FAQs

Which study regulation does apply to me?

New or old study regulations for the Dr. med., Dr. med. dent. or Dr. rer. biol. hum.?

"Old study regulations (PDF, 53 KB)": All doctoral projects for the Dr. med., Dr. med. dent. or Dr. rer. biol. hum., that were registered up to and including 30.09.2018 will be completed according to the study regulations in the 11th amendment statutes of September 15, 2016 (see "Dr. med. (old)").
"New study regulations (PDF, 487 KB):" All doctoral projects for the Dr. med., Dr. med. dent. or Dr. rer. biol. hum., that are registered as of 01.10.2018 are structured and will be completed according to the new study regulations of September 27, 2018 (see "Dr. med. (new)").
"New study regulations, 1st amendment (PDF, 306 KB):" All doctoral projects for the Dr. med., Dr. med. dent. or Dr. rer. biol. hum., that are registered since 01.02.2022 will be completed in accordance with the firts amended version of the new study regulations dated January 20, 2022 (see "Dr. med. (new)").

Ph.D. Medical Research: For candidates in the Ph.D. Medical Research there is only one study regulation (PDF, 182 KB).
Doktor der Naturwissenschaften
For candidates in the Dr. rer. nat. there is only one study regulation (PDF, 106 KB).

Questions about the supervision of your project:

Doctoral candidates in human medicine, dentistry and human biology:

Your doctoral project will be supervised by a three-member supervisory committee - the Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC). The TAC must fulfill the following criteria:

3 members
The 1^st TAC member is usually the main supervisor
All TAC members must be habilitated, have been accepted for habilitation or hold a professorship (with a few exceptions)
At least two TAC members must be employees of the LMU Medical Faculty or LMU hospital
At least one TAC member must come from an institution other than your 1^st TAC member (independence)
One TAC member should belong to a clinical department
A helpful list of faculty members can be found in the LMU Directory of Persons and Institutions. Please note that not all faculty members listed are active members of the LMU Medical Faculty or LMU Clinical Center.

Doctoral candidates in the natural sciences:
Your supervisor must be at least habilitated and have a doctorate in a natural science (i.e. also hold a Dr. rer. nat. themselves).

Doctoral candidates in Ph.D. Medical Research:
Your doctoral project will be supervised by a three-member supervisory committee - the Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC). The TAC must fulfill the following criteria:

The 1^st TAC member is usually the main supervisor
The 1^st and 2^nd TAC members must be habilitated, have been accepted for habilitation or hold a professorship (with a few exceptions)
The 3^rd TAC member be at least an independent PI
The 2^nd TAC member must belong to a different institute or department than the 1^st TAC member (independence).
Two out of three TAC members must belong to the LMU Faculty of Medicine
For candidates in the individual PhD: The 1^st TAC member must belong to the LMU Medical Faculty, while TAC member 2 OR 3 can be from outside the Medical Faculty (e.g. another LMU faculty or another university)
A helpful list of faculty members, their titles and the assignment to the various institutes can be found in the LMU Directory of Persons and Institutions. Please note that this list is for guidance only.

Can someone who has not yet been accepted for habilitation and is not a professor supervise my work?
Yes, doctoral researchers who lead their own research group and are funded by the DFG's Emmy Noether Program, the Max Eder Program or their own ERC grant may supervise doctoral students, even if they have not yet been accepted for habilitation.

Do I need a supervisory committee?

yes, if you would like to register for a doctoral degree in human medicine, dentistry or human biology after Sept. 30, 2018 (i.e. if you are doing your doctorate according to the "new regulations")
yes, if you have been accepted for the Ph.D. Medical Research
no, if you are pursuing the Doctor of Natural Sciences.

How many members must my supervisory committee have?

The supervisory committee must have at least 3 members. However, more members can be appointed.
Doctoral candidates aiming for the Dr. rer. nat. do not need a supervisory committee.

When do I need to know the members of my supervisory committee?

Doctoral candidates in medicine, dentistry and human biology must submit a proposal for the supervisory committee when they register their project
Doctoral candidates in the Ph.D. Medical Research must clarify the composition of the supervisory committee within the first semester. For individual PhDs, the composition of the TAC should already be known at the time of application, as this can have a positive effect on the selection process.
Doctoral candidates aiming for the Dr. rer. nat. do not need a supervisory committee.

What is an "exceptionally successful early career researcher"?
These are doctoral researchers who are funded through the DFG's Emmy Noether Program, the Max Eder Program or their own ERC grant.

