Doctoral Graduation
Graduating from our doctoral program is a multi-step process. This page is here to help guide through the maze of milestones, deadlines, and submissions.
Overview
What is this page?
It’s basically a helpful guided tour through all the administrative steps involved in your graduation. The context in which your graduation happens is described in detail in our Standard Procedure for the Doctoral Program. Further information about our programs is available on our Doctoral pages.
When and where to submit?
Each milestone comes with its own schedule and deadlines, which are explained in detail below. Unless noted otherwise, information on our Dates & Datelines page applies. Digital submissions usually happen via email. For physical submissions (e.g., printed copies of your thesis), please make an appointment with our Study Service team to drop by during office hours.
I have more questions!
No problem, we answered many frequently asked questions below. Please have a look and if you still can’t find your answer, just contact our Study Services team, and all will be well.
Milestones
1. Apply for Proficiency Evaluation
The proficiency evaluation, where you present your research proposal to the evaluation committee, is the first significant milestone in your doctoral studies. It has to be completed at the earliest six months and at the latest 18 months after your enrollment.
The date, time, and location of your presentation, as well as your thesis title and supervisor are published on our website. Your presentation is open to all faculty members, including your fellow students of the Doctoral School.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions and answers about the proficiency evaluation.
Where do I find the registration deadlines?
Please visit our Dates & Deadlines page.
Who is on the evaluation committee?
The committee consists of your supervisor, a national expert, the dean of academic affairs (or a substitute), and a chairperson. The national expert, suggested by you and your supervisor, is a member of another Austrian university. The chairperson, also suggested by you and your supervisor, is a member of the Faculty of Informatics but not a member of the supervisor’s institute.
How do I register for my proficiency evaluation?
After you decided on your national expert, fill out form F-848 and email it together with your research proposal to dissertation@informatik.tuwien.ac.at.
When and where will my evaluation take place?
Once the dean of academic affairs has received and approved your form F-848, our Study Services team assigns the next available date and informs you about the location. You can also suggest a date where all members of your proficiency evaluation committee have time.
What do I need to prepare for the evaluation?
You need to prepare your research proposal in document (about 10 pages) and slide form.
What happens during the evaluation?
The proficiency evaluation takes about 90 minutes. You start by presenting your research proposal (30 minutes), followed by a scientific discussion.
When do I get the result of my evaluation?
You will get the decision “Passed” or “Failed” right at the end of your proficiency evaluation. If the committee thinks that you need to improve specific issues, they’ll communicate them to you via email later on.
What’s the next step?
After successfully completing your proficiency evaluation, you officially announce your doctoral thesis. Please fill out form F-815 and email it to dissertation@informatik.tuwien.ac.at. This critical document serves as your thesis agreement.
2. Compose Your Thesis
While your thesis is all yours, we still ask you to follow some guidelines. Well, these guidelines are binding, so technically, you must follow them.
Formal Guidelines
Format and Binding
The thesis needs to be in DIN A4 format and bound with a hardcover.
Cover Page
The cover page is the first page of your thesis and needs to be written in the same language as the thesis itself (i.e., either in English or German).
Abstract
Following the cover page is an abstract of your thesis in both English and German.
Citations
Citations should be correctly marked as it is common practice in academia.
Curriculum Vitae
Your CV or a link to your personal webpage can be included on the last page of your thesis.
Cumulative Theses
If you want to write a cumulative thesis, the guideline of our Vice Rector for Academic Affairs has to be followed (available in German only).
Templates and Resources
Template
When choosing the kind of thesis to produce from the template, please absolutely make sure to select “doctor” from the available options.
Good Scientific Practice
Restriction of Use
Restriction of the use of a thesis is an exception and must be in the student’s own interest. You can apply for a restriction for a maximum of two years. To do so, the request must be made in TISS under “Abschlussarbeiten > Meine Arbeiten”, printed out, and sent to studiendekanat.informatik@tuwien.ac.at for approval.
All theses have to be submitted for publication in TU Wien Library, both in printed form (the printed version of the thesis has to be submitted to Study Services only during the Official Submission) and in electronic form to the Study Services. For online publication via library document server the consent of the student is required. (Checkbox in TISS “Veröffentlichung erlaubt”) The declaration of consent can be revoked at any time. In case of a usage restriction, the online publication will only take place after the expiration of the restriction period.
In addition, library data and keywords in English and German need to be entered in TISS under “Meine Arbeiten”. Please note that currently, only supervisors can enter keywords.
3. Apply for Pre-Submission
You decide when your thesis is ready for submission and evaluation. When submitting your PhD thesis for “pre-submission” please make sure to remove the reviewers’ names from the cover page.
Once submitted, the thesis is reviewed by an examination committee proposed by you and appointed by the dean of academic affairs. By appointing two independent international reviewers (see FAQ for details), we avoid a conflict of interest and ensure a high-quality thesis.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions and answers about your pre-submission.
Who are the members of my examination committee?
The examination committee is formed by the members of your proficiency evaluation committee and two international reviewers. These five people are also the examination committee of your final defense. To avoid any conflict of interest, there must not have been any joint publications or projects during the last five years between you or your supervisor and at least one of the external reviewers.
