How to become a PhD Student?
We welcome highly motivated and ambitious researchers and graduate students to join us for a rewarding research adventure. Some of our teams already are quite international, which is an asset for the whole faculty. Do not hesitate to contact us - my colleagues will be happy to talk to you!
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Wilfried Mokwa, Former Dean of the Faculty
The usual way to obtain a PhD is the candidate's integration into the teaching and research activities of an institute or chair, thereby working on an individual research project under the supervision of the candidate's coach and mentor. Typically the candidate is contracted on a time-limited basis as a teaching and research assistant. She or he is offered various training possibilities at the RWTH Aachen University in order to be well prepared for further job-related tasks.
Please follow these steps:
- First of all you have to be accepted by a supervisor, i.e. a professor of our faculty who is willing to supervise your PhD-work. In order to achieve that please have a look at the webpages of our chairs where you can find more information about our professors and their research fields.
- Evaluate which institute matches your field of interest best and which professor could therefore act as your supervisor.
- Contact the respective professor. You will find all the necessary contact information on the websites of our chairs.
- Then fill in the "Antrag auf Zulassung zur Promotion" (application for admission) which you can find in Downloads. Once the application is filled you can start with your PhD.
- During your PhD you will be integrated into the research and academic activities of one of our institutes. You will perform research being responsible for an essential part of a larger research project; alternatively you will carry out your own research project. All this happens after agreement with and under the supervision of the supervisor as a mentor. Candidates can participate in a variety of additional courses to deepen their knowledge within their field of specialization and to widen the scope of soft skills as a preparation for future professional activities.
Please note the meeting dates of the faculty board for your planning.