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Dissertations

• National Diet Library (NDL) = 国立国会図書館学位論文 As of December 2019, includes 204, 760 dissertations. Among the dissertations received by the NDL between 1991-2000, the NDL digitized the ones whose author granted the permission. Also contains the doctoral dissertations in digital format for which degrees were conferred in or after April 2013. Also refer to 「国内博士論文」調べ方案内 in the NDL's Research Navi for further details about using the database and more. Updated: 12/5/2019
• CiNii Dissertations Can search all dissertations granted by Japanese academic institutions including those open through institutional repositories and those held by the National Diet Library. more... less... Quick guide is available from: https://support.nii.ac.jp/sites/default/files/cinii/ciniidissertations_quickguide.pdf
• Doctoral Dissertation Database of Women's Studies, Gender Studies = WS/GS学位論文データベース Updated: 12/5/2019
• Japan and Korea : an annotated bibliography of doctoral dissertations in Western languages by Frank J. Shulman (Editor) Several copies available via offsite for 1877-1969 volume and 1969-1979 volume. Ebook version is also available for 1877-1969. Updated: 6/28/2022

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CiNii Dissertations - About CiNii Dissertations

About cinii dissertations.

CiNii Dissertations is a database service that lets you search for information on dissertations written for doctoral degrees in Japan conferred by Japanese Universities and the National Institute for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education. The search function uniformly covers dissertations made available in repositories of universities and other academic institutions in Japan as well as those archived in the National Diet Library. Anyone can use the service without needing to register. For details on use of the service, see CiNii Dissertations Help.

Features of CiNii Dissertations

• Users can search from one place for approximately 600,000 dissertations in Japan.
• If the full text of the paper has been digitally archived and made available, links are provided for viewing the text.
• Various web APIs (application program interfaces) are supported, enabling access from other web services or systems.

How CiNii Dissertations data is prepared

CiNii Dissertations collects dissertation data from the databases listed below. Database integration is performed as an ongoing process.

• Doctoral Dissertations

About doctoral dissertations

There are two types of doctoral dissertations:

• Course-based dissertations: doctoral dissertations to be submitted while enrolled in a doctoral program
• Dissertation-based dissertations: doctoral dissertations submitted for a degree without being enrolled in a doctoral program

Some doctoral dissertations are available in full text online. In principle, Full text of Japanese doctoral dissertations submitted in 2013 academic year or later is published online.

Doctoral dissertations at UTokyo (after 1957)

Doctoral dissertations (bound dissertations) submitted up to the 2012 are held by the University of Tokyo and the Kansai-kan of the National Diet Library. The holdings of doctoral dissertations submitted in 2013 or later depend on the graduate school, as the full text of the doctoral dissertations are in principle available at the UTokyo Repository.

How to search

*Please check here for how to find doctoral dissertations submitted to the University of Tokyo before 1949. *Please check here for how to find master’s theses submitted to the University of Tokyo.

• Some doctoral dissertations have abstracts, but not the full text.
• In addition to author name and title, you can search by degree name and dissertation number.
• Full text of the doctoral dissertations submitted after 2013 is in principle available at the UTokyo Repository. (It takes a certain period of time from the submission of a doctoral dissertation to its publication.)

Doctoral dissertations in the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences (agriculture, veterinary medical science)

University Library for Agricultural and Life Sciences holds the following doctoral dissertations:

• Course-based dissertations: from 1958 academic year to present (partially missing)
• Dissertation-based dissertations: from 1961 academic year to present

Application

Please apply for use by providing the following information at the service desk:

• Author name
• Dissertation number (It can be found in Doctoral Dissertation Database, UTokyo Repository, and author name card catalog in the library.)

Notes on use

• Application: Weekdays 9:00-12:00, 13:00-16:30 Browsing: Weekdays 9:00-17:00 　　
• Doctoral dissertations are in-library use only. 　　
• As a rule, no more than half of the text may be photocopied. To copy the full text, please obtain the permission of the author. (Some doctoral dissertations can be copied in their entirety because the author’s permission has been obtained in advance.)

Doctoral dissertations outside of the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences

Course-based dissertations are held in the libraries of each graduate school, and dissertation-based dissertations are held in the General Library. (Some dissertation-based dissertations are held in the libraries of each graduate school.)

