PhD BOKU University

The PhD BOKU University is a doctoral programme at a public university in Vienna. It leads to the academic degree Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated PhD, and runs over six semesters with 180 ECTS credits. The teaching language is English.

What you study

The programme exists to develop your ability to carry out independent scientific work and to train and promote young scientists in the fields of competence at BOKU. The core of the degree is the dissertation, which takes 162 of the 180 ECTS credits. The remaining at least 18 ECTS are doctoral courses, and one of them is compulsory: the 4 ECTS course "Principles and challenges of research in socio-economics, natural resources and life sciences".

The dissertation topic has to come from a scientific subject that BOKU represents through a university lecturer with a major authorisation to teach. So the subject you work on is tied to expertise that already exists at the institution.

How the programme is organised

After admission you must register your doctoral project with the Dean of Studies within one year. Before registration the project has to be presented to the university, for example in seminars at the institute or department, or on the website.

The registration itself includes several pieces:

• a synopsis approved by your supervisor, with the working title, a description of the dissertation content, and a time, work and resource plan
• a plan on the form and scope of the dissertation, drawn up by you together with your supervisor
• an Advisory Team of at least two people
• optionally one or two co-supervisors
• a proposal for courses, applied for in consultation with your supervisor

The page also sets out how to amend approved doctoral courses and how to register additional ones. A study programme coordinator and a curricular committee, chaired by a named academic, look after the programme, and a subject-specific study commission oversees curriculum development.

Who it suits

This is for people who want to do independent research and build an academic career in the fields BOKU covers. You need a subject-related diploma or Master's programme, or another course of study with an eligible related subject at an equivalent higher education level, completed at a recognised Austrian or foreign post-secondary institution. You must show at least 300 ECTS credits across one or more degree programmes. If you already know the research area you want to work in and can picture your project in a structured plan, the registration requirements will make sense to you.

Admission, language and next steps

Admission rests on the degree and credit requirements above. The teaching language is English. There is no central application portal: you apply directly to BOKU, and the institution's own page gives the application period. At a public university, EU/EEA and Swiss students pay no tuition within the standard duration plus two semesters; other students pay a fee per semester. Read the curriculum linked from the programme page for the binding rules, and check the page for how the doctoral project registration and course proposal are handled in practice.

The PhD BOKU University serves to further develop the ability to carry out independent scientific work as well as to train and promote young scientists in the fields of competence at BOKU.

There is no central application portal in Austria: you apply to the institution, here BOKU University. A public university sets the admission requirements and dates for this level, so read them on the programme page. Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, the student residence permit and housing.