Doctoral degrees at TUM School of Medicine are taken seriously as an instrument to support the careers of early-career scientists. You can find the legal basis in the Bavarian Higher Education Act (Bayerisches Hochschulgesetz) and the TUM Regulations for the Award of Doctoral Degrees.
The new Regulations for the Award of Doctoral Degrees, in effect as of January 1, 2014, mandate that all doctoral candidates of TUM automatically become members of TUM Graduate School. Therefore, all doctoral degrees of TUM School of Medicine are administered through the School’s Graduate Center – the TUM Medical Graduate Center (MGC) – or through a Thematic Graduate Center like HELENA, IGSSE or GSISH (only possible for some degrees).
As a part of TUM Graduate School, the Medical Graduate Center supports doctoral candidates in their research work. The Medical Graduate Center protects the quality of the doctoral programs in cooperation with the supervisors and promotes scientific competences as well as transferable skills, which are becoming increasingly more important. Thus, doctoral candidates are well prepared for leadership positions in science and society.
TUM School of Medicine offers, via the Medical Graduate Center, four different doctoral programs: Doctoral program for Dr. med. or Dr. med. dent (new regulations, described below), PhD, Dr. med. sci. and Dr. rer. nat. The individual programs are described briefly below. You can find more information on the homepage of the Medical Graduate Center: www.mgc.med.tum.de
PhD program in Medical Life Science and Technology
TUM School of Medicine has been awarding the internationally recognized academic title Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) since the winter term 2006/2007. We offer a three-year graduate program that provides high-level scientific training for students with a background in medicine as well as for those with a background in natural and life sciences or engineering. The program consists primarily of an experimental scientific project that is performed in the laboratory of a faculty member in full-time. The practical work is complemented by interdisciplinary lectures, seminars and practical courses. About 50 research groups from various departments actively participate in our program. The projects cover a wide range of topics within and continuously expanding the boundaries of the program's main research areas: cardiovascular research, imaging, immunology and infection, neuroscience, oncology and molecular medicine. The goal of the program is to give our students a thorough scientific training and the tools to become successful and independent researchers.
Students are expected to focus on their research projects and course work. To allow them to be in the lab full-time for three years, all students receive funding which is provided through the program's scholarships and their advisors' labs.
Medical students of the Technische Universität München can be admitted well before obtaining their final medical degree. In an attempt to improve their clinical-scientific education, they will be able to alternately follow their regular medical studies and the training within the PhD program.
You may find more details on our webpage.
Dr. med. (dent.) sci.
TUM School of Medicine started the doctoral program in Translational Medicine in 2012 and thus created another sophisticated and attractive opportunity for medical students interested in research. The doctoral program includes one year of full-time lab work as well as two more years of supervised research on quality-tested subjects. Our students also receive scientific training and financial support.
Up to 30 students can be enrolled and funded every year in order to carry out their research projects within the doctoral program in Translational Medicine. According to the broad spectrum of research fields, our doctoral students can be involved in all areas of research both in experimental and in clinical projects. Please find more details about the program and its requirements on the webpage of the TUM Medical Graduate Center.
Dr. rer. nat.
The doctoral program in Experimental Medicine is a structured doctoral program for candidates in the natural sciences at the School of Medicine that awards the degree of Dr. rer. nat. The interdisciplinary mentoring by a physician and a natural scientist in cooperation with the School of Medicine and a natural science department of TUM is an outstanding benefit of this doctoral program compared to traditional doctoral education. The screening of doctoral candidates by an interdisciplinary committee guarantees the highest quality in the program.
Please find more details about the doctoral program Experimental Medicine here.
Dr. med. and Dr. med. dent.
TUM School of Medicine awards the doctoral degrees “Dr. med.” in human medicine and “Dr. med. dent.” in dentistry. Particularly, high value is placed on supporting careers of early-career scientists in medicine, especially by the integration in research and translation of the results into the clinical practice for the benefit of the patients. In the end, doctoral candidates prove their ability to carry out independent, in-depth scientific research with a written thesis (dissertation) and an oral examination.
Being a doctoral candidate for Dr. med. or Dr. med. dent. in connection with TUM Graduate School was not possible before January 1, 2014.This changed with the new Regulations for the Award of Doctoral Degrees as of January 1, 2014. From now on, medical doctorates will also be awarded within the context of TUM Graduate School, which brings all benefits of a structured doctoral program to the doctoral candidates.
Doctoral candidates who registered their doctoral project at the faculty before January 1, 2014 still fall under the regulations valid at the time of registration if the registration was complete and correct. The registration has to be verified by the confirmation with stamp and signature of the School’s Graduate Center office. All doctoral degrees registered as of January 1, 2014 fall under the new regulations.Switching to the old regulations is not possible.
You can find information and the process of the old regulations (registered until December 31, 2013) here.
Registering as a doctoral candidate according to the new regulations (since January 1, 2014) is only possible online. Please read the information on our website first: www.mgc.med.tum.de.