Graduate Center | TUM School of Management

Doctoral program

Become a doctoral candidate at TUM School of Management

Conduct high-profile research in an inspiring academic environment.

Welcome to the Graduate Center of TUM School of Management

Our doctoral program ensures all our doctoral students receive the best preparation possible for a successful career in industry or academia. To achieve this, we provide strong, individualized support and mentoring for our doctoral candidates in their academic and professional development. Our disciplinary and interdisciplinary courses provide doctoral candidates with the in-depth theoretical and methodological knowledge they need to successfully conduct their own research projects. These projects address some of the great challenges in society that we face today and combine content relevance and methodological rigor.

Overall, the Graduate Center of TUM School of Management, together with the TUM Graduate School, offers a wide range of possibilities for pursuing excellent research, including interdisciplinary cooperation and international research stays at top-tier universities. Our doctoral candidates move on to academic positions in Germany and abroad, e.g., at Imperial College London, or to leadership positions in industry and professional service firms.

Professor Alwine Mohnen and Professor Michael Kurschilgen
Heads of the Graduate Center, TUM School of Management

The Graduate Center of TUM School of Management is the first point of contact for doctoral candidates at our school. Here you will find detailed information on

Funding and Scholarships
Counseling
Administrative Support
Qualification Program

General information about doing your doctorate at the Technical University of Munich, which may differ from the information on this website, can be found on the website of TUM Graduate School. Please note that the information of the Graduate Center of TUM School of Management is binding for doctoral candidates of our Graduate Center.

Please note:

Our program is a doctoral program equivalent to the German doctorate (“Doktortitel”). It does not correspond to structured Ph.D. studies. For detailed information about the German doctorate, please click here.

Learning goals

Upon completion of this program, our doctoral graduates will:

have expert scientific knowledge in their field of specialization.
be problem-solvers for complex scientific issues.
be effective communicators of scientific issues.
be responsible scientists.
be active scientists in a global world.

Paths to a doctorate

As a research associate, you will be employed as an academic assistant at the respective department or institute, where you will be closely involved in research as well as in teaching. Your dissertation supervisor will support you in your academic development and in developing your dissertation topic.
As a scholarship holder, you finance your doctorate with a stipend. Numerous foundations and other funding and research organisations support and finance highly-qualified doctoral candidates. Organizations that provide scholarships for outstanding candidates usually also support them with seminars and opportunities to exchange views within an alumni network. TUM School of Management grants doctoral stipends within the Academic Training Program.
External doctoral candidates are employed either by an industrial company or a research institution while the academic support is provided by TUM School of Management. If you choose this path, you will need a dissertation supervisor at TUM School of Management who will support your research project as an external doctoral candidate. You will do your work and research mainly at the respective research institution or company, but you are also integrated into the academic environment at TUM School of Management.
If you are a doctoral candidate at another university in Germany or abroad, you can enroll for a guest stay at TUM School of Management for six terms at most. In order to do a guest doctorate at TUM School of Management you will have to find a professor who supervises your research at TUM School of Management. As a guest doctoral candidate, you do not need to have your diploma recognized. The participation in courses offered by TUM Graduate School is possible in individual cases. For details, please contact the Graduate Center.

Admission requirements

A university degree completed with above-average results (diploma, master, magister) from a German university, an equivalent German state examination (Staatsprüfung) or a master’s degree from a German University of Applied Sciences.

Results are regarded as above-average with a final grade of at least 2.5 (“good” in the German system). In exceptional cases, your above-average qualifications can also be proven through academic work completed after your examination.

Applicants with non-German degrees need to have their degrees officially recognized.

Special rules apply to applicants with a diploma qualification from a University of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschule or Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften). Please make an appointment with the Graduate Center to discuss your particular situation.

Confirmation from a professor at TUM School of Management that he or she is prepared to act as your academic supervisor.

Please keep in mind that it is your sole responsibility to search for your supervisor as well as your mentor.

Important note

Additional information for participants

Application steps

First of all, you will have to choose your dissertation topic. Whether you already have your own research idea, or you would like to develop it with a researcher at TUM School of Management: Writing a research proposal will help you make your research project more specific and thus find an appropriate supervisor, which will be the second step.
After you have outlined your dissertation topic, you need to find a professor at TUM School of Management who is willing to supervise your doctoral research. All our professors are listed in their respective academic departments. You can find more information about finding a supervisor here. IMPORTANT NOTE: Please contact the Chair or the respective professor directly to apply as a doctoral candidate. Applicants are entirely responsible for finding a supervisor on their own account.
Once you have found a supervisor for your doctoral thesis, the two of you must fill in a supervision agreement. The respective document can be found here.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The document also has to be signed by the mentor at the time of application for the list of doctoral candidates.
When you have found an academic supervisor, you can apply to register as a doctoral candidate. Please note that you need to apply online to be officially entered onto the list. To do so, please visit DocGS, the online platform for doctoral candidates at the Technical University of Munich. Print out the application form, which has to be signed by the supervisor and by yourself. Submit the following completed and signed documents personally at the Graduate Center: Supervision agreement, application form from DocGS, officially certified copy of your Master’s degree certificate (no original documents!), officially certified copy of your Master’s degree transcript (no original documents!), research proposal.

Important note

A confirmation from a professor of TUM School of Management that he or she will supervise your dissertation is a prerequisite for registering in DocGS.
We only accept and process complete applications. Incomplete applications will extend the application process.
Please only submit officially certified copies of your Master’s degree certificate and transcript. For legal reasons, copies of your degree have to be certified even if you hold a TUM degree.

At the time you submit your application, your supervision agreement must state your mentor and must be signed by you, your mentor and your supervisor.
A personal appointment at our Graduate Center to hand in your complete application documents is mandatory for being added to the list of doctoral candidates. Please make an appointment in advance.

Support options and further information

Funding & Scholarships

There are several ways of financing your living expenses during a doctorate. Employment as an academic assistant is the traditional way to finance a doctorate. Employment with a company or a non-university institute is another option for earning money. Furthermore, there is the possibility of being granted a scholarship. TUM School of Management grants doctoral stipends within the Academic Training Program.

For detailed information on other possibilities, please click here.

Proofreading service

In order to help with the publication process, TUM Graduate School offers you professional and discipline-related proofreading of academic articles in English. For more information, please click here or contact the Graduate Center. IMPORTANT NOTE: TUM Graduate School does not offer a proofreading service for monographies in English or German.

Publishing your dissertation

You are required to publish your dissertation. The University Library at the Technical University of Munich can help you publish your dissertation quickly and in a high-profile manner. You can choose between a printed book and an electronic publication.

Funding for international research activities

Doctoral candidates at the Graduate Center of TUM School of Management can apply for funding for international research activities. For more information, please click here or contact the Graduate Center.

Submitting your dissertation

In order to submit your dissertation, you have to apply in DoCGS for this process. For more information, please click here or contact the Graduate Center.

Good scientific practice

The foundation of scientific work is the compliance with the principles of good scientific practice. We provide you as a new academic with extensive information on these principles, which conform to the TUM Code of Conduct for Safeguarding Good Academic Practice and Procedures in Cases of Academic Misconduct of the Technical University of Munich and the corresponding memo of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).