Doctoral degree (Doktortitel, Titel)

Doctoral degree certificate (Doktorurkunde, Urkunde)

In Germany, doctoral degrees are conferred by the faculties of universities (such as the Faculty of Life Sciences), not by individual university institutes (such as the Institute of Psychology) or graduate schools such as ours. All doctoral candidates in our program, though they will receive their education and supervision (sometimes also their funding) through our school, will thus receive their doctorates and their doctoral documents from one of the faculties of one of the 7 participating universities (HU Berlin, TU Berlin, FU Berlin, Charité Medical Faculty Berlin as well as the universities of Potsdam, Magdeburg and Leipzig).

Doctoral candidates will be awarded the title typically conferred by the faculty in which they are enrolled, such as Charité Medical Faculty; Faculty of Life Sciences at Humboldt-Universität; Faculty of Philosophy at Humboldt-Universität; Faculty of Education and Psychology at Freie Universität, and others. Which faculty doctoral candidates choose for enrolment will typically depend on the affiliation of their main supervisors. The exact requirements for the doctorate and final examinations (e.g., a monography or a series of peer-reviewed publications; regulations regarding reviewers and doctoral committees; thesis defense; the requirements for receiving the degree-confirming Urkunde; duty to publish, etc.) depend on the regulations of the respective faculty. Doctoral candidates should talk to their supervisors, carefully read the webpages of the faculty where they are registered, and/or make appointments with the faculty's advisors for further information.

Examples for doctoral degrees: a biologist or a psychologist matriculated at Humboldt-Universität will be awarded a Doctor rerum naturalium (Dr. rer. nat.), a psychologist matriculated at Freie Universität will be granted a Doctor philosophiae (Dr. phil.). Psychologists or biologists enrolled in the Charité Medical Faculty will be awarded a Doctor rerum medicinalium (Dr. rer. medic.), or a PhD, and candidates with a Master's degree in medicine may be awarded a Doctor medicinae (Dr. med.). Doctoral candidates in philosophy or linguistics faculties will be awarded a Doctor philosophiae (Dr. phil.).

All doctoral degrees listed above are highly respected nationally and internationally. Doctoral candidates should discuss their degree options with their supervisors as soon as possible after starting the doctorate.

Generally, doctoral theses (as monographs or published papers) may be written and defended both in German or in English. However, candidates should find out whether they will have to make a special application to their faculty for an English-language thesis and defense.
 

Certificate, Transcript of Records and Diploma Supplement by the Berlin School of Mind and Brain (M&B)

As described above, the documents provided by M&B are not part of the official university doctoral paperwork and do not substitute the official university doctoral certificate (Urkunde). The M&B Certificate, Transcript of Records and Diploma Supplement document your time at M&B and pertain to the successful completion of the M&B education and training program.