Doctorate
This page is your first point of contact if you are interested in pursuing a Ph.D. at Prof. Dr. Schmoeckel’s department.
If you are interested, you can contact the office by phone or email to schedule an initial meeting.
During this meeting, you can discuss potential topics with Professor Schmoeckel.
Proposed topics are also welcome!
You can find an overview of the completed dissertations here.
The quarterly graduate school provides an opportunity for students to exchange ideas with one another.
Pathways to a Ph.D. - Prof. Dr. Mathias Schmoeckel
Are you interested in pursuing a Ph.D. and would like to work in the field of German legal history?
The following information is intended to help you get started:
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Requirements
First, clarify the legal requirements. You can obtain the current doctoral regulations for the law department from the faculty dean’s office, which will indicate whether you meet the requirements for the doctoral program. Generally, a degree with a grade of at least “satisfactory” is required. -
Duration
You should assume that it will take at least one year to complete your dissertation, even if you work intensively and efficiently. Realistically, however, you should expect it to take longer. Is the financial support for this phase of your life secured? Scholarships are usually only available to students with outstanding grades. -
Challenges
You must truly want to pursue a doctorate. Above all, you must have the energy to see the work through to the end. Even a dissertation that is almost finished is not a dissertation. Be aware that 80 out of 100 people do not complete their work! The work is too demanding to be started just on a trial basis. Every project has its dry spells, whether it’s because the literature is difficult to navigate or because challenges with the topic arise. In these situations, you must have the firm resolve to complete the work. -
Choosing a Topic
It’s important that you enjoy the work. A prerequisite for this is a topic that suits you. Of course, it is difficult for you to present me with a fully developed dissertation project. You should first consider which historical periods or subject areas interest you. During our first meeting, you should be able to name an area you would like to work on. In subsequent discussions, our goal will be to develop a well-balanced dissertation topic from this. This may require several meetings. -
Procedure
Lawyers pursuing a doctorate in legal history naturally find the historical research method challenging. It is therefore necessary for you to receive some guidance. If you have any uncertainties or questions, please contact the department; it would be a shame if you were to go down the wrong path for weeks on end. I would always like to know how far along you are with your work. After a certain period—suggested to be about three months—I expect a research report in which you present your dissertation proposal in at least 10 pages. Please include a bibliography and table of contents, and cite sources in the text in the standard academic manner. In this report, you provide an overview of your future dissertation: You explain the topic and research methods, outline the course of future investigations, and propose initial hypotheses. This draft is intended to help you establish the central thread of the work from beginning to end and to verify the coherence of the research process. For me, it is a signal that you truly wish to pursue the topic and thus represents the confirmation of our joint doctoral project.