Assessing the doctoral thesis and making it available to faculty members

As a rule, the assessment of the doctoral thesis should not take longer than four months. In the Doctoral Degree Regulations since 2020, a second assessor is chosen, whose research focus matches the doctoral thesis project.

During this time, (at least) two reviews of the thesis are prepared, which deal intensively with:

• the research question
• the academic quality
• the methodology
• the relevance

If the doctoral thesis meets the requirements, the assessments will suggest that the doctoral thesis be accepted, and a written grade will be set. If the doctoral thesis does not meet the criteria and has (serious) deficiencies, it is possible to return it for revision or to reject it altogether.

After the assessments have been completed, both the thesis and the assessments are made public at the university (usually in the secretary's office of the academic subject) for a fortnight. This allows the academic community to take note of this new academic achievement and its evaluation. In addition, the doctoral candidate is given access to the reviews to discuss the content of any criticism contained therein during the disputation.