Find a supervisor

The first step on your way to be a post doc student should be to find a supervisor. Although the enrolment in the curriculum is possible without having a supervisor it is strongly recommended to find one in advance. Not every teacher is allowed to be a full supervisor as there are certain rules:

• The teacher has to be scientifically active in the same scientific area (has to be proved with top publications within the last 6 years)
• The teacher has be experienced about grant raising (within the last 6 years)
• The teacher has to be experienced with supervising doctoral students (proved by a first authorship of one former doctoral student with the last 6 years)

Ideally you start with finding a supervisor before you finish your undergraduate studies. This way you have the chance to clarify a lot of things in advance like the project content and the grant raising.

Find a thesis

The next step is to roughly shape the content of your thesis. You should discuss with your supervisor topics like the working title, the different methods (and how they are paid for) and a timetable.

PhD vs. doctoral program of applied science

The difference between the two postdoc studies (doctor of philosophy (=N094); doctoral program of applied science (=N790)) are sometimes kind of weak. The most common explanation is that N094 is  „science as profession“ and N790 is „science in profession“. For most of you the real difference is whether you have a research grant that finances your salary and your study. However, there are a lot of „in betweens“. Anyway, to enroll for N094 you need a peer reviewed project, a condition you do not need for N790. So if you have a project that is peer reviewed and financed you might enroll for one of the PhD programs. If you do not have a peer review (yet) you might enroll for one of the thematic program of N790 with the option of changing to N094 as soon as your project got a peer review. 

N094 as well as N790 have different thematic programs. Before enrolment you should decide for one of these programs that match with you thesis.

Enrolment

Requirements for enrolment in N790 are:

• Final degree in the diploma studies of Medicine or Dentistry
 or

• Final degree in any natural scientific/technical, subject-relevant or subject-related diploma studies
 or

• Final degree in any renowned national or international master studies that are equal to the above-mentioned diploma studies. The rectorate decides about the equality in the course of the admission procedure.

Requirements for enrolment in N094 are:

• Final degree in the diploma studies of Medicine or Dentistry or
• Final degree in any scientific/technical, subject-relevant or subject-related diploma studies or 

• Final degree in the Engineering Science diploma studies  ”Medical Informatics”

• Final degree in master studies* at an internationally renowned domestic or foreign post-secondary education institution equal to the above-mentioned diploma studies. The rectorate decides about the equality in the course of the admission procedure.

If you have all requirements you have to bring all required documents during the admission periods to the office of student affairs:

• Application form
• Diploma from secondary school qualifying for university admission or matriculation

• Diploma about previous bachelor studies and diploma about diploma/master studies

• Diploma supplement(s) and detailed, official transcript(s) of records about the completed studies
• Curriculum vitae

• Passport photo

Please remember that you have to bring everything original or legalized copy! Submit also photocopies of the original as they do not copy in the office of student affairs!

Lectures and courses

You enroll for lectures and course via the Med Campus program.  In general there are different types of lectures and courses:

• Propedeutics
• Basic courses
• Journal Clubs/Progress Reports
• Thesis Seminars
• Practical Seminars

Thesis proposal

Within the first semester of your postdoc studies you should complete your thesis proposal. This paper should give an overview about the background of your project and a detailed plan of your time schedule. You find a user form for the thesis proposal on the MUV homepage.