For doctoral candidates with the degree goal Dr. med., Dr. med. dent. and Dr. rer. biol. hum:

Should one of your TAC members be absent for an extended period of time, the doctoral committee will appoint a replacement.
When selecting a replacement, the doctoral committee has the option of considering suggestions from you

For doctoral candidates aiming for the Dr. rer. nat:

If your supervisor is unavailable for a longer period of time, the doctoral committee will appoint a replacement.
When selecting a replacement, the doctoral committee has the option of considering suggestions from you

For doctoral candidates aiming for the Ph.D. Medical Research:
If one of the members of the TAC falls ill for a longer period of time and is unable to organize a replacement, you should proceed as follows:

If the 1^st TAC member is absent for more than two months due to illness, their role will be transferred to the 2^nd TAC member until they return.
For doctoral candidates in the individual PhD, the role of the 1^st TAC member is only transferred to the 2^nd TAC member if the 2^nd TAC member is also a member of the Faculty of Medicine. If the 2^nd TAC member is external, i.e. not a member of the Faculty of Medicine, the 3_rd TAC member takes over the role of the 1^st TAC member.
The choice of a replacement, who is appointed as the 2^nd or 3^rd TAC member, is made in consultation between the doctoral candidate and the remaining TAC members
If the 2^nd or 3^rd TAC member is absent for more than three months due to illness, a replacement for the ill TAC member should be sought in consultation with the remaining TAC members.
The MMRS will be informed immediately of the absence of a TAC member. When selecting a new TAC member, the applicable regulations on the composition of a TAC must be taken into account.
All changes to the composition of the TAC are recorded in a target amendment and signed by all parties involved (apart from the TAC member who has fallen ill).

My doctoral supervisor or one of my TAC members is leaving LMU. What do I have to do?

Don't worry, your doctoral supervision agreement will remain in force.
The supervision does not end.
You do not have to change the members of your TAC
Your supervision will remain until you have completed your dissertation at LMU.

When are original signatures required?

You need original signatures (handwritten) on your:

Supervision agreement
Target agreement

If, for logistical reasons, you are unable to submit all original signatures at the time you register your thesis, you can submit the originals later when you submit your thesis.

Please note: the originals must be submitted by the submission date at the latest, otherwise the thesis cannot be accepted!

Electronic signatures or scans of the signatures of the members of your supervisory committee are sufficient for all other documents relating to the registration and supervision of your dissertation.

You need the original signature of your 1^st TAC member on the application for the doctoral scholarship of the Faculty of Medicine.

Questions about the Campus Portal:

New or old study regulations for the Dr. med., Dr. med. dent. or Dr. rer. biol. hum.?

"Old study regulations (PDF, 53 KB) (PDF, 53 KB)": All doctoral projects for the Dr. med., Dr. med. dent. or Dr. rer. biol. hum., that were registered up to and including 30.09.2018 will be completed according to the study regulations in the 11th amendment statutes of September 15, 2016 (see "Dr. med. (old)").
"New study regulations (PDF, 487 KB) (PDF, 258 KB):" All doctoral projects for the Dr. med., Dr. med. dent. or Dr. rer. biol. hum., that are registered as of 01.10.2018 are structured and will be completed according to the new study regulations of September 27, 2018 (see "Dr. med. (new)").
"New study regulations, 1st amendment (PDF, 306 KB) (PDF, 463 KB):" All doctoral projects for the Dr. med., Dr. med. dent. or Dr. rer. biol. hum., that are registered since 01.02.2022 will be completed in accordance with the firts amended version of the new study regulations dated January 20, 2022 (see "Dr. med. (new)").

Ph.D. Medical Research: For candidates in the Ph.D. Medical Research there is only one study regulation (PDF, 182 KB) (PDF, 350 KB).
Doktor der Naturwissenschaften: For candidates in the Dr. rer. nat. there is only one study regulation (PDF, 106 KB) (PDF, 166 KB).

We have compiled the most important steps in a video guide for doctoral students in medicine, dentistry and human biology:

If you would like to do a doctorate in human medicine, dentistry or human biology, please do the following:

Please register in our Campus Portal
Fill in all fields in the "Registration" section.
Click on "Submit"
Your doctoral supervision agreement will be generated automatically.
All members of your thesis advisory committee and you sign the supervision agreement.
Upload the signed supervision agreement to your Campus Portal.
Send the required original documents to the doctoral office

If you have been accepted for the Ph.D. Medical Research by one of the core areas or associated programs:

You can only register for the Ph.D. Medical Research after you have successfully applied to one of the core areas or affiliated programs.
Your program coordinator or the MMRS will provide you with more detailed information.

If you are aiming for a doctor in the natural sciences, please do the following:

Please register in our Campus Portal
Complete all fields in the "Registration" section.
Click on "Submit"
Your doctoral supervision agreement will be generated automatically.
Your supervisor and you sign the supervision agreement.
Upload the signed supervision agreement and the required documents to your Campus Portal.
Send the required original documents to the doctoral office

I don't see any progress in the Campus Portal. Is everything still OK or is there a problem?
There is no cause for concern. The Campus Portal does not reflect all progress relating to the registration and evaluation of your project in real time. If documents are still missing or there are any problems, we will contact you.
Please do not forget to send the original documents that are required to the doctoral office.

