The focus of the doctorate is the completion of a scientific doctoral project, which is supervised by a doctoral committee and which is accompanied and supported by an individual, project-oriented, structured doctoral study programme (usually of at least six semesters' duration) within a structured doctoral programme. The aim of the structured doctoral studies is to support doctoral candidates in carrying out their doctoral project and in preparing for an academic career within or outside the university.
The doctoral studies must meet certain minimum standards, which are laid down in the doctoral regulations. It is therefore indispensable to know the valid doctoral regulations! According to these, doctoral studies include participation in seminars, specialist conferences or events on key qualifications, as well as regular attendance of a scientific seminar covering more than one working group, participation in an event on good scientific practice covering more than one working group, co-supervision of undergraduate courses in degree programmes of the Department of Biology totalling at least 5 SWS, as well as annual meetings of the doctoral committee. All this forms the mandatory programme that every doctoral candidate must complete.  The details of the doctoral programme are regulated by the various structured doctoral programmes, which may stipulate additional requirements that go beyond the doctoral regulations. In addition to the doctoral regulations, the regulations of the respective structured programme in which the doctoral candidate is a member are also important!

On 3 October 2020, the regulations of the SP BioSciences were published, in which the details of the doctoral studies in this programme are regulated. For example, active attendance of a national or international conference is mandatory here in addition to the mandatory area of the doctoral regulations. This means that every candidate who is a member of the SP BioSciences must present the results of his/her doctoral project at a conference, e.g. as part of a summer school, in the form of a poster or a lecture (= active conference attendance).
In addition to this extended mandatory programme, the doctoral studies in our structured doctoral programme BioSciences include various elements from the areas of Scientific Competences and Professional Competences. These form the two parts of the elective programme, i.e. here every doctoral candidate must fulfil certain requirements, but in return can choose courses from a wide range that specifically suit them. These requirements are defined in the regulations of the SP BioSciences.