Doing a PhD / doctorate at TU Ilmenau

A doctorate takes place under the supervision of a doctoral supervisor. This is a prerequisite for starting a doctorate. Therefore, please contact a professor in the subject area in which your research project fits best and ask for a declaration of willingness of supervisor to supervise the doctoratal thesis.

You must always keep in mind that you are applying for a regular job. Therefore, conscientiously search the pages of our faculties for the subject area and the person responsible for it, which deals with the research area in which you would like to do a doctorate on the implementation of a research project.

For this purpose, please send your complete curriculum vitae, a letter of motivation, a description of your doctoral project that is as meaningful as possible, and your transcript (including an overview of your achievements) to the responsible professor. If the responsible university lecturer is interested in working with you on a research project, they will offer you a declaration of willingness of supervisor to supervise your doctoral thesis. Such a declaration of willingness is a prerequisite for doctoral studies at TU Ilmenau.

So take this step wisely, take your time and follow a clear plan to have the best possible chance of being accepted.

NOTE 1: Mass-emails to multiple recipients are not the way to go. Research diligently and contact university teachers politely and directly.

NOTE 2: The Welcome Center cannot take over the task of connecting you with different university lecturers / teachers / professors. It is YOUR commitment that counts here!

Have you successfully completed step 1 and received a written declaration of willingness to supervise your doctoratal thesis from a university lecturer? Then you can now proceed to step 2.

Please submit your doctoral application via the campus portal.  Among other things, you must upload the following documents as scans:
(no certification is necessary for the scans, but all documents must be translated into German or English)

• Curriculum vitae
• Identity document
• Bachelor's certificate
• Master's certificate
• Declaration of willingness
• Supervision agreement (optional)
• Document of evaluation of certificates (if available; only for certificates from a foreign educational institution)

For arrival in Ilmenau it is best to bring the originals and in any case please bring the certified copies and translations of the mentioned documents. They will be checked again here on site!

Among other things, you will be asked to pay a processing fee. This fee will be charged for the review of your documents. Please be patient following your wire transfer. It usually takes about 10 business days for remittances from abroad to arrive here and become visible to staff.

If you have successfully completed steps 1 and 2, you will need to be patient. The international admissions office of the university will now check your uploaded documents.

Once the assessment is completed, you will receive a message in the portal. The evaluation of your documents will be sent to you and your future supervisor.

As soon as you have received the declaration of willingness of supervisor to supervise the doctoral thesis from us, you can apply for a visa at the German Embassy or Consulate General in your home country, with which you will enter Germany.

For the application of the entry visa you usually need the following documents:

•     Invitation/supervision agreement to doctoral studies
•     Proof of sufficient financial means so that you can support yourself in Germany
•     in some countries: Proof of accommodation at the intended university location
•     Note: The German Embassy in your home country will tell you exactly what documents they need from you when you apply for a visa.

Please apply for an appointment to apply for an entry visa at the German embassy responsible for you in your home country in good time. This should be done about three months before you start your doctoral studies at the TU Ilmenau! In some countries it takes considerably longer to obtain an entry visa for Germany. So please make sure that you make an appointment in time!

If you are doing your doctorate as a scientific employee of the TU Ilmenau, this must be declared on your visa application.

Afterwards, you will receive a corresponding entry visa for the doctoral studies / as a research associate at Technische Universität Ilmenau.

NOTE: Unfortunately we cannot accelerate the processing time of your application for an entry visa at the German embassies! So please take care in time!

As soon as you have arrived in Ilmenau, you will:

•     submit a doctoral application to your faculty   
•     optionally enroll as a doctoral student at the TU Ilmenau
•     if applicable: be employed as a research assistant
•     choose a health insurance
•     register as a resident of Ilmenau
•     apply for a residence permit at the immigration office
•     open a bank account

You can find more information about these steps on the page Arrival and formalities.