I have submitted my documents on time, but I don't see a change of status in the Campus Portal. Do I need to worry?
You do not need to worry. The Campus Portal does not reflect all progress relating to the registration and evaluation of your doctoral thesis in real time. If documents are still missing or there are any problems, we will contact you.

Doctoral candidates for the Dr. med., Dr. med. dent., Dr. rer. biol. hum.: You can download your letter of acceptance from your Campus Portal under "Promotionsberechtigung".
If you have been accepted for the Ph.D. Medical Research, you will receive your "letter of acceptance" for enrollment after successfully registering your project in the Campus Portal.
If you have been accepted for the Dr. rer. nat. degree, you will receive your "Promotionsbescheinigung für Internationale Angelegenheiten" after successfully registering your project in the Campus Portal.

Questions about the course of a doctoral project:

If you would like to do a doctorate in human medicine, dentistry or human biology, please do the following:

Please register in our Campus Portal
Complete all fields in the "Registration" section.
Click on "Submit"
Your doctoral supervision agreement will be generated automatically.
All members of the supervision committee and you sign the supervision agreement.
Upload the signed supervision agreement to your Campus Portal.
Send the required original documents to the doctoral office

If you have been accepted for the Ph.D. Medical Research by one of the focus or associated programs:

You can only register for the Ph.D. Medical Research after you have successfully applied to one of the core areas or affiliated programs.
Your program coordinator or the MMRS will provide you with more detailed information.

If you would like to pursue a doctorate in the natural sciences, please do the following:

Please register in our Campus Portal
Complete all fields in the "Registration" section.
Click on "Submit"
Your doctoral supervision agreement will be generated automatically.
Your supervisor and you sign the supervision agreement.
Upload the signed supervision agreement to your Campus Portal.
Send the required original documents to the doctoral office

What is full-time research and who does it apply to?

If you are aiming for a doctor in medicine or dentistry and have submitted your supervision agreement to the doctoral office after September 30, 2018, you must complete a full-time research period of at least 8 months or an equivalent period to be confirmed by the doctoral committee (confirmation must be obtained before the target agreement is finalized).
It will be recorded in your target agreement as well as in your logbook when you complete this full-time research.
If you are aiming for a doctor in human biology and have submitted your supervision agreement to the Office of Doctoral Studies after September 30, 2018, you must complete a minimum of 2 years of full-time research.
If you are aiming for a doctor in the natural sciences, you must complete a minimum of 2 years of full-time research.
If you are aiming for a Ph.D. Medical Research, you must complete a full-time research period of at least 3 years and a maximum of 5 years.

As a doctoral candidate in medicine, dentistry or human biology, can I have part of the full-time research I have already completed before officially registering?

A maximum of 3 months prior to registration of the dissertation can be retroactively credited towards the full-time research.

Do I have to complete the full-time research in one go?

If you are a doctoral candidate in medicine or dentistry and would like to receive a doctoral scholarship from the Faculty of Medicine, you must complete the full-time research in one go.
Please contact the doctoral office for a possible division of the full-time research.
It is not permitted to divide the research into individual days or periods of only a few weeks. A continuity of the research work should be recognizable.
Doctoral candidates in human biology, natural sciences and Ph.D. Medical Research are required to complete their research time in one continuous period.

Can I split the full-time research in order to pursue another activity?

For candidates aiming for the Dr. med. and Dr. med. dent. the full-time research can be completed as an equivalent research period, which has to be confirmed by the doctoral committee.
The confirmation must be obtained before the target agreement is finalized.

Would working alongside the full-time research extend your research time for the Dr. med. and Dr. med. dent. ?

You should concentrate fully on your research project during your full-time research. This means that part-time work is only possible to a limited extent, if at all.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to attend courses accompanying your studies, such as the L-courses, during full-time research.
You can also complete the full-time research as an equivalent research period to be confirmed by the doctoral committee. You must obtain this confirmation before concluding the agreement on objectives.

What is the situation with the Dr. med. and Dr. med. dent. degrees with the equivalent work instead of the 8 months of full-time research? The same number of hours as 8 months full-time, i.e. 1280 hours?

You can complete your full-time research as an equivalent research period to be confirmed by the doctoral committee.
You must obtain confirmation before finalizing your target agreement. Please contact the doctoral office.
It is not possible to divide the work into individual days or multiple periods of only a few weeks, as the continuity of the research work should be recognizable.

For the Dr. med. and Dr. med. dent. degree objectives, can I decide for myself when I start the full-time research/module 6 after registering for the doctorate or does this have to be immediately after registration?

You should specify the start of your full-time research in your target agreement, which must be submitted no later than 2 months after registering your project.
You can also start your full-time research with some delay after the registration. Please note that your interim evaluation must be submitted no later than 12 months after registering your thesis, regardless of when you started your full-time research.

Can I complete the entire 8 months of full-time research abroad for the Dr. med. and Dr. med. dent. if 2 supervisors are from LMU?

Yes, you can also complete your full-time research completely abroad.

Who confirms that I have completed full-time research?

