Following the Science Council’s recommendation in the summer of 2022 that the right to award doctoral degrees be granted to the Doctoral College of the Universities of Applied Sciences (HAW) in North Rhine-Westphalia, the way was paved for this during a ceremonial event held in Essen on 17 November 2022.
“The NRW Doctoral College is a great success for the universities of applied sciences in North Rhine-Westphalia, and this sense of pride was also evident at the ceremony. Above all, however, it also became clear what a responsibility and opportunity we now have to enable young people – including those from challenging educational backgrounds – to pursue an academic career through a PhD. I am delighted that, with our International Graduate Academy (InGA) at HSRW, we are embarking on this path,” said Dr Oliver Locker-Grütjen, President of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences.
As an inter-university academic institution for the universities of applied sciences in North Rhine-Westphalia, the NRW Doctoral College will in future be able to conduct independent doctoral procedures and award doctoral degrees. Unlike in other federal states, this creates a central quality-assurance body and a programme of study for doctoral candidates that encompasses all universities of applied sciences.
Until now, doctoral degrees at universities of applied sciences in North Rhine-Westphalia were only possible in cooperation with a university. With the granting of doctoral rights to the NRW Doctoral College, it is now possible to complete a doctorate within the framework of the universities of applied sciences. This encompasses applied research in line with national and international standards, as well as fundamental research – which is particularly important in social work and the academised health professions. Ina Brandes, Minister for Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, emphasises: “Universities of applied sciences are a key cornerstone of North Rhine-Westphalia’s excellent academic landscape. They combine practice-oriented study programmes, innovative research and close cooperation with the regional business community. This makes them particularly attractive to young people who wish to combine theory and practice. The granting of the right to award doctorates to the doctoral college is a milestone for the further development of universities of applied sciences in North Rhine-Westphalia. It gives applied research a further boost and makes studying at a university of applied sciences even more attractive. “I congratulate the NRW Doctoral College on this success and look forward to the first independent doctoral theses,” says Brandes.
Background
On 8 July 2022, the Science Council presented the results of its review of the “Doctoral College for Applied Research at Universities of Applied Sciences in North Rhine-Westphalia”. A press release from the Ministry of Culture and Science states that the Science Council recommends that the state government “grant the Doctoral College the right to award doctorates for an initial trial period of seven years”. The Doctoral College was founded in December 2020 and, as the central organisational unit for universities of applied sciences in North Rhine-Westphalia, is intended to enable independent doctoral procedures and the awarding of doctoral degrees in future. Until now, doctoral degrees for students at these universities have only been possible in cooperation with a university. At the end of the trial period, the Science Council intends to carry out a further assessment.”
Further information and sources
Press release from the NRW Doctoral College dated 16 November 2022
