initiated (e.g., additional modules).

Opening of the Doctoral Examination Procedure

The application to open the doctoral procedure is submitted electronically via Promovendus AND in hard copy at the Doctoral Office / Dean's Office. The Doctoral Board decides on the opening of the doctoral procedure.

Please note that you must submit the following documents in hard copy along with the written application to open the doctoral procedure:

• a current, hand-signed curriculum vitae (CV) detailing your academic and professional background
• a copy of the notification of acceptance as a doctoral student and proof of fulfillment of any conditions specified therein; in case of doubt, the original or a certified copy
• four printed copies in German or English and one electronic version of the dissertation (as a PDF file); in consultation with the reviewers, the number may be reduced to a maximum of one copy (Section 10(1)(3) of the doctoral regulations)
• List of Publications
• A hand-written or electronically signed declaration by the doctoral student regarding the opening of the doctoral procedure (see Appendix 2 of the Doctoral Regulations)
• Proof of completion of additional or supplementary studies
• Written proof (receipt) that a certificate of good conduct, to be submitted to the faculty in accordance with § 30(5) of the Federal Central Register Act (BZRG) and not older than three months, has been requested from the competent registration authority
• Proof of participation in a training course—either online or in-person (if not already submitted with the application for admission)—on the topic of Good Scientific Practice, consisting in at least four instructional units. See, for example, the offerings of the Graduate Academy at TU Dresden; proof of external courses may also be submitted.

• For a cumulative dissertation: an informal written confirmation and explanation from the primary supervisor in accordance with § 11(3)(1) of the doctoral regulations

Both the dissertation and the defense may be written or conducted in German or English. For all further information, please refer to the Doctoral Regulations of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences dated February 2, 2026.

Note on a publication embargo

Upon request, the Doctoral Board may grant a publication embargo period. The dissertation may not be published until this period has expired because the doctoral student has entered into corresponding agreements with third parties. The request for a publication embargo must be submitted in writing to the Doctoral Board no later than upon submitting the application to open the doctoral procedure. The request must include a justification for the requested embargo and must be signed by both the doctoral student and the academic supervisors.

Appendix 3: Request for a Restriction Notice on the Dissertation

A restriction period of up to one year may be requested. In justified exceptional cases, the restriction period may be extended once for a maximum of one additional year. The request for an extension must be received by the Doctoral Board no later than four weeks before the end of the original restriction period.

Guidelines on the Formatting of the Dissertation

The title page of your dissertation must be printed in the language in which the dissertation was written.
Sample Title Page

The title page should contain the following information:

• Name of the faculty (TUD Dresden University of Technology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences)
• Thesis topic
• Your full name and title
• The names of your reviewers, university/institution, country (if abroad)
• Date of the dissertation defense (due only upon submission to the SLUB)

On the SLUB Dresden website, you will find further information on formatting requirements as well as options for publishing your dissertation.

Certificate of Good Conduct

The certificate of good conduct must be sent directly to the Faculty. When applying for a standard certificate of good conduct (e.g., at the Registration Office / Citizens’ Office Dresden Plauen, Nöthnitzer Str. 2, 01187 Dresden), please provide the following address:

TUD Dresden University of Technology
Faculty of Environmental Sciences
Dean's Office/Doctoral Affairs
01062 Dresden

Completed Doctoral Degrees and ALUMNI Network

Doctoral degrees awarded to date can be viewed in Qucosa.

Registration for the alumni network—specifically for early-career researchers—can be completed at any time via the online system Promovendus. If you no longer have a valid ZIH user account, please use the alumni registration form.
Registration is, of course, voluntary.

We would also like to draw your attention to the general TU Dresden alumni network, the INREM network for TUD alumni in the environmental sciences, and the international TUD alumni ambassadors.

Please always notify the Doctoral Office / Dean's Office of any changes to your contact information to ensure uninterrupted communication.

Contact Persons

Dean's Office of Environmental Sciences

Department of Forest Sciences

Department of Geosciences

Department of Hydro Sciences