The planned and completed full-time research is confirmed by the signature of your 1^st TAC member on your target agreement and in your logbook.

Who determines which credits will count towards my full-time research?

If you are unable to complete your full-time research in one go for the Dr. med. and Dr. med. dent., you can also complete an equivalent research period that has been confirmed by the doctoral committee.
The doctoral committee must confirm the equivalent research period before finalizing the target agreement. Please contact the doctoral office.

Do the exact start and end dates of the full-time research have to be specified?

Yes, please state the exact start and end date of the full-time research.

Am I allowed to participate in block courses during my full-time research, e.g. the general medicine internship, which I am allowed to complete in Module 6? Are there "vacation days" in the lab for this?

You should concentrate fully on your research project during your full-time research.
It is not intended to attend courses during your full-time research, such as the L-courses or block courses, during full-time research.
Should you nevertheless wish to attend a course, you can add the corresponding time at the end of your full-time research, assuming your supervisor agrees.
If you receive the doctoral scholarship from the Faculty of Medicine, you should complete your full-time research in one go.

How strict is it with the 8 months of full-time research for dentistry doctoral students with regard to the assistantship?

You can do your full-time research as an equivalent research period to be confirmed by the doctoral committee.
You must obtain confirmation before finalizing the target agreement.
Please contact the doctoral office.
It is not possible to divide the full-time research into individual days or periods of only a few weeks, as the continuity of the research work should be recognizable.

Are the 8 months of full-time research for doctoral candidates in medicine and dentistry to be understood as months in the legal sense or can they simply be based on the regular semester periods?

The 8 months correspond to 8 calendar months.

Can I also take the 2^nd state examination during full-time research?

You should focus on your research project during your full-time research.
The exam preparation required for the 2^nd state examination is usually extremely extensive and is difficult to combine with constructive full-time research.
Please note that you are only eligible to receive the doctoral scholarship by the Medical Faculty if you have not yet completed the 2^nd state examination.

When do I need an ethics application?

If you are planning any research on humans (clinical studies, biomedical research) as part of your doctoral project, you need a positive ethics review before starting your project.
You apply for the ethics review at the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine. If you are unsure whether an ethics review is required, please contact them directly.

When do I have to register my project?

You must register your doctorate no later than 3 months after the start of the project.
Register your project online and send the original documents required to the doctoral office.

What happens at the interim evaluation?

The interim evaluation, also known as the TAC meeting or Thesis Advisory Committee meeting, is a meeting with you and your supervisory committee.
You give a short presentation on the progress of your project. Your TAC should give you feedback and ensure that your project is progressing according to plan.
The first interim evaluation must take place within 12 months of registering your doctoral project.
The results of the interim evaluation are recorded in a report.
If the objectives or milestones set out in the target agreement change in your project, record this in a target amendment.

When do I have to have my interim evaluation?

Your first interim evaluation must take place within 12 months of registering your doctoral project.

When do I have to have my final evaluation?

Your final evaluation must take place shortly before the planned submission of your dissertation.

Do I need an extension for my doctoral degree?

The duration of your doctoral studies for the Dr. med., Dr. med. dent. and Dr. rer. biol. hum. according to the new doctoral regulations is estimated at 3 years, unless otherwise specified in the agreement on objectives.
According to the decision of the doctoral committee, doctoral projects in which you and yourTAC see a reasonable prospect of successful project completion are automatically extended by an additional year until the final evaluation and subsequent submission of the dissertation.
If you or your TAC have reasonable doubts about the successful completion of the procedure, you must submit an application for an extension to the doctoral committee.
In this application, you report in writing on the progress of the dissertation and/or the publication and your supervisory committee comments on this in writing. The doctoral committee will then decide on the continuation of the project.
In such cases, the doctoral project will be terminated if the application is not submitted.

Curriculum for the Dr. med., Dr. med. dent. and Dr. rer. biol. hum. (new study regulations):

How often do I have to attend the lecture series on Good Scientific Practice?

You must attend at least 80% of the lecture series in a semester.
The number of events in the semester in which you started attending the lecture series counts.
It is possible to make up dates in later semesters, the selection of suitable topics and dates is up to you.

What is meant by “interdisciplinary” topics in the curriculum?

You must attend at least 25 hours of interdisciplinary courses
These include: Lectures, seminars, workshops etc. on topics such as: “Good scientific practice”, statistics, correct citation, scientific writing, literature search techniques, presentation skills and the like
Attendance at the lecture series on good scientific practice is mandatory.
Additional thematically relevant events:
- Courses of the MeCuM science curriculum (especially optional courses of module 6)
- Events of the Center for Leadership and People Management of the LMU
- the event series “Kurz und Bündig” of the Graduate Center, etc.

When can/should I complete the curriculum?

You can complete the curriculum practically at any time after the registration of your project and before submitting your dissertation.

How do I get credit for courses/workshops if I am not yet registered with the MMRS?

You can download the logbook before you start your dissertation and enter courses and workshops there and have them signed.