For detailed information on holding libraries, coverage, and conditions of use, please check the Doctoral Dissertation Database “ Dissertation Holdings and Usage Guide ” (in Japanese).

*Kansai-kan of the National Diet Library holds many of the doctoral dissertations after September 1923. If the University of Tokyo does not hold them, please use them there.

Doctoral dissertations of other universities in Japan

You can search the following databases for doctoral dissertations in Japan:

Using doctoral dissertations

Doctoral dissertations are available only in the library. You can read them at the library that holds them or request copies.

• Browsing: You can request and browse a doctoral dissertation at the Tokyo Main Library of the National Diet Library. User registration is required to request materials. For details, please refer to “ User Registration “.
• Photocopying: In principle, you can photocopy up to half of the doctoral dissertation. To copy the full text, permission of the copyright holder is required. Please request a photocopy through MyOPAC or use the “ Photoduplication Service ” of the National Diet Library.
• Browsing: Please check the conditions of use on the website of each university library. If you are unclear about the conditions of use, please ask Agr. Library.
• Photocopying: In principle, you can photocopy up to half of the doctoral dissertation. To copy the full text, permission of the copyright holder is required. Please request a photocopy through MyOPAC.

Doctoral dissertations from overseas universities

*holding of master’s thesis.

Unlike doctoral dissertations, master’s theses are not required to be made public or sent to the National Diet Library. The holdings of master’s theses vary among degree-granting universities, so please check the website of each university library.

University Library of Agricultural and Life Sciences does not hold master’s theses. Please contact each laboratory. For holdings of other graduate schools, please check the Doctoral Dissertation Database “ Dissertation Holdings and Usage Guide ” (in Japanese).

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Japanese version of this guide

Generally speaking a thesis/ dissertation is a document based on original research, submitted in order to obtain an academic degree. It depends on the country and academic situation which phrase is used for the document.  So in this section, they are distinguished in writing: Doctoral Dissertation, Master's Thesis and Bachelor's Thesis.

Doctoral Dissertation

Waseda University Library holds doctoral dissertations of Curriculum Doctorate and Dissertation Doctor, awarded by Waseda University in old and new doctoral system. As of April 2017, the library holds doctoral dissertations which submitted from 1924 to September 2016, whose diploma numbers are up to 7371. Japanese doctoral dissertations after April 1st, 2013 are supposed to be published on the internet as a general rule.

A part of doctoral dissertations are not registered in WINE. 

Doctoral Dissertations which are not registered in WINE *Written in Japanese

Master's thesis.

Access policies for master's theses depends on the graduate school. The Library does not issue a letter of introduction or permission to use.

Find Masters Theses (Waseda)

Bachelor's thesis.

Waseda University Library does not hold bachelor's thesis of undergraduate. Please ask at the reference desk on the 2nd floor of the Central Library about searching for materials to write your bachelor's thesis.

How to search Doctoral Dissertations

Choose  Advanced  Search mode on WINE, then select   Limited Search , and   Waseda Dissertation   on Search Profile. So you can specify your search results to doctoral dissertations submitted to Waseda University.  Besides, you can narrow down them by adding a name of degree, a year of conferral, and so on as a search term.

*The name of degree has changed since the middle of 1991 as below. So if you search doctoral dissertations of "法学博士", please input only "法学" as a  search term  to include both names of degree.

Example) Before 1991 "法学博士" → After 1991 "博士（法学）"

How to browse Doctoral Dissertations

Browsing doctoral dissertations published online.

• You can read all pages of doctoral dissertations after April 2002, only with permissions of authors  on the  internet ( Waseda University Repository ).
• Due to the revision of Degree Regulations, in principle, all pages of doctoral dissertations are available on the internet (Waseda University Repository) from April 2013.
• Doctoral dissertations which are not available in Waseda University Repository can be read as electric files in the Microforms / Photographic Services Room on the 4th Floor of Central Library (A part of them are held only in print forms at the Honjo Deposit Library).
• National Diet Library Degital Collection : Some doctoral dissertations in Japan which are sent to National Diet Library between April 1991 and March 2001 are digitized and open to the public  on the  WEB.

Browsing print forms of Doctoral Dissertations

Original doctoral dissertations prior to 2012.

