The Promotionsordnung (doctoral regulations) is the rulebook under which your faculty runs your doctorate in Germany. It usually sets out which requirements you must meet, how the procedure runs and how the dissertation is reviewed. Many questions about deadlines, documents and reviewers are answered there directly, even if the text looks dense at first.
Short answer: The Promotionsordnung of your faculty is the binding basis for your doctorate. It governs admission as a doctoral candidate, the application to open the procedure and the review, usually including a maximum duration. At the faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Hohenheim, the application contains the dissertation, declarations and proof of training in good scientific practice (as of January 2025).
The most important points
- The Promotionsordnung of your own faculty is the controlling text. This guide does not replace it.
- It governs admission, application, review and the maximum duration.
- Transitional rules are often set out separately. At Hohenheim, projects that began before a new version count the earlier processing time.
- Admission as a doctoral candidate runs through an Exposé (research proposal), which at Hohenheim you and your supervisor must sign.
- If something is unclear, the doctoral office of your faculty is the right contact.
What rules does a Promotionsordnung contain?
Doctoral regulations differ from faculty to faculty. The steps usually follow a similar order, though: first admission as a doctoral candidate, then the application to open the procedure, then review and examination. The table shows, using the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Hohenheim as an example, what these rules look like in practice.
| Step | What is regulated | Example Hohenheim (as of January 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Admission as doctoral candidate | Whether and how you are admitted | Application with a substantial Exposé of 3 to 5 pages, signed by you and your supervisor (section 14) |
| Maximum duration | How long the procedure may run | Rule in section 16, counting earlier processing time for projects begun before 5 September 2023 |
| Committee | Who decides on applications | A joint doctoral committee for Dr. oec. and Dr. rer. soc., which as a rule meets three times per semester (section 4) |
| Application to open the procedure | Which documents to submit | Dissertation, declarations, proof of training in good scientific practice and consent to electronic plagiarism checks (section 18(3)). A certificate of good conduct is no longer required. |
| Review | How the work is assessed | The reports assess the work and quantify your share. Cumulative theses follow additional rules (section 19(3)). |
How do you read a Promotionsordnung properly?
A text like this is meant for looking things up, not for reading from start to finish. Begin with the table of contents and search for the terms that matter to you now: admission, application, deadline, reviewer, publication. Always note the section number and the date of the version, so you know later which status you referred to.
Watch for cross-references too. Many regulations refer to implementing rules, guidelines or subject-specific provisions. These documents form part of the rules and should be read alongside the main text. The implementing rules of the Hohenheim faculty are an example: they contain details on the Exposé, deadlines and cumulative theses that the main document does not.
Which rule applies to me?
This guide explains the logic, so you can find the rules of your own faculty more quickly. The details on Hohenheim and Koblenz-Landau are examples. For your doctorate, only the regulations of your own faculty count, in their current version. Faculties usually publish them on their website in the section on doctorates.
The Koblenz computer science faculty, for example, refers to the doctoral regulations of its department for the Exposé, in its case to section 8. This shows how closely individual rules are connected. A passage on the Exposé can therefore sit in a different document than the passage on review.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find the regulations if they are not online?
Ask the doctoral office or the secretariat of the doctoral committee. The current versions are often available there even when they are not on the website. Ask at the same time which version applies to your admission.
Can I rely on an older version?
That is governed by the transitional provision of the new regulations. At Hohenheim, projects begun before 5 September 2023 count the earlier processing time. Whether an older version applies to you is decided by the regulations themselves, not by this guide.
Does the regulation come from the university or from the faculty?
Both can play a role. The implementing rules at Hohenheim apply to one faculty and govern details that the faculty sets itself. Check the page of your faculty to see which regulation it publishes and whether it has supplementary guidelines.
What if my doctorate takes longer than the maximum duration?
There are usually rules on extension or crediting. Hohenheim’s regulations count the earlier processing time for projects begun before a new version (section 16). Ask your doctoral office which rule applies in your case, and keep the answer in writing.
Do I need a certificate of good conduct?
Not at Hohenheim any more. The implementing rules in the version of January 2025 do not require one for the application to open the procedure. Other faculties may regulate this differently, so check your own regulation.
What is an application to open the procedure?
The application starts the formal procedure. At Hohenheim it includes the dissertation, sworn declarations, proof of training in good scientific practice and consent to electronic plagiarism checks. Collect the documents early in one folder, so nothing is missing.
What applies to cumulative dissertations?
Cumulative theses follow their own rules. At Hohenheim, co-author declarations must be submitted, and for each article you must carry at least 80 percent of the lead contribution. Each article may have only one lead author. The German guide on cumulative dissertations explains the differences from a monograph.
What to do next
- Download the Promotionsordnung of your faculty and check its version and date.
- Mark deadlines, the maximum duration, committees and the documents you need for the application.
- Ask the doctoral office which transitional rules apply, especially if you began before a new version.
- Collect all proofs in one folder before you submit the application.
Related guides
- PhD in Germany: routes, titles and requirements
- PhD Funding: Position, Scholarship or Own Savings
- Doktorvater finden: Anfrage, Exposé und Betreuungsvereinbarung
- Exposé für die Promotion schreiben: Aufbau und Beispiel
Sources: Durchführungsbestimmungen 2023 of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences (in German), University of Hohenheim (decision of 4 December 2023, amended 13 January 2025); Handreichung für das Exposé zur Dissertation (in German), University of Koblenz-Landau, Computer Science department (no date in the document, refers to section 8 of the doctoral regulations).
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.
