The doctoral thesis is an independent scientific work in a faculty-related discipline/subject that must comply with the relevant international scientific standards. The current state of research is subjected to a critical assessment and expanded by substantiated, new scientific findings. Doctoral students must demonstrate through their doctoral thesis that, in order to answer a far-reaching scientific question in a priority subject area, they can independently make a significant contribution in terms of scientific methodology.

Scientific standards and good practice

Plagiarism
Plagiarism guidelines apply at the TU. Detailed information can be found in the Handbook for Dealing with Plagiarism in Student Work at the TU Wien.

Research ethics
As a researcher, you are required to observe the principles of research ethics and scientific integrity during your research work. On the one hand, people, animals, the environment, and society should not be harmed. On the other hand, reliability, honesty, and respect are essential principles in science. The Responsible Research Practices at the TU Wien provides support to researchers for attaining standards.

The gender dimension in research
The Department of Gender Competence at the TU Wien recommends that your doctoral thesis should consider the gender dimension. The integration of a gender perspective in research and technology increases the quality and excellence of the outputs, the social added value of research, and its economic added value. We recommend the following Urban Planning & Design Checklist.

Information from the Dean’s Office and the Vice Dean’s Office on Doctoral Studies
An audiovisual recording of presentations by the Dean and Vice Dean on key aspects of doctoral studies can be found in this TUWEL course. Please enroll yourself in this TUWEL course as a doctoral candidate.

Faculty-Wide Semester-Wise Doctoral Colloquia

The Faculty-wide public colloquia, held each semester, provide active doctoral researchers with an opportunity to present and discuss their ongoing research projects. The colloquia serve both to make doctoral research visible across the Faculty and to foster exchange and networking among doctoral researchers and faculty members across all 29 research areas of the Faculty’s six institutes, representing both degree programmes.

The colloquium is organised as a two-day, on-site event. The first day is dedicated to gaining an overview of the research projects of doctoral researchers who are still at an early stage of their doctoral studies (within the first year following admission to the doctoral programme). This is facilitated through 10-minute poster presentations followed by moderated group discussions. The presentations are supported by advanced doctoral researchers, who participate as reviewers in the poster sessions of the Beginner-level participants. The day is complemented by various information sessions provided by the Dean of Studies, the Doctoral Center of TU Wien, the Faculty’s Research Schools, and other relevant units.

The second day is dedicated to the reviews of advanced doctoral researchers (within the second year following admission to the doctoral programme). In the presence of their respective review jury and fellow doctoral researchers, they present and discuss the current state of their research. Each review jury consists of three members: the doctoral researcher’s supervisor, a faculty member with relevant subject-matter expertise, and an external expert. Ideally, experts who may later serve as reviewers of the completed dissertation are already involved at this stage, allowing doctoral researchers to receive expert feedback at an early stage of their research process.

More information on the doctoral colloquium of the faculty can be found in this TUWEL course  which also provides an overview of all colloquia since 2018. Please enroll yourself in this TUWEL course as a doctoral candidate.

Participation in the doctoral colloquium is only possible with prior registration. Three months before the colloquium, all doctoral candidates, supervisors, and research areas are informed, and doctoral candidates are invited to register via the TUWEL course by submitting relevant documents. The organization of the semester-wise doctoral colloquia is managed by Lisa-Marie Kramer (lisa-marie.kramer@tuwien.ac.at) in coordination with the Dean’s Office and Vice Deans.

Annual progress reports

Doctoral students must submit an annual progress report of up to 3 pages to demonstrate focused work on their doctoral thesis and to document any changes to the research process. The progress report must be uploaded via TUWEL course.

Research community

Communicating the findings of one's own research at discipline-specific conferences, in working groups, and in publications plays an important role in scientific work. This facilitates raising awareness of research progress, exchanging ideas with colleagues in the specific scientific community, and building a scientific network. It is recommended to give presentations at academic conferences and participate in summer schools. In the following section, you will find some information on financial support provided by the TU Wien for participating in international conferences.

Two external reviewers to assess the doctoral thesis

The primary supervisor acts as the main point of contact for the doctoral candidate throughout the research process, offering guidance, feedback, and support. The actual evaluation and grading of the doctoral thesis are performed by two reviewers. Therefore, as the doctoral thesis progresses, it is important to identify potential qualified external academics who will ultimately assess the doctoral thesis.

They should be academics experts in the specific research area of the doctoral candidate. Both reviewers must hold an appointment as a professor ('Univ. Prof.') or have completed a postdoctoral thesis (Habilitation) ('Ao. Univ. Prof.', Associate Prof., or 'Priv. Doz.'). One reviewer must be affiliated with TU Wien, while the other may come from a different faculty at TU Wien, another university, or an external research institution. The doctoral student and the supervisor propose potential reviewers, who are then appointed by the dean.

Relevant documents

You will find the following documents and forms in the general download area: 

• Curriculum for Doctoral Degrees at the TU Wien 2022
• Handbook for Doctoral Degrees in Architecture and Planning 2020
• Instructions for Doctoral Candidates 2023
• Notification and agreement concerning doctoral thesis project
• Guidelines for courses to be completed (18 ECTS credits) (pdf)
• TU Wien Handbook for Dealing with Plagiarism (pdf)
• Application for nomination of an external examiner