Below you will find information on the oral examination procedure and evaluation as well as the current disputation dates.

Information on procedure & evaluation

Preparation

As soon as the doctoral committee suggests at least a grade of "rite" for the dissertation, you and the two examiners designated by the committee will receive notification from the office of doctoral affairs that the examination can be prepared. The chair examiner will receive the record sheet for the examination.

After this notification, you will have one year to take the examination, otherwise the already accomplished written part of the work will be forfeited. (In justified cases, an extension may be requested from the doctoral committee).

Please contact the two examiners in time for a common date and place of the examination. Please inform the office of doctoral affairs of the place and time of the examination at least 4 weeks before the examination date so that the information can be published.

Current measures of the university to protect against the coronavirus (uni-heidelberg.de) as well as the resolutions of the hospital board and the task force are to be taken into account when conducting the oral examination.

Procedure & content of the examination

The oral examination is open to the public. (For important reasons, listeners can be excluded).

The examination is held in the form of a disputation and lasts max. 60 min. After the presentation about the doctoral project (max. 20 min) the questioning by the examiners takes place. The content of the examination is the dissertation as well as the basics of the related fields.

Grading of the oral examination

The entire examination is graded as "passed" or "failed". The examination is only passed if each examiner gives the grade "passed". In addition, the two examiners may each make a recommendation to the doctoral committee on the grading of the entire doctoral performance (in accordance with § 12). The examiners' deliberation and announcement of the results are not public.

If you do not appear at the appointed time, the examination is considered failed. In case of absence through no fault of your own (e.g. a case of illness), a new date will be set.

Grading of the entire doctoral performance

After the oral examination, the chairperson submits the examination protocol to the office of doctoral affairs.

If you do not pass the oral examination, you can repeat it once within 6 months. (In justified cases, an extension can be requested from the doctoral committee).

After a successful oral examination, the Doctoral Conference decides on the basis of the grade recomendation of the Doctoral Committee (§10 para. 1) after the display period of 2 weeks on the grading of the entire doctoral performance. (If a grade is proposed in the oral examination and it differs from the dissertation grade, the Doctoral Committee will make a recommendation on the grading of the entire doctoral performance at the next possible meeting after the oral examination.)

Oral Examination Dates

In accordance with § 11 of the doctoral regulations of the medical faculties of the University of Heidelberg for the attainment of the medical or dental doctorate (Dr. med. or Dr. med. dent.), the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg invites you to the following examinations:

Please change to the German page to see the examination dates.