Doctorate

You will find information here on the possibility of completing a doctorate at the Albert-Ludwig-University. 

I. Doctorate at the Faculty of Law

Law graduates from foreign countries can gain the legal doctor degree (Dr. jur.). This academic title will be awarded by the Faculty of Law for exceptional scholarly achievement.

Requirements for a Doctorate at the Albert-Ludwig-University:
 

• Above average degree in legal studies in a foreign country, comparable and equivalent to German studies in law
• The ability, to work in a scholarly fashion, which has been proven, amongst others, by the successful completion of seminars (the successful and above average completion of a post-graduate master’s programme at Freiburg’s Faculty of Law is generally  considered proof of this)
• Acceptance for a doctorate under the supervision of a Professor of the Faculty of Law
• The work on the dissertation takes, generally, a number of years. Before commencing the doctorate, you should be certain that you can support yourself during this time. In addition to this, it should definitely be taken into consideration that the doctorate will be completed in German and, as a result, strong language skills are essential.

Admission as a Doctoral Student
 

It is common that it is not possible for a decision to be made on admission to a doctorate prior to the beginning of study in Freiburg. For this reason, admission can also be restricted to two semesters, a so-called “contact study” for preparations towards a prospective doctorate, which can be converted to admission for a doctorate if the abovementioned requirements for this are met. Therefore, the admission serves, in many cases, first of all as a method of establishing contact with the professors who could be suitable for the supervision of a doctoral thesis. A right to a doctorate does not always result from admission to contact study. Even before admission to contact study, advanced German language skills are required and, generally, as a requirement for enrolment, you have to take into account passing the "deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang ausländischer Studienbewerber (DSH)."

The doctorate regulations are here (in German only).

Further information on admission can be found at:
www.studium.uni-freiburg.de/studium-en/promotion-en and at 
www.jura.uni-freiburg.de/de/studium/promotion.

II. Further Questions

As soon as you have found a professor to supervise your doctorate, you will be able to discuss the most common arising questions and problems with him/her. In addition, the advisory service of the Abteilung Internationale Studierende (see contact details below) is available for your questions on the general requirements of admission. 

For all questions in relation to being admitted to a doctorate by the faculty, you can contact the Office of the Dean at the Faculty of Law. 
 

The Office of the Dean at the Faculty of Law

Ms Christine Burkart
Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
Rechtswissenschaftliche Fakultät
Platz der Alten Synagoge
79085 Freiburg 
Telefon: 0761/203-2145
Fax: 0761-3032137
www.jura.uni-freiburg.de/de/einrichtungen/dekanat

Abteilung Internationale Studierende

Albert-Ludwigs-Universität
Abteilung Internationale Studierende/
International Admissions and Services 
79085 Freiburg
www.studium.uni-freiburg.de/service_und_beratungsstellen/ias
www.studium.uni-freiburg.de/studienbewerbung-en/international-en