When do I submit form F-876?
Please fill out form F-876 and email it to dissertation@informatik.tuwien.ac.at at the latest two weeks before the planned date of your pre-submission.
When do I submit my thesis?
We’ll notify you once the dean of academic affairs has approved your form F-876. Please reply to dissertation@informatik.tuwien.ac.at with:
- contact data of your external reviewers (full names, affiliations, email addresses, and website URLs)
- PDF version of your thesis; file name “Diss_LastName_FirstName.pdf” (e.g., “Diss_Miller_Anna.pdf”); max 20 MB file size
- Additionally, please send us form F-945 Consent for Plagiarism Check
If the overall size of your email (including all attachments) is larger than 20 MB, it may not reach us. In that case, please use ACOnet FileSender to send your documents to dissertation@informatik.tuwien.ac.at.
Do I have to send my thesis to the reviewers?
No, we’ll take care of that.
When do I get feedback about my thesis?
The reviewers have about two months to review your thesis. After that, the evaluation committee convenes, and you’ll receive feedback via email.
How will the evaluation look like?
The evaluation is distilled down to one of three “grades”: Accepted, Revision, or Rejected.
4. Apply for Defense
Once you have successfully passed the Pre-Submission Evaluation, you can apply for the defense.
The defense (Rigorosum) usually takes about two hours. It is a “Defensio” in the classical sense, which means that questions about research methods, state of the art, and understanding and overview of knowledge will be asked by the evaluation committee. The defense will be officially announced and is open to the public.
Required Documents
Submitting all the things for your defense is a two-step process:
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Send Documents via E-Mail
First, send the following documents (filled out and/or scanned) to dissertation@informatik.tuwien.ac.at:
- F-868 Application for Admission to the Doctoral Examination
- F-975 Leaflet for Authors of a Thesis
- UStat2 Confirmation
- PDF document with the thesis title, abstract (~250 words), your full name, full names of the reviewers; file name “DissAbs_LastName_FirstName.pdf” (e.g., “DissAbs_Miller_Anna.pdf”)
- PDF document with the final version of your thesis; file name “Diss_LastName_FirstName.pdf” (e.g., “Diss_Miller_Anna.pdf”)
- Birth certificate
- Proof of citizenship
- Marriage certificate/change of name certificate (if applicable)
- Curriculum vitae
- Master degree certificate, 2nd diploma certificate, or notification letter for admission at TU Wien
- Confirmation of the academic degree of the Master Degree/Diploma Degree Record of Studies
- List of certificates for courses completed as part of the doctoral program; please note that all certificates which cannot be validated electronically have to be stamped and signed by the issuing university
- Further documents about your Doctoral College (if applicable)
If the overall size of your email (including all attachments) is larger than 20 MB, it may not reach us. In that case, please use ACOnet FileSender to send your documents to dissertation@informatik.tuwien.ac.at.
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Hand in Bound Thesis
Next, hand in two hardbound copies of your thesis to the Office of the Dean. To make an appointment, please email dissertation@informatik.tuwien.ac.at.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions and answers about your defense.
Do I have to send my thesis to the reviewers?
No, we’ll take care of that.
What happens once the reviews are in?
The reviews are made available for inspection to all faculty members for two weeks, along with your thesis.
Who picks the date for my defense?
You do. Once reviews are in, you coordinate the date with all evaluation committee members, including the international reviewers. Once everybody agrees on a date, please get in touch with us for final confirmation.
Must all members of the committee be present at the defense?
Yes, all members have to be present.
Can committee members participate by video conference?
Yes, one reviewer can participate via video, but all other members have to be physically present. (As long as we have the COVID restrictions, the defenses are of course completely held remotely.)
How long does the defense take?
In general, it takes about 2 hours. It starts with your presentation (45 minutes), followed by the scientific discussion.
When do I learn the results?
Right at the end of your defense.
When do I get my final graduation documents?
Your final certificate and documents related to your new degree can be picked up at the latest four weeks after your defense. We’ll email you once the documents are ready.
Reimbursement for External Examiners
Under the current TU Wien regulations, the following travel and accommodation expenses can be reimbursed for external examiners (if you have questions, please contact Tamara Lenes):
- Rail travel first class (if applicable, in a sleeping-car)
- Airplane travel economy class (only if the distance is more than 500 km); no reimbursement of airport parking
- Public transport
- Daily allowance for a single day (€26,40)
- Hotel accommodation for a single night
Process
To trigger reimbursement, please fill out the form we provide at the defense and send it, along with all receipts and invoices in original, to the following address:
TU Wien Informatics
Office of the Dean
Erzherzog-Johann-Platz 1/E199-01
A-1040 Vienna, Austria
Notes
- In general, TU Wien tends to only refund costs for public transport
- Taxi/cab only in well-justified exceptional cases (arrival late at night)
- No reimbursement of the expenses for car rental
- No refund of costs for riding in a private car (only in well-justified exceptional circumstances)
- A pre-financing by the student or supervisor is not feasible
- Cash settlement is not possible