Stages of Doctoral Studies

Doctoral studies at the Academy of fine Arts Vienna are roughly structured along four milestones:

1. Enrollment
2. Decision on the topic, the supervisor, and submitting the Dissertation/PhD Project Agreement
3. Alongside research writing the doctoral thesis
4. Submission of the dissertation/PhD project
5. Defensio (thesis defense) or rigorosum
6. Graduation

The file (download on the right side) illustrates the stages of the doctoral studies at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna from the very beginning to graduation. Each phase is explained in greater detail below. The processes described reflect the current curricula of our doctoral/PhD studies (Dr. phil., Dr. rer. nat, PhD in Practice, Dr.techn.). The stages of the doctoral studies differ in the different programs in some points, which is mentioned in the respective text passages. For detailed information, please also read your curriculum. Please also consider our FAQs, which provide you with information on many topics concerning the doctoral/PhD studies.

The Doctorate Handbook also provides information on doctoral and PhD studies at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.

Enrollment

You will need to pre-register online and enroll personally at the Registrar's Office. This is possible during fixed registration dates (usually September-October for the winter semester and February-March for the summer semester). Please find a list of the documents required under Admission to doctoral studies. Additionally, please note that for the individual programs different requirements are needed, which are addressed in this section of our FAQs and, in more detail, stated in the respective curricula.

Applicants who have not completed their diploma or Master's studies in Austria must submit proof of the equivalence of their international degree before admission. Please contact our Registrar's Office for further information and consider that the proof for equivalence takes two months.

Decision on the topic, the supervisor, and submitting the Dissertation/PhD Project Agreement

Either prior to or at the very beginning of your doctoral or PhD studies, you will be required to fix the topic of your thesis/project and your supervisor (and second supervisor if applicable), and to complete your exposé. 

PLEASE NOTE: Please use and check your official Academy email address, as all important information about your studies, events, support opportunities, and job vacancies will be sent to this address. Alternatively, you can set up email forwarding to another address.

Dissertation Agreement / PhD Project Agreement

Within your first year upon enrollment (Dr. rer. nat., PhD in Practice, Dr.techn.) or by the end of the second semester  (Dr. phil.), you are required to have your Dissertation Agreement (Dr. phil., Dr.rer.nat., Dr.techn.) or PhD Project Agreement (PhD in Practice) approved. These agreements are contracts between doctoral/PhD candidate and their supervisor(s), that include important information about your project (incl. abstract, exposé, work plan) and have to be submitted to the Registrar's Office ahead of time so the deadline can be met accordingly.

Before they can submit their Dissertation Agreement, Doctor of Philosophy students (curriculum 2025) have to present their exposé to an academic advisory board in the framework of one of our public short presentation dates. Please check your Academy email for reminders and information on the submission process and deadlines for submitting the exposé, as well as the next presentation dates. Short presentation dates are offered each semester and can be found here. The submission of your exposé is organized via the calls platform. Please consult with your planned supervisors before you submit your exposé.

It is possible for students of all doctoral and PhD programs at the Academy to request a deadline extension for the submission of the Dissertation Agreement under certain conditions. For this purpose, please find the respective info sheet for your study program in this section. Dr.techn. students please consult their supervisor for information in this matter.

You will be notified of the authorization of your Dissertation or PhD Project Agreement via email to your Academy email account.

Once your Dissertation Agreement or PhD Project Agreement has been authorized, you are eligible to apply for the grants offered by the Center for Doctoral Studies.

Entry of abstract and short biography into the Academy Online system

After receiving your Dissertation Agreement, the Registrar's Office will enter the data of your doctoral thesis into the Academy Online System. You can see your thesis data in your Academy Online account one to two weeks after submitting your Dissertation Agreement. From then on, you will be able to enter and adjust all required texts (abstract, short biography, and full-text version of your thesis) yourself. Please provide your abstract in German and English; your profile in Academy Online (a short biography) must be either German or English.

Please note: Before submitting their thesis, doctoral candidates can make changes to any of the data that has been fed into our online system in Academy Online.

Alongside research and writing the doctoral thesis

In addition to conducting research, writing your doctoral or PhD thesis, and attending relevant courses, you are encouraged to develop further skills and competencies, for example by participating in workshops and training events. Information on workshops and events specifically designed for doctoral candidates and organized by the Center for Doctoral Studies can be found here.

Exchanging ideas and networking with fellow PhD and doctoral candidates—for example through conferences, lectures, and other academic events—can be highly beneficial. The Department Art | Research | Support and the Center for Doctoral Studies regularly distribute newsletters with information on such opportunities. Therefore, please make sure to check your Academy email account regularly.

Submitting the doctoral thesis

After completing your doctoral thesis, you are required to add a title page and an abstract in both German and English as well as a short biography. Please find a template for your title page here.

As soon as you have completed your doctoral thesis, you can submit it electronically. For this purpose, please log onto the Academy Online system and upload a PDF of your thesis. Please note that after submitting the PDF, you are not permitted to make any changes to your thesis! The bound copies must correspond exactly to the submitted PDF. This is why you are not allowed to correct any typos afterward.

After uploading your thesis, you and your supervisor(s) will receive notification that your thesis can now be assessed and graded.

