Checking your Qualifications

As a first requirement for doctoral studies, you must prove that you have earned a university degree in the corresponding academic discipline. Recognized degrees include the Diplom, the master's degree, the Magister as well as the state examination. A continuing education master's degree will be recognized only if you can demonstrate that you have received a total of 300 ECTS credit points, including the credit points earned in your first degree program, e.g. your bachelor's degree program.

Which field of study is considered relevant? To put it simply, you cannot earn a doctorate degree in economics if your university degree has been earned in biology.  Interdisciplinary doctoral projects are of course always possible. Please first talk to your advisor about your plans and clarify this question, so as to avoid any unpleasant surprises during the application process. The final decision on whether or not a previous degree is considered academically appropriate will be made by the relevant doctoral committee. Please note that neither the Graduate School nor the student counselling service are in a position to make such decisions.

You must prove that in the previous degree program you have received 15 ECTS credit points in either of the following fields: scientific theory, scientific practice/ethics, or scientific methods. These courses demonstrate your academic qualification. They also show that you have acquired the relevant academic skills required for your doctoral project and that you are able to successfully complete a PhD.

For example, proof of academic performance in the following areas will be accepted: statistics, laboratory experiments, academic theory related to your discipline. You need not have earned 5 credit points in each of the above-mentioned modules. Instead, you can also have earned 15 credit points in research methods or, alternatively, 10 credit points in scientific theory and another 5 credit points in scientific ethics. You can download the relevant form, which is part of the application documents, from the download section. 

Making up for these pre-requisite assessments resp. courses is possible until the end of the third semester of your PhD studies, e.g. as an auditor in our master's programs. In this case, you are admitted as a PhD student on the proviso that you do make up for the pre-requisites.

Proof of English language skills can be furnished by:

• Passing the TOEFL test in the Internet-based version with a minimum score of 80 points
• Passing the TOEFL test in the paper-based version with a minimum score of 550 points
• Passing the TOEIC test with a minimum score of 750 points
• Passing the IELTS 6.0 test
• Passing the Cambridge Advanced Certificate of English (CAE) exam with grade B
• Successfully completing a semester of university studies with English being the exclusive language of instruction

The test certificates should not be older than three years.

The above English language requirements do not apply to graduates holding a master’s degree from Leuphana Graduate School (except for students who started their studies beginning in the 2008/2009 winter semester).

The TOEIC test can also be taken at the Leuphana Foreign Language Center.  We recommend that you first take the placement test. The Foreign Language Center also holds office hours and offers a two-week preparatory course for the TOEIC test. Unlike in the master's program, the test fees will not be reimbursed. For full information regarding the TOEIC test, please visit the webpage of the Foreign Language Center.

You can hand in the requested proof of English language skills subsequently until the end of your third PhD semester. In this case, you are admitted as a PhD student on the proviso that you will make up for this pre-requisite.

The proposal is a 3-5-page description of the dissertation project including its preliminary title. In this essay you should give a detailed description of the research question you want to investigate, the methods you are going to apply, the current state of research and the existing scholarly literature.

The advisor’s evaluation should include a judgment on the candidate’s academic qualification, the doctoral project and the project’s academic relevance. The evaluation must be submitted in writing without any specific form being required and must be signed by the advisor.

You must submit the following two declarations as outlined in the application form: 

• A written declaration in accordance with § 7 Paragraph 4 of the Standards of Leuphana University of Lüneburg for the Maintenance of Good Academic Practice and Procedures for Dealing with Academic Misconduct. By making this declaration, the candidate will be bound to follow the above standards and principles of good academic practice, cf. Ethikrichtlinie (Gazette 10/09, PDF).
  
  
• A declaration using the following wording: “I hereby assure that I have not received any commercial assistance with the preparation of my doctoral thesis and that I do not want to receive such assistance in the future.”