Right to Award Doctorates for Selected Universities of Applied Sciences

4.10.2023 | DIT press office

On Friday, 29 September, Bavaria’s Minister of Science and the Arts Markus Blume granted the right to award doctorates for the first time to eleven topic-specific doctoral centres at universities of applied sciences and university cooperations. Among these institutions is Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT). Along with the Augsburg Technical University of Applied Sciences and the Landshut University of Applied Sciences, Deggendorf Institute had applied for a doctoral centre focused on “Digital Technologies and their Application (DigiTech)”.

“Our universities of applied sciences and institutes of technology have established themselves as excellent research institutions. Therefore, it is only logical that they should now be granted the right to award doctorates,” says Minister of State Markus Blume, explaining the reason for extending the privilege to award doctorates. Up until now, aspiring academics and scientists were only able to obtain a doctorate at traditional universities. At Deggendorf Institute of Technology, DIT President Prof. Dr Peter Sperber, Vice-President Prof. Waldemar Berg and everyone involved in the project are overjoyed by the approval of the doctoral centre, expressing that is a tremendous honour, a testament to the academic excellence, and a proud achievement for DIT. “Having the autonomy to award doctorates is a great opportunity for all of us,” Dr. Kristin Seffer and Prof. Dr. Roland Zink, the management team of the DIT doctoral centre, confirm. DIT is very appealing to young academics, both at home and abroad, they add, and the university stands out for its high level of applicability.

The technology campuses offer top-notch research opportunities with direct practical relevance. Transfer to business and industry is a standard practice. The DIT’s new authority to award doctorates enhances its appeal, Seffer and Zink find. For the approved doctoral centre, participating professors must demonstrate and prove outstanding research activities. “We are incredibly proud to provide twelve professors from DIT alone for this subject area at the doctoral centre. This demonstrates our strong research capabilities,” Seffer and Zink say enthusiastically. Along with the DIT Vice President for Research, Prof. Dr. Andreas Grzemba, and in close coordination with colleagues from the cooperating universities, they have developed the concept and application for the doctoral centre “Digital Technologies and their Application (DigiTech)” - with success.

Bild (DIT): Campaigning for the doctoral centre at DIT with Vice-President Prof. Dr. Andreas Grzemba: Dr. Kristin Seffer and Prof. Dr. Roland Zink.