The PDF version of the dissertation uploaded to AkademieOnline will be subjected to a plagiarism check. The resulting report will later be forwarded to the appraisers for evaluation. 

After uploading your thesis, you are required to submit the following documents to the Registrar's Office:

• Two bound copies of your doctoral thesis (hard or soft cover but no spiral binding)
• "Declaration on Oath" form (to be found here)
• Approbation form (to be found here)

Preparation of the approbation form (Dr.phil. and PhD in Practice)

Together with your supervisor(s) you have to prepare a list of three potential external appraisers, who you have to indicate within the form (to be found here). One of them will then be chosen to provide the second evaluation. Beforehand, please ensure that each of the external appraisers listed in the mentioned form is willing to provide such an evaluation and attend your thesis defense in Vienna or online. You also can discuss with your supervisor(s) who might be eligible as an external appraiser. Generally, appraisers have to be professors or members of faculty of the Academy or another university who are officially qualified to supervise dissertations (venia docendi); they need to be experts in the respective field of your doctoral thesis, and have not been involved in your supervision. The Registrar's Office verifies the formal qualifications. According to a strict order they send requests to the potential appraisers. Please note that this process might take a while. The final selection of the external appraiser is discussed by the CuKo (Curriculum Committee) board and made by the Vice-Rector for Art | Teaching. CuKo board meeting dates are listed right under the rigorosum/defense dates for your study year, see here. Find additional information in this sections of our FAQs.

Please be aware that potential appraisers need to have the so-called “venia,” which is stated by law (UG). Normally, this means a habilitation and/or a professorship; lecturers from UK or Scandinavia need to prove that they have already successfully supervised PhD candidates.  Please note that verifying the “venia” may extend the submission process.

Appraisal and assessment

Two appraisals are required for the assessment of your thesis: an appraisal by your supervisor (should you have two supervisors, they will submit a joint appraisal) plus an appraisal by an external appraiser who has not been involved in the supervision of your thesis.

Different to the PhD in Practice, the Doctor of Philosophy, the Doctor of Natural Sciences, and the Doctor of Technical Sciences (Architecture) in the curriculum 2026 (U26), the viva voce examination at the end of the Doctor of Technical Sciences (Architecture) in the curriculum 2011 (U11) is not called "Defensio" but "Rigorosum", and includes an examination of a further sub-area that is meaningfully related to this subject of your dissertation thesis.

The supervisor and the external/second appraiser will receive the thesis paper from the Registrar's Office as a PDF. With it, they will also receive the report of the plagiarism check. Please note that the appraisers have a maximum of four months to assess and evaluate. To ensure that you can keep your preferred Defensio or Rigorosum date, you should submit your thesis at least six months before the scheduled day. The final grade of the thesis is the mean value of the two grades given by the respective appraisers/supervisors.

You will be notified via email as soon as both appraisals have been submitted to the Registrar's Office. You can register for your Thesis Defense or your Rigorosum during the next registration dates.

Please find additional information in this sections of our FAQs.

Registration for the Defensio / Rigorosum

The Defensio (Dr.phil., Dr.rer.nat., PhD-in-Practice, Dr.techn. curriculum 2026 (U26))  is an oral and public presentation and defense of your thesis before an examination panel (“Prüfungssenat”).

The Rigorosum (Dr.techn.) curriculum 2011 (U11) is a comprehensive oral examination on the area of the scientific subject to which the dissertation topic is assigned, as well as on a further area which is meaningfully related to this subject. It is a public event.

You are allowed to register for the defensio or Rigorosum as soon as you have

1. successfully completed all the courses required by the curriculum and
2. both appraisals have been submitted, with a positive final grade for your thesis.

After having received both appraisals you can register for the defense or rigorosum. Consult with to your supervisor about the date and the examination panel of the defense or rigorosum, which must be approved by the Curricular Committee. Please fill in the form to apply for admission to your defensio or rigorosum (to be found here) and submit it to the Registrar's Office.

Before submitting these two forms, please confirm the desired date of your thesis defense or rigorosum with all examination panel members and your institute. Note that the institute is responsible for the venue (room) on site or online (Zoom link). Please contact the relevant institute manager.

Announcement of your Defensio or Rigorosum

The examination panel and date of your defense or rigorosum must be approved by the Vice-Rector for Art | Teaching.

The defense or rigorosum must be held publicly according to the law and therefore be announced in advance. The Center for Doctoral Studies will announce your defense or rigorosum on the Academy's website, in the Academy's newsletter, and in case of the PhD-in-Practice via SAR Announcement.

For the announcement, please send the following documents/information in German and English to the Center for Doctoral Studies (doktoratszentrum@akbild.ac.at):

• title of your dissertation thesis or PhD project
• abstract of your dissertation thesis or PhD project
• short biography
• optional: 1 image, incl. copyright information and description of the image

Graduation

After successfully completing your defense or rigorosum, you have completed your doctoral studies. Congratulations!

As soon as your final certificate is ready, you will receive an email from the Registrar’s Office. Please read this email carefully, as you will be required to provide statistical information and obtain confirmation from the library.

Once these requirements have been fulfilled, you may pick up your certificate. If you wish to participate in the degree award ceremony held at the Academy at the end of June, please notify the Registrar’s Office accordingly.