The Research Seminars in your main subject (the list of subjects is available in the curriculum) are the backbone of the doctoral program; they are an opportunity to be part of the scientific community. You attend them continually throughout your studies: usually one per semester, but you can register for more if there are suitable courses on offer. When in doubt, please consult with your main supervisor.

Research Seminars 5 and 6 can only be attended after you submitted your Research Proposal to the Doctoral Office.

If you have a main subject in Business Administration or Economics:

• you can attend all 6 Research Seminars in your main subject, or

• choose a second subject and attend Research Seminar 6 in the second subject.

If your main subject is a legal or other subject:

• you attend Research Seminar 6 in your second subject, which can be chosen from the subjects in Business Administration or Economics 

You can select the second subject yourself via LPIS.

In Philosophy of Science, there are a number of courses in German and English on offer each semester. You attend one course of your choice, no matter what your main subject is. 

This introductory course in quantitative research methods is offered in 2 tracks:

• if you have a main subject in Business Administration, please choose the Business track

• if you have a main subject in Economics, please choose the Economics track

• if you have a legal or other main subject, the track depends on your second subject

introductory course in qualitative research methods. You attend one course of your choice, no matter what your main subject is. 

You attend one course of your choice, no matter what your main subject is. There are different foci, for example on the writing of Research Proposals/Abstracts/Conference papers, on publishing in academic journals, or with an emphasis on a specific subject area.

This course should deal with a method useful for your dissertation. 

To attend the course, you have to have completed the following courses with a positive grade:

• Research Seminars I and II

• Research Methods I and II

• Philosophy of Science

The Research Proposal is a written summary of your research project. It is published on WU Intranet for one month and graded by a supervision team consisting of at least 3 professors (with the grade "participated successfully/unsucessfully"). The supervision team also gives comments, which are meant to be helpful for your dissertation project.

Please submit your Research Proposal within the first year of studies.

Like the dissertation, the Research Proposal has no ECTS allocation (as a preliminary stage of your academic work).

Information sheet Research Proposal

The Defensio dissertationis is an oral exam in which you present the results of your dissertation to a Doctoral Committee of 3 professors, defend them against the background of current theories and methods and outline your contribution to science.

You need to have completed all courses and the Research Proposal before you register for the defense. The date is arranged with the members of your Doctoral Committee. When you found a date, please register for the defense by sending the registration form to the Doctoral Office.

The proceedings at the defense itself are usually quite informal. The doctoral student as well as the 3 members of the doctoral committee are present (either in person or online); as the defense is a public examination, it is possible that there is a small audience, as anybody interested in attending can do so. The date is published on the Homepage.

Usually the main supervisor guides through the proceedings, i.e. they ask you to begin your presentation and afterwards get the discussion on the way, in the course of which the results of the dissertation should be defended against the theoretical, methodical and scientific background. Each member of the doctoral committee grades the defense with a grade from 1 to 5 by filling in and signing a grading protocol. The grade is given for the presentation and discussion; the dissertation itself is graded separately. The members of the committee do not necessarily have to agree on one grade.

please see Doctoral/PhD guide: Dissertation