Are there criteria for the interdisciplinary courses of the accompanying curriculum?

A variety of different courses are possible
Possible courses include: Lectures, seminars or similar on the topic of “Good Scientific Practice”, statistics, citation, scientific writing, literature search techniques, presentation skills and the like
The level must be appropriate for a doctoral degree!

Does the MMRS lecture series count towards the interdisciplinary curriculum in the logbook?

Yes, the MMRS lecture series on Good Scientific Practice is part of the interdisciplinary curriculum.

What is “interdisciplinary” and what is “subject-specific” in regard to the curriculum?

Interdisciplinary:
- Courses that will help you on your path in academia, regardless of which subject area you will be researching.
- This includes: Lectures, seminars or similar on good scientific practice, statistics, citation, scientific writing, literature search techniques, presentation skills, computational skills, etc.
Subject-specific:
- Events that are subject-related to your research topic and deal with scientific topics.
- These include: Journal clubs, conferences, methods courses, etc.

Do the courses have to be from the Faculty of Medicine or the LMU?

No, you can also attend external courses and have them credited if you can provide the relevant evidence.

Questions about full-time research and doctoral scholarships

What is full-time research and who does it apply to?

If you are doing a medical or dental Doctoral degree and have submitted your supervision agreement to the Doctoral Office after September 30, 2018, you must complete a full-time research period of at least 8 months or the equivalent to be confirmed by the Doctoral Committee (confirmation must be obtained before the target agreement is signed).
When you complete this full-time research will be recorded both in your agreement of objectives and in your logbook.

Can I get credit for part of the full-time research completed before the official registration?

A maximum of 3 months prior to registration of the dissertation can be retroactively credited to your full-time research.

Do I have to complete the 8 months of full-time research in one go?

If you would like to receive the doctoral fellowship from the Faculty of Medicine, you must complete the full-time research in one go.
Please contact the doctoral office for a possible division of the full-time research.
It is not permitted to divide the research into individual days or periods of only a few weeks. A continuity of the research work should be recognizable.

Can I split the full-time research in order to pursue another activity (e.g. as a licensed doctor with a degree abroad)?

The full-time research can be carried out as an equivalent activity to be confirmed by the doctoral committee.
The confirmation must be obtained before the target agreement is concluded.

Would working alongside full-time research extend your research time?

During your full-time research, you should concentrate fully on your research project. This means that part-time work is only possible to a limited extent, if at all.
It is not permitted to attend courses accompanying your studies, such as the L-courses, during full-time research.
You can also carry out full-time research as an equivalent achievement to be confirmed by the doctoral committee. You must obtain this confirmation before concluding the target agreement.

What about the equivalence work instead of the 8 months of full-time research? The same number of hours as 8 months full-time, i.e. 1280 hours?

You can carry out your full-time research as an equivalent achievement to be confirmed by the doctoral committee.
You must obtain confirmation before concluding the target agreement. Please contact the doctoral office.
It is not permissible to divide your work into individual days or periods of only a few weeks, as the continuity of your research work should be recognizable.

Can I decide for myself when to start the full-time research/module 6 after registering my project or does it have to be immediately after registration?

You should record the start of your full-time research in your target agreement, which must be submitted no later than 2 months after registering your project.
You can also start your full-time research with some delay after the registration. Please note that your interim evaluation must be submitted no later than 12 months after you have registered your project, regardless of when you started your full-time research.

Can I complete 8 months of full-time research abroad if 2 supervisors are from the Medical Faculty of the LMU?

Yes, you can also complete your full-time research completely abroad.

Who certifies the 8 months of full-time research?

The planned and completed full-time research is confirmed by the signature of your 1st TAC member on your target agreement and in your logbook.

Who determines which achievements are credited for my full-time research?

If you are unable to complete your full-time research in one go, you can also complete equivalent work that has been confirmed by the doctoral committee.
You must obtain confirmation from the doctoral committee before concluding the target agreement. Please contact the doctoral office.

Do the exact start and end dates of the 8 months of full-time research have to be specified?

Yes, please state the exact start and end date of the full-time research.

During full-time research, can I take part in block practical courses that I am allowed to complete in Module 6, such as the general medicine practical course? Are there “vacation days” in the lab for this?

You should concentrate fully on your respective research project during your full-time research.
You should not attend courses accompanying your studies, such as the L-courses or block practicals, during full-time research.
Should you nonetheless wish to attend a block practicals, you can, subject to the agreement of your supervisor, add the corresponding time at the end of your full-time research.
If you receive a doctoral fellowship from the Faculty of Medicine, you must complete your full-time research in one go..

How strict is the 8 months of full-time research for dentists with regard to the residency period?

You can carry out your full-time research as an equivalent workload to be confirmed by the doctoral committee..
You must obtain the confirmation before concluding the target agreement. Please contact the doctoral office
It is not permissible to divide your time into individual days or periods of a few weeks, as the continuity of your research work should be recognizable.

