Decision by the Common Graduation Commission of the Graduate School of Life Sciences from 2nd July 2015 (amended on 21st January 2016):

Theses based on several published manuscripts must be approved by the Common Graduation Commission of the GSLS before submission of the thesis at the GSLS office.

Therefore if you are considering writing your thesis based on several published manuscripts, it is essential that you firstly read the  necessary guidelines and documents (please see 'Additional forms for "Dissertation based on several published manuscripts").
Please note that, subsequent to the meeting of 21st January 2016, that changes to the paperwork have been made, and additional documents are now required. These, along with further information, can be found  here:

Secondly get in touch with  Dr. Gabriele Blum-Oehler before you start writing the thesis, so that you can be properly advised.  The Common Graduation Commission meets two - three times per semester so it is important for you to get in contact with us well in advance of when you plan to submit your thesis, so that you experience no unnecessary delays.

Before Thesis Submission:

1. Make sure that you have fulfilled the requirements of the study program 'Life Sciences' and complete the yellow study book.
2. At least 4 weeks before printing your thesis make an appointment with Katrin Lichosik at the GSLS, to discuss the thesis submission including all necessary documents, the thesis process and other formalities.
3. Check with your thesis committee. All members should be available for the doctorate procedure which takes 8-10 weeks from submission to defense. If they are unable to evaluate your thesis or to attend your defense, it might delay the conferral of your degree.
4. Check your thesis for compliance with the thesis regulations before you print.
5. Prepare and complete the documents and forms which are required at submission:
   
   • Application form for the Conferral of a Doctorate at the Graduate School of Life Sciences
   • Confirmation by the Thesis Committee
     OR
     Approval of "Dissertation Based on Several Published Manuscripts"
   • Declaration Library
   • If you have neither a valid working contract with the university nor are enrolled, then you need to contact your municipal administration (e.g. City Hall Würzburg) for them to issue a certificate of good conduct (Type "O")
   • Prepare photocopies of your completed yellow book and the accompanying certificates
6. Make an appointment with Katrin Lichosik for the submission of your thesis.

For theses written in English, we are currently able to offer a proof-reading service for GSLS doctoral researchers.  If you are interested in using this service, please contact Katrin Lichosik.  Due to the large size of thesis documents, we unfortunately cannot offer to proof-read the entire thesis, but are happy to help you with the text-heavy elements e.g. introduction, discussion and conclusions, abstract and acknowledgements.

We will discuss the estimated time we need to proof-read the thesis with you on an individual basis, but generally we will need between 10 - 14 days to get the corrections back to you.

After your submission, the thesis will be processed by the administration of the GSLS and sent for evaluation. During this time your should also complete and submit your Diploma Supplement Template. You should calculate approximately 8-10 week in total for the following steps:

• Submission process & sending your thesis to your supervisor: 1-3 days
• Evaluation of your thesis: 4-6 weeks
• In case of grade 'summa cum laude' - External evaluation: ~5 weeks
• Processing of the evaluations and grading: 3-5 days
• Mandatory electronic display within the GSLS: 2 weeks
• Announcement of defense: at least 7 days prior to defense taking place.
  Please send us the date, time and exact address of the room at least 7 days in advance.

Final arrangements for your defense should only be made once your thesis has entered the display phase. We can only confirm the details of your defense once your thesis has been accepted by the members of the GSLS at the end of the electronic display.

Right after your successful defense you will get your first certificate/Zeugnis. This is not the final doctoral certificate and it does NOT grant you the right to carry the title "Dr." or "PhD". It takes roughly two to three weeks for the university to prepare the embossed official certificate signed by the president, which will grant you the title.

Library

Once you have completed your defense, you need to submit five physical copies and one electronic copy of your thesis to the university library. Take your copy of the submission form (Laufzettel) to the central library (Hubland campus). You will also need to take along a completed Author Contract (Autorenvertrag) with you. Once all formalities there are complete, the library will then sign for the receipt of your thesis. 

Where possible, please upload the electronic version of your thesis to OPUS once your defense is over and before you go to the library.  You can do this from home and do not need to be logged into the university network to do this.  Please click on the 'publish' tab and follow the instructions on the screen.  Please note that this process DOES NOT publish your thesis - the thesis is only published once all necessary copies have been received at the library.

For doctoral theses which contain unpublished data or pending patent applications:
If this applies to your thesis, it is very important that you additionally submit an application for temporary non-publication of a dissertation.  Please submit this completed form with the five physical copies of your thesis and the author contract to the library.

Important: The GSLS needs the library signature to be able to hand out your doctoral certificate and diploma supplement.

There may be additional copies of your thesis remaining from the initially submitted 8 at the GSLS office. Please enquire once your defense is over, as you can use these additional copies for the library.

Congratulations! You have completed your doctoral studies. The Graduate School of Life Sciences wishes you all the best for your future career. Please keep in touch and join our Alumni network. We would be delighted to see you again some time in the future.

Final notes:

The entire procedure of the Conferral of a Doctorate takes approximately three months!

Please arrange an appointment at the GSLS office to discuss your thesis submission (advisable around 1 month before you intend to submit) and a further appointment to submit your doctoral thesis.