Cooperative Doctorate at a University of Applied Sciences

A cooperative doctorate (kooperative Promotion) at a university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule, FH) means that an FH and a university jointly supervise your doctoral work. How this works in detail depends on state law and on the doctoral regulations of the university involved. This guide uses North Rhine-Westphalia as an example to show which rules are set by law and which points you need to clarify yourself.

The Most Important Points in Brief

• In a cooperative doctorate, a university and an FH work together. Supervision is shared between both institutions.
• In North Rhine-Westphalia, the cooperation is anchored in the state higher education act (HG NRW), section 67a.
• Your individual doctoral study is set out in an agreement between a professor at the university and a professor at the FH.
• You can be enrolled at the FH, but you do not take part in its elections.
• The states do not all regulate whether and under which conditions an FH may award doctorates. Check the law and the doctoral regulations in your state.

How Does Supervision Work in a Cooperative Doctorate?

The law sets the framework, while the details belong in your agreement. Universities and FHs develop doctoral study programmes in cooperation, and their doctoral work is supervised jointly (section 67a, subsection 1, sentence 1 HG NRW). The doctoral regulations should provide that professors at FHs can take part in supervision and be appointed as reviewers or examiners (sentence 2). Each individual doctoral study is set by agreement (sentence 3).

The table shows what the law itself says. How often you meet, which colloquia take place and which deadlines apply is set by the doctoral regulations of the university and by your personal agreement. You can read the statute at section 67a HG NRW (in German).

What Role Do the States Play?

Higher education law is the responsibility of the individual states. The rules from North Rhine-Westphalia therefore do not automatically apply in other states. State acts and doctoral regulations are also amended from time to time. What counts is always the current version that applies at your own institution, not an older guide.

For scale, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports that 28,800 doctorates were completed in the 2025 examination year (status: October 2026, press release of 2 October 2026, in German). This figure covers all doctorates, not only cooperative ones.

How Can You Check Whether a Cooperative Doctorate Suits You?

1. Check whether your state’s higher education act provides for cooperative doctorates. In North Rhine-Westphalia this is section 67a HG NRW.
2. Ask the university for its doctoral regulations. Look for whether FH teaching staff can act as supervisors or reviewers.
3. Clarify which professors at both institutions will sign the agreement before you start your research.
4. Ask for written confirmation of the institution where you are enrolled and of the duties that come with it.

Which Questions Should You Settle Before You Start?

In practice, these points often matter more than the legal framework. They affect your planning, your funding and your insurance. Try to get the answers early and in writing, for example in a supervision agreement.

• Who is the first supervisor, and who is the second supervisor?
• How is funding arranged: through a position at the university, a position at the FH, or a scholarship?
• Which deadlines for submission, assessment and the defence apply under the doctoral regulations?
• Which health insurance fits your situation? That depends on enrolment, income and status.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I do a doctorate at a university of applied sciences?

That depends on state law. In North Rhine-Westphalia, a doctorate within a cooperation with a university is expressly provided for. Whether an FH has its own right to award doctorates is regulated differently across the states. The cooperation requires a university that takes part in the doctorate.

Which institution will enrol me?

Under section 67a (1) sentence 4 HG NRW, doctoral candidates who are supervised at the FH can be enrolled there. They do not take part in the FH’s elections. Ask both institutions which rights and duties follow from your enrolment.

Is there fixed funding for a cooperative doctorate?

The law does not regulate funding. Common options are a doctoral position, a scholarship or your own resources. The guide PhD funding: position, scholarship or own savings explains the options. Clarify funding before you sign the agreement.

What happens if there is no agreement?

The law provides that individual doctoral studies are set by agreement. Without such an agreement, there is no clear basis for supervision and assessment. Raise the issue early, before you start the project, and record the status in writing.

Do I need to think about health insurance?

Yes, because insurance depends on your status. Enrolled doctoral candidates, employees and scholarship holders each follow different rules. The overview is in Health Insurance During a PhD in Germany (in English) and in the German guide Promotion in Deutschland, which covers the doctoral routes in more detail.

What to Do Next

1. Read your state’s higher education act and check whether cooperative doctorates are expressly provided for there.
2. Request the university’s doctoral regulations and mark the passages on supervision by FH teaching staff.
3. Agree with both institutions who signs the agreement, and ask for a draft before you sign.
4. Clarify funding, enrolment and health insurance before you begin the doctorate.

Related Topics

• PhD in Germany: routes, titles and requirements.
• PhD funding: position, scholarship or own savings.
• Health insurance during a PhD: what applies in Germany.
• Fachhochschule or university: Was passt besser zu dir? (in German).
• Promotion in Deutschland: Wege, Dauer, Finanzierung und Doktortitel (in German).

Sources: Hochschulgesetz NRW (HG NRW), section 67a, text as published by the Justizportal NRW, retrieved October 2026, date of the text not stated (in German); Federal Statistical Office, press release on doctorates 2025, 2 October 2026 (in German).

Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.