Are the 8 months of full-time research to be understood as months in the legal sense or can you simply use the regular semester periods as a guide?

The 8 months correspond to 8 calendar months.

Can I also take the 2nd state examination during full-time research?

During full-time research, you should concentrate fully on the respective research project.
The examination preparation required for the 2nd state examination is usually extremely extensive and is difficult to reconcile with constructive full-time research.
Please note that you are only eligible to receive the doctoral scholarship if you have not yet completed the 2nd state examination.

The LMU Klinikum and its employees are covered by a public liability insurance policy. Personal statutory liability for doctoral candidates arising from official activities is also covered.

Am I eligible to receive the doctoral fellowship by the LMU Faculty of Medicine?

Yes, if you::
- have registered your doctoral project to obtain the Dr. med. or Dr. med. dent. degree in accordance with the new study regulations and
- have not yet passed the 2nd state examination and
- complete your 8 months of research full-time and
- are enrolled at LMU while receiving the fellowship and
- collect your data at an institution of the LMU Faculty of Medicine or LMU Hospital and
- your doctoral project is not already supported by other funding from the Faculty of Medicine.

When can I start receiving the fellowship?

You can apply for the doctoral scholarship as soon as your signed target agreement is available
You must apply for the scholarship at least 2 weeks before the start of your full-time research.
Payment is usually made within 2 to 3 months after receipt of the application in the middle of each month.

When do I have to apply for the doctoral fellowship at the latest?

You must apply for the fellowship at least 2 weeks before the start of your full-time research.

What do I need to bear in mind when applying for a doctoral fellowship?

While you are receiving the doctoral fellowship, you must concentrate fully on your research project.
This means that additional employment is only permitted to a limited extent, if at all.
The employment relationship must be clearly differentiated from the research project in terms of content and must be reported to the doctoral office.
It is not permitted to attend study-related courses, such as the L-courses, during full-time research.

Can the doctoral scholarship be combined with other scholarships?

Yes, it is possible to receive additional support for a dissertation from scholarships or similar grants that are not funded by the LMU Faculty of Medicine.
Please note that the granting of further scholarships, Bafög or similar funding may be influenced by the doctoral fellowship of the LMU Medical Faculty due to their respective funding conditions.
Please inform yourself about the applicable regulations.
The guidelines of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München for the awarding of third-party funded scholarships apply.

Can I submit one original and one copy of the application for the doctoral scholarship or do I have to submit 2 originals?

You must submit 2 originals!

Can I apply for the doctoral fellowship even after I have registered my doctoral thesis if I have not yet submitted the target agreement? Will 8 months still be paid out in this case?

No, the doctoral fellowship can only be applied for once you have submitted the signed agreement on objectives to the doctoral office.

Doctoral candidates who are already funded by programs of the LMU Faculty of Medicine (e.g. FöFoLe) are not eligible to apply.

Questions about the curriculum

Curriculum for the Dr. med., Dr. med. dent. and Dr. rer. biol. hum. (new study regulations):

How often do I have to attend the lecture series on Good Scientific Practice?

You must attend at least 80% of the lecture series in a semester.
The number of events in the semester in which you started attending the lecture series counts.
It is possible to make up dates in later semesters, the selection of suitable topics and dates is up to you.

What is meant by “interdisciplinary” topics in the curriculum?

You must attend at least 25 hours of interdisciplinary courses
These include: Lectures, seminars, workshops etc. on topics such as: “Good scientific practice”, statistics, correct citation, scientific writing, literature search techniques, presentation skills and the like
Attendance at the lecture series on good scientific practice is mandatory.
Additional thematically relevant events:
- Courses of the MeCuM science curriculum (especially optional courses of module 6)
- Events of the Center for Leadership and People Management of the LMU
- the event series “Kurz und Bündig” of the Graduate Center, etc.

When can/should I complete the curriculum?

You can complete the curriculum practically at any time after the registration of your project and before submitting your dissertation.

How do I get credit for courses/workshops if I am not yet registered with the MMRS?

You can download the logbook before you start your dissertation and enter courses and workshops there and have them signed.

Are there criteria for the interdisciplinary courses of the accompanying curriculum?

A variety of different courses are possible
Possible courses include: Lectures, seminars or similar on the topic of “Good Scientific Practice”, statistics, citation, scientific writing, literature search techniques, presentation skills and the like
The level must be appropriate for a doctoral degree!

Does the MMRS lecture series count towards the interdisciplinary curriculum in the logbook?

Yes, the MMRS lecture series on Good Scientific Practice is part of the interdisciplinary curriculum.

What is “interdisciplinary” and what is “subject-specific” in regard to the curriculum?

Interdisciplinary:
- Courses that will help you on your path in academia, regardless of which subject area you will be researching.
- This includes: Lectures, seminars or similar on good scientific practice, statistics, citation, scientific writing, literature search techniques, presentation skills, computational skills, etc.
Subject-specific:
- Events that are subject-related to your research topic and deal with scientific topics.
- These include: Journal clubs, conferences, methods courses, etc.