All original doctoral dissertations of Waseda prior to 2012 are held at the Honjo Deposit Library. If you would like to browse these, please apply by the following way. Please note that it may take a couple of days to arrive generally.

How to order from the Honjo Deposit Library

Users who have Waseda ID: After login to MyWaseda, use the "Library Application Form" of "Research* tag" and read the notes carefully before applying.

*"Tasks tag" in the case of staff 

Other users: Consult at the reference desk of Central Library or the counters of Campus Libraries.

Doctoral Dissertations submitted to the Graduate School of Human Sciences

And graduate school of sports sciences.

Doctoral dissertations submitted to the Graduate School of Human Sciences and Graduate School of Sports Sciences are also held at the Tokorozawa Library.

Doctoral Dissertations submitted to the Graduate School of Education

Doctoral dissertations submitted to the Graduate School of Education are also held at the School Library of School of Education.

Abstracts of Doctoral Dissertations

Abstracts of doctoral dissertations had been published from 1989 to 2001. They are located in the reference book area (R091) in the 2nd floor of Central Library, and also in each Campus Library.

Making a photocopy of Doctoral Dissertations

Users are allowed to make a photocopy of doctoral dissertations within copyright laws. Users need to have a permission of the author to take a whole copy of a doctoral dissertation. Generally, we do not contact the author, so users have to contact directly by themselves. Each individual will be assumed a full responsibility for the copyright matter on photocopying.

Matters to be attended for accessing doctoral dissertations in online format

• Copyright of the dissertations which are open to public in Waseda University's websites belongs to the authors, and they are protected with copyright law s and international treaties.
• Users can download or printout the contents for a purpose of his/her research within a limited scope.
• Users cannot take actions which are deemed as copyright infringement such as making a whole copy of a work, transferring or revising the contents without the permission of the authors.
• If a person acts against these matters and causes damage or loss to the copyright holder or the university, we may take a strict action to the person such as requesting a compensation for the damage.

You can not check out Doctoral Dissertation

Please use them only in the library.

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Ph.D. in Japanese Literature and Culture

The Ph.D. program is designed to prepare students for a doctoral degree in Japanese literature and culture.

Students should consult the most up-to-date version of the degree plan on the  Stanford Bulletin  as well as the  EALC Graduate Handbook . Each student should meet with their faculty advisor at least once per quarter to discuss the degree requirements and their progress.

Admission to Candidacy

Candidacy is the most important University milestone on the way to the Ph.D. degree. Admission to candidacy rests both on the fulfillment of department requirements and on an assessment by department faculty that the student has the potential to successfully complete the Ph.D.

Following University policy ( GAP 4.6.1 ), students are expected to complete the candidacy requirements by Spring Quarter of the second year of graduate study.

Pre-Candidacy Requirements

Demonstrate proficiency in modern and classical Japanese by completing the following courses or demonstrating equivalent linguistic attainment by passing the appropriate certifying examinations.

• JAPANLNG 213 - Fourth-Year Japanese, Third Quarter (2-4 units)
• JAPAN 264 - Introduction to Premodern Japanese (3-5 units)
• JAPAN 265 - Readings in Premodern Japanese (2-5 units)
• EALC 201 - Proseminar in East Asian Humanities I: Skills and Methodologies (3 units)
• EALC 202 - Proseminar in East Asian Humanities II: Current Scholarship (1 unit)

Complete eight advisor-approved courses numbered above 200 from among the offerings of the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. At least four of these eight courses must be advanced seminars numbered above 300. At least one of these eight courses must deal with Japanese linguistics. For students focusing on modern literature, at least two of these eight courses must deal with premodern material. For students focusing on premodern literature, at least two of the eight courses must deal with modern material.

Complete two upper-division or graduate-level courses in two supporting fields for a total of four courses outside of Japanese literature or linguistics. Supporting fields, to be determined in consultation with the student’s primary advisor, may include Japanese anthropology, art, art history, history, philosophy, political science, religious studies, Chinese literature, Korean literature, comparative literature, etc.

All Doctoral students must complete an MA qualifying paper. An MA thesis is accepted instead of a qualifying paper for students initially admitted as EALC MA students. Students seeking an MA en route to the PhD must secure approval from the primary advisor and submit an MA thesis.

