Graduate School Sustainable and Intelligent Systems (NISys)

In the graduate school, doctorates in the following fields of application are possible:

• Energy and infrastructure systems
• Mobility
• Production and materials

The professors involved in the graduate school choose and assign the topics of doctoral theses according to their individual areas of expertise.

The following professors will be members of the graduate school (sorted by higher education institution and given in alphabetical order).

THWS:

• Prof. Dr. Ansgar Ackva
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Volker Bräutigam
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ansgar Brunn
• Prof. Dr. Frank Deinzer
• Prof. Dr. Kai Diethelm
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bastian Engelmann
• Prof. Dr. Jan Hansmann
• Prof. Dr. Jürgen Hartmann
• Prof. Dr. Tobias Kaupp
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Joachim Kempkes
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Pascal Meißner
• Prof. Dr. Nicholas Müller
• Prof. Dr. Stefanie Retka
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Fabian Scheller
• Prof. Dr. Andreas Schiffler
• Prof. Dr. Frank-Michael Schleif
• Prof. Dr. Jan Schmitt
• Prof. Dr. Martin Storath
• Prof. Dr. Mark Vetter
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Volker Willert
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Markus H. Zink

TH AB:

• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Konrad Doll
• Prof. Dr. Ralf Hellmann
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Mohammed Krini
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Mann
• Prof. Dr. Michael Möckel
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Simon Pauly
• Prof. Dr. Dr. Peter Gordon Rötzel
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Johannes Teigelkötter
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christiane Thielemann
• Prof. Dr. Galia Weidl
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Klaus Zindler

HS CO:

• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Philipp Epple
• Prof. Dr. Dieter Landes
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Rossner
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexandra Troi
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Weindl

The graduate school only awards the degree Doctor of Engineering, the German "Dr.-Ing.".

The requirements for admission to doctoral studies are set out in the doctoral regulations (see above).

Admission to a doctorate with only a Bachelor's degree, so-called fast-track, is currently not envisaged. There are also no plans for admission with a FH diploma.

There is no general answer to this question as various aspects must be taken into consideration:

• the doctoral degree regulations of the university you are currently enrolled at
• the regulations of the doctoral degree regulations of the graduate school
• the regulations of the guidelines on the type and scope of the qualification programme and the guidelines on publication-based dissertations (cumulative dissertations)
• the progress of your doctoral project
• disciplinary and inter-disciplinary achievements which can be accredited for the intended qualification programme of the graduate school

It must be assessed for the individual case whether changing the institution it is formally possible, also whether it entails disadvantages for you that could influence your decision (e.g., time delay, lacking access to resources or required networks, etc.).

Please note: The decision on the recognition of prior achievements within the framework of the qualification program is made by the doctoral committee on the basis of the complete application documents. The doctoral committee also decides on your admission to the graduate school.

Please contact us if simultaneous registration/matriculation/acceptance as a doctoral candidate at your university and at the graduate school is not possible according to the requirements of your previous university before you deregister there. (Contact by e-mail: promotionszentrum-nisys@thws.de)

Doctoral projects at the graduate school generally take three to five years from acceptance at the graduate school to completion of the examination procedure. Exceptions are provided for in the doctoral regulations (§ 22 PromO).

In the graduate school, all doctoral candidates are required to complete a mandatory qualification programme. It consists of a set number of mandatory elements and electives that must be completed in these four modules:

• Module 1: Interdisciplinary qualification across higher education institutions
  • Good scientific practice
  • Technology assessment, scientific ethics, key qualifications, career development, etc.
• Module 2: Specialist qualification in the fields of application of the graduate school
• Teaching tasks, progress report, feedback discussions
• Publications, supervision of theses, participation in lectures, Master's modules, etc.
• Module 3: Networking within and outside the graduate school
• Doctoral seminar/retreat, external conference
• Organization of events, networking with industry, etc.
• Module 4: Internationalisation
• International conferences or research stays, promotion of intercultural competence, language course

Further information on the qualification programme can be found in the "Guidelines on the type and scope of the qualification programme" (only available in Germen, see Downloads).

