PhD @ University of Potsdam: Registration and Enrolment

PhD @ University of Potsdam: Registration and Enrolment

Most of the doctoral researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology are registered and enrolled at the University of Potsdam (UP). If you come here for a full doctorate, read on to learn more about the registration and enrolment process with UP.
If you come to our institute as a guest student, to do part of your research in one of our research groups, please go to "Guest Students: Enrolment @ UP".

Admission and enrolment procedure @ UP

If you come to the MPI-MP for your doctoral research and wish to obtain a doctoral degree (Dr. rer. nat.) from the University of Potsdam (UP) you need to register as doctoral candidate with the University. The registration and enrolment process has two steps:

Step 1: Admission /Acceptance as doctoral candidate by the UP Faculty of Science
This part is required. It involves completing an "Agreement for Supervision of a Doctoral Thesis" and submitting this document to the Doctoral Board of the UP Science Faculty. 

Step 2: Enrolment as doctoral student with the UP
This part is optional and happens after Step 1. To be enrolled as doctoral student has several benefits: you will have a student ID card and the "Semesterticket", which is a public transport ticket for Potsdam, Berlin, and surrounding areas. Moreover, it is advisable to be enrolled when you hand in your thesis. 

Good to know:

Both steps, 1 and 2, can be started after you have arrived at the MPI-MP. It is not required that they are completed before you can start your PhD research.

Step 1 (Admission /Acceptance) must be completed before Step 2 (Enrolment)

Step 1 (Admission /Acceptance) can be started throughout the year. Step 2 (Enrolment) must be completed in the first half of a given semester (deadlines: June 15 for the Summer Semester, January 15 for the Winter Semester).

 

Before you come to the MPI-MP for your doctorate

  • Contact Ina Talke for information about registration and enrolment procedures for doctoral candidates at the University of Potsdam.
  • Prepare certified hard-copies of your MSc and BSc certificates and transcripts (we advise you to prepare two sets of certified copies). The UP accepts degree documents in the following languages: German and English. If your documents are in a different language, you must bring certified translations. Note: the certified copies /certified translations should be hard-copy documents, i.e. “on paper” rather than digital.

 

More information @ UP websites

 

Semesters, semester fee and "Semesterticket"

There are two semesters per academic year in Germany, the Winter Semester (October 1st to March 31st) and the Summer Semester (April 1st to September 30th). 

The University of Potsdam charges a semester fee of approximately 300 EUR for immatriculation/enrolment. This fee includes some administrative charges and the so-called "Semesterticket" which entitles you to use public transport (regional, urban and underground trains, buses, tram) in Potsdam, Berlin, and surrounding areas. There are no further tuition fees for the doctoral programme at the MPI-MP or the University of Potsdam.

The first semester fee is due when you first enrol, and then before each new semester during the re-registration period (June 15 to July 15 for the Winter Semester, January 15 to February 15 for the Summer Semester).
More about Re-registration @ UP 

 

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