A graded MA qualifying paper or thesis must be submitted to the DGS and SSO with an accompanying note from the student’s primary advisor by week five of spring quarter of the second year of study for the annual review and candidacy decision.

During the quarter when students complete the MA qualifying paper or thesis (25-30 pages), they must enroll in  EALC 299 .

Teaching Requirement

• DLCL 301 - The Learning and Teaching of Second Languages (3 units)

Demonstrate pedagogical proficiency by serving as a teaching assistant for at least three quarters, starting no later than autumn quarter of the third year of graduate study. The department may approve exceptions to the timing of the language teaching requirement.

Post-Candidacy Requirements

Demonstrate proficiency in at least one supporting language to be chosen in consultation with the primary advisor according to the candidate’s specific research goals. Students concentrating on classical Japanese literature usually are expected to fulfill the supporting language requirement by completing  kanbun , JAPAN 265 - Readings in Premodern Japanese (2-5 units). For the supporting language, students must be proficient at the second-year level, at the minimum; a higher level of proficiency may be required depending on the advisor’s recommendation. Reading proficiency must be certified through a written examination or an appropriate amount of coursework to be determined on a case-by-case basis. When deemed necessary by the student’s advisor(s), working knowledge of an additional supporting language may also be required.

Pass a comprehensive qualifying examination that tests the candidate’s breadth and depth in the primary field of research and methodological competence in the relevant discipline before advancing to Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) status.

Students should submit a dissertation prospectus before advancing to Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) status. The prospectus should comprehensively describe the dissertation project and include sections on the project rationale, key research questions, contribution to the dissertation’s field, literature review, chapter-by-chapter description, a projected timeline, and bibliography.

Pass the University Oral Examination (dissertation defense). General regulations governing the oral examination are found in Graduate Academic Policies and Procedures ( GAP 4.7.1 ). The candidate is examined on questions related to the dissertation after acceptable parts have been completed in draft form.

Following university policy ( GAP 4.8.1 ), submit a dissertation demonstrating the ability to undertake original research based on primary and secondary materials in Japanese.

Japanese Literature and Culture Ph.D. students must complete a Qualifying Paper by week 5 of spring quarter of the second year as part of the Candidacy evaluation process. The Qualifying Paper should be 25-30 pages in length not including bibliography and must demonstrate the ability to develop and carry out an original research project using primary and secondary materials in Japanese. The Qualifying Paper can be an extension of a seminar paper, but its topic should be discussed with the student’s primary advisor prior to writing.

The Dissertation Prospectus Defense constitutes the first step toward faculty approval for the student’s proposed dissertation project and should be completed before the student begins to apply for external funding to conduct doctoral research in Japan – typically by Spring quarter of the third year, but sometimes in Spring or Summer quarter of the second year if the student’s research agenda is already well defined by that time. The defense is a two-hour oral exam conducted by the student’s dissertation reading committee (minimum of three faculty members, including the primary advisor). The prospectus, 12-15 pages not including bibliography, must be submitted to committee members at least two weeks prior to the defense.

The Comprehensive Exam is a two-hour oral exam on Japanese literature with three examiners. The reading list (maximum 150 titles) must be approved by them at least one quarter in advance. The list must include primary texts in Japanese literature as well as core texts in methodology; students may also add a subfield and a fourth examiner if deemed necessary by their primary advisor for their research and credentialing. To pass the exam students must demonstrate competency in literary history and critical issues for the field of Japanese literary studies, selected methodologies, and key issues in any subfield. The Comprehensive Exam must be completed by the end of the fourth year.

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Japanese Ph.D. Dissertations

Ying Zhang (Professor Mari Noda) 2022 Going Beyond Words: 'Request' Activities in Constructing Japanese Workplace Personae

Lindsey Stirek  (Professor Naomi Fukumori) 2022 Manga Afterlives of  Ogura hyakunin isshu : The Case of  Chihayafuru .

John Bundschuh (Professor Charles Quinn) 2021 Tense, Aspect, and Modality in the Creation of Narrative Structure: Early Heian Japanese Translations of Sinitic Buddhist Texts.

