PhD within the structured PhD programme at PK NRW
Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences is a member of the NRW Doctoral College (PK NRW). Through this doctoral college, you can pursue a PhD within a structured doctoral programme and obtain your doctoral degree under the university’s own doctoral regulations. The programmes offer close academic supervision, professional networking opportunities and supporting professional development courses.
Since 2022, the NRW Doctoral College (PK NRW) has held the authority to award doctorates for applied research in North Rhine-Westphalia. This enables doctoral candidates to pursue their doctoral studies within a structured doctoral programme. The research is conducted at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, whilst the doctoral degree is awarded by the NRW Doctoral College. Supervision is provided by a team of professors from the PK NRW.
Entry requirements:
Generally a Master’s degree or a comparable qualification in accordance with Section 67(4) of the Higher Education Act of North Rhine-Westphalia. The relevant department of the PK NRW decides on admission based on its doctoral regulations.
The path to a PhD in brief:
1. Find a supervisor: Contact a professor from the PK NRW (e.g. at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences) and agree on your doctoral project and the supervisory team. The professors and their research specialisms are listed on the departments’ websites under ‘Contributors’.
Once you have found a complete supervisory team, complete the supervision agreements with your supervisors. For the first subject supervisor, please use the mandatory template provided by the Department of which the person is a member; have this confirmed by the PK NRW. For the second and third supervisors, you may use the (non-binding) templates; a confirmation via email from the professor’s official address is also sufficient.
2. Application to the university: Once you have received confirmation of the supervision agreement from the PK NRW, apply for admission to the doctoral programme and complete enrolment at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences.
Documents to be submitted with the application:
- Application for admission to a doctoral programme
- Confirmed confirmation of supervision
- Proof of a Master’s degree or equivalent qualification in accordance with Section 67(4) of the Higher Education Act of North Rhine-Westphalia
- Proof of a valid identity card or passport
Please send the documents by email to the Student Services Department at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences (stu(at)
hsrw.eu ).If you obtained your entry qualifications outside Germany, please apply for the doctoral programme via uni-assist and upload the required documents there when applying.
3. Enrolment at the PK NRW: You must then apply for enrolment and admission as a doctoral candidate at the PK NRW within the specified deadlines (four weeks). Once you have been enrolled, you are required to re-register for the following semester at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences for the duration of your doctoral studies by paying the applicable semester fee.
Further information on enrolment, admission and the conduct and completion of the PhD can be found on the website of the NRW Doctoral College.
Joint PhD programme with a university authorised to award PhD degrees
Alternatively, you may opt for a joint PhD programme in collaboration with a university authorised to award doctoral degrees. In this case, you will be supervised jointly by lecturers from Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences and the partner university. This model combines the university’s practice-oriented research with the academic structure of a doctoral programme.
In addition to the PhD programme run by the NRW Doctoral College, Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences also offers the option of a joint PhD programme with a university authorised to award doctoral degrees.
In this case, doctoral candidates are jointly supervised by a professor from Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences and a professor from the university authorised to award doctorates. The doctoral degree is awarded by the university.
Entry requirements:
As a rule, a Master’s degree or a comparable qualification in accordance with Section 67(4) of the Higher Education Act of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Brief overview:
- Find a supervisor at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences.
- Secure university supervision and check the doctoral requirements of the respective university.
- Sign a supervision agreement and apply for admission to the cooperative doctoral programme at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences.
Documents to be submitted for the application to the cooperative doctoral programme at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences:
- Application for admission to a cooperative PhD programme
- Confirmation of supervision
- Proof of a Master’s degree or equivalent qualification in accordance with Section 67(4) of the Higher Education Act of North Rhine-Westphalia
- Certificate of enrolment from the university where the PhD is being undertaken
- Proof of a valid identity card or passport
Please send the documents by email to the Student Services Department at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences (stu(at)
If you obtained your entry requirements outside Germany, please apply for the doctoral programme via uni-assist and upload the required documents there when applying.
Confirmation of supervision for a cooperative doctoral programme