The financing of doctoral projects in the graduate school does not differ from the financing of other doctoral projects. Here are your options:

• Employment as research associate with one of the three higher education institutions involved. For this, please check the job postings of the higher education institutions or contact potential supervisors directly. In general, this employment is financed through third-party funding, which the professors apply for with the funding parties.
• Funding by a doctoral scholarship programme. Students or employees of THWS can find a compilation in the E-Learning course "Offers for prospective doctoral candidates and doctoral students". External prospective doctoral candidates may request the contents via e-mail to promotion[at]thws.de. The portal mystipendium.com also contains an extensive list of scholarships. The candidate is responsible for scholarship application.
• Extra-occupational doctorate (see next question)
• Financing by individual means (savings, family, ...)

Extra-occupational doctorates, i.e. completing the doctoral project alongside one’s principal occupation, are not excluded a priori. The professors involved in the graduate school may individually decide which topic is suitable for an extra-occupational doctorate. They shall also take into account that the doctoral candidate must be able to manage the time and financial requirements to complete the research topic, to participate in the evaluation procedure and to complete the qualification programme.

In such cases, the doctorate is considered a continued personal qualification. Employers’ openness towards their employees’ continued personal qualification varies. Some doctoral candidates might thus receive extensive support from their employer (e.g., exemptions for THWS courses and events). Temporary reduction of working hours can offer you more time to focus on your doctoral project.

This is why we cannot give a general recommendation on whether or not you should inform your employer about your plans. However, if contents of your work and your doctoral topic overlap, you are urged or even required to inform your employer if you intend to include your employer’s intellectual property in your research.

No, doctoral projects at the graduate school do not involve doctoral degree programmes. Hence no fees are to be paid.

Under "General information - which fields of expertise will be covered by the graduate school?" you can find a list of future members of the graduate school to select supervisors based on their areas of expertise.

Please select suitable professors and contact them directly. If you are interested in an information meeting, please get in touch with one of our contact persons.

Admission to the Graduate School is based on a written application. The necessary requirements and the documents to be submitted are specified in the doctoral regulations.

The application documents are not made available on this website, but can be obtained from the professors at the Graduate School once the supervision and topic have been agreed.

All documents should be submitted electronically by e-mail to promotionszentrum-nisys@thws.de. Notarized documents and the form for the main application must also be submitted by post/house mail in the original.

The postal address of the Graduate School is:
Würzburg-Schweinfurt University of Applied Sciences (THWS)
CAF - Doctoral Center NISys
Münzstraße 12
97070 Würzburg

The next deadline for submitting applications is 02.01.2025.

If you have any questions, please contact promotionszentrum-nisys[at]thsw.de.

If you want to complete your doctorate with the graduate school, we recommend the following procedure. You can already start with preparations. However, please note that you will only know the exact requirements for admission after issuance of the doctoral degree regulations.

• Clarification of fundamental questions (motivation, framework conditions, doctorates in the graduate school or cooperative doctorate), possibly in connection with initial consultation of a doctoral service center of the involved higher education institutions:
  • Students, employees, and alumni of Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences: Dr. Heike Bruhn
  • Students, employees, and alumni of Coburg University: Dr. Renate Lucke
  • Students, employees, and alumni of the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt: Dr. Simone Stork
  • All other: Dr. Simone Stork (Coordinator for the promotion of young scientists, THWS)
• Explore a topic and develop first ideas of a doctoral thesis topic
• Contact suitable professors of the graduate school and acquire them as supervisors/keep an eye on job postings at the same time (list of professorial members is available at “General information -Which fields of expertise will be covered by the graduate school?")
• Narrow down the doctoral thesis topic
• Write a thesis proposal (The doctoral degree regulations contain corresponding information)

• Enter into a supervision agreement
• Compile additionally required documents
• Submit the application for membership in the graduate school

With the launch of the graduate school, the professors involved in the application process with the Bavarian State Ministry for Science and the Arts become members of the graduate school.

Other interested professors of member institutions can apply for membership. The requirements will be laid down in the statutes of the graduate school.

The doctoral degree regulations will contain the criteria under which professorial members can supervise and review doctorates. Main and co-supervision are distinguished, the same applies to main and second evaluation.

The statutes and regulations will be announced after their adoption.

The professorial members of the graduate school are expected to not only engage in supervision of doctoral candidates and evaluation of doctoral theses but to also contribute to the self-administration of the graduate school and to participate in networking events. One of the main quality assurance components of the center is regular exchange among the members.