It is made possible through a contract of co-operation between the doctoral researcher, the PhD supervisors (one at each institution) and the respective institutions of higher education. Either a joint degree is awarded or a double degree. In each case, the joint responsibility of each of the partners is clearly mentioned on the official diploma.

Procedure

A. Check possibility

Contact the administration services of the partnering institution to make sure that joint PhD’s can be awarded there.

B. Supervisor

Make sure you have a supervisor at both institutions.

C. Approval

There are several steps to get your PhD research approved.

• Academic admission, approval of research plan and supervisor

All candidates need to complete an acceptance procedure in which academic aspects (equivalence of your degree, research proposal, language skills) will be evaluated.

After completion of that procedure, a letter of admission signed by the Registrar will be issued. The letter of admission is required for visa application (if applicable) and enrolment.

It is also possible that your funding institution requires proof that you are accepted as a doctoral student.

• Drawing up of joint degree contract

In the contract, be sure to mention:

• Names of both supervisors (including contact details)
• Partner institution (including contact details)
• Name of doctoral degree

Each contract is drawn up individually and signed by the candidate, the respective supervisors, the Dean of the faculty involved and the Vice-Chancellor of each participating university. It contains form of degree, authorship for publications and intellectual property, place of defence, tuition fees, and so forth.