From the disputation to the issuance of documents
For each disputation, the doctoral committee appoints a doctoral committee. It also appoints one of its members to chair it. As a rule, the chair is taken over by a reviewer. The supervisor may propose the members of the doctoral committee through the Dean's Office.
The doctoral committee can be appointed with the opening of the main proceedings. It must be appointed at the latest by the time the dissertation is accepted. For this purpose, the form for the composition of the doctoral committee (or as PDF) must be completed.
The doctoral committee is composed of
- the reviewers and
- two or three additional members.
The majority of the committee members must be professors who are full-time researchers or teachers at a university.
Members of the doctoral committee are
- Professors from the responsible Faculty or from another Faculty of the University of Kassel,
- Junior professors, senior professors or associate professors from the Faculty in question,
- retired professors, honorary and substitute professors,
- Associate professors (= Privatdozent:innen), who are not connected to the University of Kassel in a special way,
- scientists with a doctorate and special scientific achievements.
If they are engaged in full-time research and/or teaching at universities or research institutions, the following may also be appointed as members of the doctoral committee
- Professors who do not belong to the University of Kassel,
- habilitated scientists,
- scientists with a doctorate.
It should be noted that the supervisor's suggestions for the composition of the examination committee are not always taken into account and that the chairperson of the doctoral committee reserves the right to appoint members other than those suggested.
As a rule, the disputation takes place within eight weeks after the deadline for submission of the dissertation and at the earliest one week after the announcement of the examination date. The date is set by the Dean's Office of the relevant Faculty after the expiry of the deadline and after acceptance by the Doctoral Committee. The date is coordinated in advance between the doctoral candidate, the doctoral committee and the dean's office. Often either the supervisor or the doctoral candidate takes the initiative.
The Disputation Calculator can be used as a time planning aid.
Once the date of the disputation has been set, the Dean's Office of the relevant Faculty issues a public invitation to the university.
The disputation
- usually takes place in presence.
- usually takes place within eight weeks after the deadline for submission of the dissertation.
- is open to the university public. Upon request, non-members of the university may also participate.
- takes place in front of a doctoral committee appointed by the doctoral committee.
- consists of a defense of the dissertation by the doctoral candidate, who also addresses selected problems of the Faculty and related fields of other Faculties as well as the state of research.
- usually lasts one and a half hours, maximum two hours.
The Disputation Calculator can be used as a time planning aid.
In justified exceptional cases, the following formats are possible:
- Disputation via video conference:
All members of the doctoral committee and the candidate participate in the disputation online. - Disputation in hybrid format:
One or more members of the doctoral committee and/or the:candidate:in participate online in the disputation. Other members of the doctoral committee and/or the:the candidate:in are on site. This usually occurs when members and/or the:candidate:in are abroad and travelling is not possible.
If the disputation takes place by means of videoconferencing or in a hybrid format, the following must be observed:
- The doctoral committee must be informed of the exceptional case in good time.
- The chairperson of the doctoral committee decides on the existence of an exceptional case.
- The consent of the candidate and the members of the doctoral committee is mandatory.
- The reasons must be stated in the protocol of the disputation.
- The format of the disputation must be announced to the university public in the invitation.
- The university public must also be given the opportunity to participate in the disputation by video conferencing.
The result of the disputation shall be communicated to the doctoral candidate immediately afterwards.
The doctoral candidate and the members of the doctoral committee take part in the disputation. At the request of the doctoral candidate, the chair person may permit the presence of non-members of the university.
The chairperson of the doctoral committee (usually the supervisor or the first examiner) prepares the protocol of the disputation, which contain the essential contents of the examination.
In the case of disputations conducted by means of video conferencing, the chairperson of the doctoral committee signs the protocol in agreement for all members. The chairperson shall make the original minutes available to the doctoral office. A copy is sent in advance by e-mail to both the doctoral office and all members of the doctoral committee. Thus, the signature of all members is not required.
For disputations conducted in hybrid format, the members present sign the protocol. The chairperson will provide the original protocol to the doctoral office. A copy will be emailed in advance to both the doctoral office and all members of the doctoral committee. The signature of the digitally connected members is thus not required.
For disputations that take place in presence, all members continue to sign the protocol and make them available to the doctoral office via in-house mail.
The disputation protocol is sent to the Doctoral Office via the responsible Dean's Office of the Faculty.
Both the dissertation and the disputation are graded. The following grades can be awarded:
With distinction (0.7)
Very good (1.0 / 1.3)
Good (1.7 / 2.0 / 2.3)
Pass (2.7 / 3.0)
Fail (4.0)
When calculating the overall grade, the unrounded arithmetic mean of the individual grades of the dissertation in accordance with Paragraph 3, Sentence 1 of the General Provisions for Doctorates at the University of Kassel (AB-PromO) is taken into account twice and the unrounded arithmetic mean of the individual grades of the disputation is taken into account once. The resulting calculated overall grade is assigned according to the grade levels in sentence 1 as follows:
up to 0.99 = "With distinction" (grade level: summa cum laude)
over 0.99 to 1.50 = "Very good" (grade level: magna cum laude)
over 1.50 to 2.50 = "Good" (grade level: cum laude)
over 2.50 to 3.50 = "Passed" (grade level: rite)
over 3.50 = "Not passed" (grade level: non rite)
The overall grade "with distinction" can only be awarded if the weighted arithmetic mean of the dissertation and disputation grades is less than 1.0 and the grade "with distinction" has been awarded at least once for the dissertation by an examiner.
The responsible Dean's Office of the Faculty where the doctoral procedure was conducted issues the doctoral certificate.
Following the successful disputation, doctoral candidates must publish their dissertation within two years. To do this, they must first obtain permission to print. The content of the printing permit is the agreement of the Faculty at which the doctorate was awarded that the dissertation may be published in the form submitted.
In addition to the revised version of the dissertation, if applicable, doctoral candidates must submit an English and a German summary of the dissertation of at least one page either to the supervisor or directly to the doctoral office.
The Faculty in which the doctorate was awarded is responsible for granting permission to print. The supervisor is asked to forward the print release to the Dean's Office of the Faculty or the Rector's Office in a timely manner. The print release should include information on
- the fulfillment of any conditions imposed in the expert reports
- the design of the title page
- the non-permitted use of the logos of the University of Kassel and
- the approval of the one-page summaries in German and English.