The processing times and administrative procedures can generally be considered comparatively efficient. However, it should be noted that the process up to formal admission may still take several months.

Revising the exposé is generally possible. Even a direct rejection of an application for admission does not preclude a subsequent revision and improvement of the proposal. Nevertheless, after a direct rejection, it should be carefully considered whether and under which conditions the doctoral project is still likely to be successful.

The exposé must convince not only the supervisor but, in particular, the Doctoral Committee. The committee decides on the applicant’s admission as a doctoral candidate.

 A new application must be submitted in PROMAS within the new research unit.

The procedure for initiating the doctoral process is regulated in the Doctoral Regulations of the Baden-Württemberg HAW Doctoral Association. The relevant provisions can be found in § 8 “Initiation of the Doctoral Procedure.”

(§ 8 Eröffnung des Promotionsverfahrens, Rahmenpromotionsordnung Promotionsverband BW)

The time between submitting the exposé and receiving a decision may vary. It depends, among other things, on the number of applications submitted, whether the Doctoral Committee has any questions or concerns, and how frequently the respective Doctoral Committee meets. In general, the process takes approximately two to four months.

There is no formal maximum duration for completing a doctorate. Nevertheless, the completion period should remain within a reasonable timeframe, as the doctoral topic may lose its relevance if the process takes too long. The scientific relevance and topicality of the research topic should therefore be maintained throughout the entire doctoral process.

(§ 10 Dissertation & Begutachtung Abs. 1, Rahmenpromotionsordnung Promotionsverband BW)

An application for admission as a doctoral candidate is only possible if a primary supervisor has been designated. Therefore, the supervisor should already be the first point of contact before the exposé is submitted. Many doctoral candidates already know their supervisor from their master's studies and develop the exposé together. The exposé is usually submitted only once it has reached an appropriate academic and scientific standard.

In the event of a rejection, the feedback generally indicates the specific areas in which the Doctoral Committee considers improvements to be necessary.

The submission and acceptance of the exposé constitute the first formal step in the doctoral process. There is currently no binding time limit within the Doctoral Association for submitting the dissertation. In practice, the decisive factor is often not a fixed completion period but rather the duration of available funding or employment.