Do the courses have to be from the Faculty of Medicine or the LMU?

No, you can also attend external courses and have them credited if you can provide the relevant evidence.

Doctoral candidates in Ph.D. Medical Research can find all information about the curriculum on our homepage.

Questions about enrollment and campus identification:

How do I get the eligibility to enrol for a doctoral degree?

Doctoral candidates for the Dr. med., Dr. med. dent., Dr. rer. biol. hum.: You can download your letter of admission from your Campus Portal under “Letter of acceptance".
If you have been accepted for the Ph.D. Medical Research, you will receive your “letter of acceptance” for enrollment after successfully registering your project in the Campus Portal.
If you have been accepted for the Dr. rer. nat., you will receive your “Promotionsbescheinigung zur Immatrikulation” or your "Promotionsbescheinigung für Internationale Angelegenheiten" after successfully registering your project in the Campus Portal.

Do I have to be enrolled at LMU during my doctoral degree??

You do not have to be enrolled for a Doctoral degree at LMU if you are a doctoral candidate in human medicine, dentistry, human biology or natural sciences.
However, it is possible to remain enrolled as a doctoral candidate after graduation. We will be happy to issue your letter of acceptance for this purpose.

Please note: Doctoral candidates for the Ph.D. Medical Research must be enrolled as doctoral students for at least 6 semesters.

I don't want to enroll, but I need the LMU campus ID to access the university library's e-media. What do I have to do?

Please fill out the form for the LMU user ID from the IT Service Desk and send us a PDF by e-mail as well as a scan of your supervision agreement.

Questions regarding the formatting of the review copies and deposit copies of the dissertation:

Review copies:

Depending on the study regulations, you must submit one or two printed and bound versions of your dissertation as well as an electronic version to the doctoral office. This version of your dissertation is the “review copy” and is submitted to the reviewers for evaluation. This first final version of your dissertation will be treated confidentially and will only be passed on to the reviewers and, if applicable, to the doctoral committee. You must leave the date of the oral examination and the names of the other reviewers blank on the title page of the review copy, as you do not yet know them at the time of submitting the thesis.

Statutory copies:

After you have successfully defended your dissertation, you must publish your work. To do this, you must submit 2 printed and bound copies of your thesis to the university library. In addition, most doctoral candidates also choose to submit an electronic version to the university library to complete the publication.
The printed and electronic versions of your dissertation for the University Library are also called “statutory copies”. The statutory copies are accessible to the public. You should therefore remove personal information such as your address or personal details from the CV. You may give your supervisor's institutional address instead. The statutory copies contain the date of the oral examination and the names of all reviewers on the title page. In addition, any corrections requested in the reviews before printing are included here.

Conclusion: You must definitely have your dissertation printed twice - first as a review copy and after the successful defense as a statutory copy. In both cases, an inexpensive adhesive binding with softcover is sufficient!

How should my dissertation be formatted if I am writing a monograph??

For a monograph, there are no rules on how exactly the work must be formatted!
This is all up to you:
- font size
- font type
- line spacing
- one-sided or double-sided printing
- Width of the correction margin

You must include the following in your work:

- our template for the title page and inside title page
- a table of contents,
- a summary
- the affidavit
- your curriculum vitae
- Confirmation of congruency
- an overview on the most common structure is available on our website.
The thesis is normally prepared in A4 format.
To help you, you will find a formatting template for each degree on our website under “Submitting your dissertation” and in the Download Center, which you are welcome to use.

To prevent plagiarism, the Faculty of Medicine provides citations guidelines as an aid for writing a dissertation.
For your bibliography, we recommend the Endnote program, which you can obtain free of charge from the University Library.
If you would like to look at other dissertations, you can find them on the University Library server. You can filter your search by author as well as by first reviewer.

How should my dissertation be formatted if I am writing a cumulative thesis?

The dissertation can be submitted in German or English. Please note: only theses in English may be submitted for the Ph.D.!

Formal structure:

Cover sheet (title, name, place of birth, year)
Affidavit
Table of contents
List of abbreviations
List of publications
Introduction
The publications must be preceded by an introduction (5 - 10 pages, German or English) with a description of the research project, which makes clear which overarching research question links the individual publications and which aspects are covered by the individual publications.
In the case of co-authorship, the own contribution to the work must be clearly stated in the introduction for each original work and all additional contributions. This also applies to articles in which you are the first author.
It is strongly recommended that you present your own contribution in a separate chapter.
Confirmation of co-authors (do not include them in the paper!)
The contribution of all co-authors must be confirmed and submitted separately. This also applies to all additional contributions. The forms for the confirmation of the co-authors will be generated for you in your Campus Portal account. Please use these templates.
Please do not include the confirmation of the co-authors in the thesis, but submit it together with all other documents with your thesis and upload it fully signed to your Campus Portal account.

