Procedure

Legal basis for the Cotutelle procedure at the University of Kassel is the new version of the General Regulations for Doctoral Studies dated 14.07.2021 (AB-PromO), is § 19 as well as the legal basis of the partner university.

  1. The supervisors of both universities should agree to the cooperation.
  2. The acceptance as a doctoral candidate at both universities by the respective doctoral committee should have taken place or should take place parallel to the establishment of the Cotutelle contract. Information on the acceptance procedure and the requirements can be found here.
  3. Setting up a Cotutelle contract is very time-consuming due to the need for coordination with the various responsible persons at both universities. For this reason, it is recommended to initiate the contract preparations one and a half years before submitting the dissertation, if possible.
  4. With the signing of the contract by all parties at both universities, the contract comes into force.
  5. There will be an appropriate research period at both university locations.
  6. The dissertation will be submitted to both universities at the same time following the respective regulations of both universities. Information on the design of the title page, the declaration to be submitted with the dissertation and the application for the opening of the main proceedings can be found here under steps 5 and 6
  7. The doctoral committee is appointed by both universities. If necessary, external members can be appointed as well. The doctoral board of the respective faculty of the University of Kassel approves the doctoral committee.
  8. If the doctoral committee recommends the acceptance of the dissertation, the dissertation must be displayed together with the reviews in the faculty of the University of Kassel in which the doctoral candidate is accepted.
  9. The oral (disputation) examination takes place either at the University of Kassel or at the foreign university.
  10. If the oral examination is passed, the dissertation must be published according to the requirements of the University of Kassel. More information on the publication can be found here.
  11. After successful completion of the doctoral procedure, both universities issue a joint certificate.
  12. Both, the dissertation and the oral examination must be graded according to the regulations in force at the University of Kassel.

Overview