What binding and paper quality do I need for my dissertation?

The printed copies of your dissertation that you submit to the doctoral office must be bound with a permanent adhesive binding. Ring binding or similar is not permitted.
The majority of dissertations submitted to our faculty are now sent to the reviewers in digital form. It is therefore perfectly sufficient if you choose a simple softcover for the printed version of your dissertation. You can also easily opt for the inexpensive version in terms of the quality and weight of the paper.

The version of the dissertation that you submit to the Dean's Office is only for the review of your thesis and will not be published!
You publish a version of your dissertation, the so-called statutory copies, only after your defense via the university library. The statutory copies can be corrected if necessary and should be prepared without personal data in your CV or address.

he maximum file size for a dissertation submitted via the campus portal is 10 MB. There are several ways to reduce the file size if required.

There are various ways to reduce the file size of a PDF when saving the document. You can find out more about thishere.
You can also reduce the file size after creating your PDF document using various online tools. You can find a selection here.

Both websites only show a small selection of options, and several other online tools exists.

If you want to include PDFs of publications in your work, please save all parts individually as PDFs and then merge them into one PDF file. Do not insert publications as full-page images into a Word file before converting the Word file into a PDF file. Files created in this way are far too large to upload. In addition, the text of your publication will be converted into an image and will no longer be searchable, which is very inconvenient for reviewers!

What binding and paper quality do I need for my dissertation?

The printed copies of your dissertation that you submit to the doctoral office (review copy) must be bound with a permanent adhesive binding. Ring binding or similar is not permitted.
The majority of dissertations submitted to our faculty are now sent to the reviewers in digital form. It is therefore perfectly sufficient if you choose a simple softcover with adhesive binding for the printed version of your dissertation. You can also easily opt for the inexpensive version when it comes to the quality and weight of the paper.
The dissertation should be printed in A4 format.
The same specifications regarding binding, printing and format apply to the deposit copies that you submit to the university library.

Where does my supervisor or 1st TAC member have to sign in the statutory copy?

Please next to/under/above the name entered on the inside title page as “Berichterstatter”.
For dissertations in PhD Medical Research, the signature of the 1st TAC member is not required.

What do I enter under “Mitberichterstatter” and “Datum der mündlichen Prüfung”?

Please do not enter anything here, you will receive this information from the doctoral office after your defense.

Does the affidavit have to be signed in the electronic version of the statutory copy, which is submitted as a PDF?

No, only the 2 printed copies of the dissertation must be signed.

Should I copy the affidavit and the declaration of congruency from the review copies or do I have to update them?

Please include the affidavit and declaration of congruency in the statutory copies with the same wording as in the review copies. Please update the date in each case.
Please do not enter your private home address, but use your institute address!

Do I have to leave my CV in the deposit copies?

No, the CV does not have to be included in the mandatory copies.
You can choose to remove it completely or limit it to your professional training, and modify it to exclud all personal information.

What format should my deposit copies have?

Please submit your deposit copies to the dissertation office in A4 format.
This applies to both the electronic and the printed version.

Are there any regulations regarding the font form and font color for the mandatory copies?

No, there are no rules here. As with the review copies, you have a free choice of font type, font size, font color, single or double-sided printing.
It is advisable not to change the formatting of the statutory copies significantly compared to the review copies, as it only insertes unnecessary errors, unless this is expressly requested by your supervisor or one of the reviews.

How should the statutory copy be bound?

The deposit copies should be printed on wood- and acid-free, age-resistant paper and bound in a durable way (adhesive binding). Ring or spiral bindings are not permitted!
For cost reasons, we recommend soft covers (with adhesive binding), the binding should be chosen without plastic foils or similar.

The University Library also regularly informs doctoral candidates in short trainingon issues relating to the publication of dissertations.
If you have any questions about the statutory copies, please contact the colleagues at the University library.

Questions regarding the doctoral certificates

It usually takes 6 weeks to create the certificates, but it can take longer under certain circumstances. You will receive an e-mail notification from us as soon as your documents are ready. Please understand that we cannot answer questions about how long it will take for the certificate to be completed.

What do I have to do to receive my certificate?

Your certificate will be issued after we have received information about the publication of your dissertation.
The notification is automatic if you publish via the LMU University Library.
If you publish your thesis elsewhere, please send a corresponding confirmation by email to the doctoral office.

How will I receive my certificate?

You will be notified by e-mail as soon as your certificate is ready.
We will send you the certificate by registered mail to the address you have entered in your Campus Portal account.
You can also collect your certificate in person from the Doctoral Office by appointment or appoint an authorized person to collect it.

Can I have my copies of certificates notarized at the Doctoral Office?

No, the Doctoral Office is not authorized to carry out certifications. For official certifications, please contact a certifying authority, such as the Munich City Administration.

I need a certificate of completion before I receive my final degree documents, what do I have to do?

A certificate of successful graduation can be issued after publication of the statutory copies.
Please contact the doctoral office for this.