Hannah Dahlberg-Dodd   (Professor Charles Quinn) 2019 Social Meaning in Virtual Space: Sentence-final expressions in the Japanese popular mediascape

Mason, Thomas   (Profs. Xiaobin Jian, Mari Noda) 2019 An Analysis of the Decline in Long-Term Study abroad Participation Among Students at Elite U.S. Universities, with a Focus on Japan

Tobaru, Hiromi (Professor Mari Noda) 2019 Style Shifting and Social Network Development during Education Abroad Programs in Japan.

Nozaki, Saori (Professor Etsuyo Yuasa) 2019 Japanese Lexicalization Patterns of Motion Events and its Acquisition of Advanced-level English-speaking Learners of Japanese.

Shelton , Abby (Professor Mari Noda) 2018  Japanese native perceptions of the facial expressions of American learners of L2 Japanese in specified contexts.

Del Greco, Robert (Professor Richard Torrance) 2018  Democratic Korea : Expatriate Koreans in Japan Write Against Empire.

Yi, Yongfei (Professor Richard Torrance) 2018 Building a Literary Bridge and Reconstructing Culture in Postwar Japan: Takeda Taijun and His Chūgoku Mono (China-related Writings)

Yao, Kanako (Professor Mari Noda) 2017 Effectiveness of Excuses in Japanese Business Context: Accounts as Conflict-Management Strategies

Vorobiev, Artem (Professor Richard Torrance) 2017 The Literature of Shibata Renzaburō and a New Perspective on Nihilism in Postwar Japan, 1945 – 1978

Curtin, Karen (Professor Mari Noda) 2016 Negotiating politeness in PCA Intermediate Japanese language classes: A microethnographic constructionist exploration of Japanese politeness behaviors

Tsuchiya, Shinsuke (Professor Charles Quinn) 2016 Perceptions of Native and Nonnative Speakers and Observational Analysis of “Divergent” Japanese Language Teachers in Context

Francis-Ratte, Alexander (Professor Charles Quinn, Professor James M Unger) 2016 Proto-Korean-Japanese: A New Reconstruction of the Common Origin of the Japanese and Korean Languages

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• NDL Search Guide for Dissertations Best research guide for dissertations held by NDL and other institutions. In Japanese.
• NDL Digital Resources-Dissertations (Full text and citation) The National Diet Library (NDL) started providing digitized doctoral dissertations on the Internet. 15,000 dissertations, which received between 1991 and 2000, are available in full text. Citations are available for other dissertations.
• CiNii Dissertation (full text and citation) You can search more than 600,000 dissertations from here.
• - Quick Guide for CiNii Dissertation (Japanese) Download PDF.
• IRDB (full text and citation) Japanese Institutional Repositories Online. Meta search engine for institutional repositories that include Thesis or Dissertation. Full text of theses and dissertations submitted after 2014 are available.
• IRDB-List of Institutional Repositories As of October 2015, number of institutions is 442.
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Japanese Language Theses/Dissertation

• CiNii Research (Dissertations) Includes Japanese doctoral dissertations held and digitized by the National Diet Library and those held by universities' institutional repositories.
• 大日本博士録 (発展社 1921-1930） Includes biographical information on Japanese scholars who received doctoral degrees between 1888 and 1929. An alphabetical index available at the image page 86-110.　
• 国立国会図書館所蔵博士論文 Includes doctoral dissertations received by NDL since 1923. Online version is available from NDL-OPAC and includes dissertations received since 1965.
• IRDB Institutional Repositories Includes theses and dissertations deposited in the institutional repositories of Japanese universities.
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Japan Studies (Graduate School of Global Studies Doctoral Program)

The Doctoral Program in Japan Studies encompasses systematic study of the Japanese language, Japanese language education, Japanese literature and culture, and Japanese history and society for comprehensive Japan research.

The program is directed at developing an objective perspective of Japan within a global context. Given the urgent need for human resources capable of conveying Japan to the world, this program is focused on training Japanese and foreign students who can meet this need. The degree acquired through this program is a Doctor of Philosophy.

The Doctoral Program in Japan Studies has one program.

Japan studies program.

This program trains students in the specialized knowledge needed for a broad and comprehensive understanding of Japan so that they can disseminate this knowledge to the world.

Classes: Japanese linguistics, Japanese language education theory, language education theory, Japanese literature and culture, Japanese historical sociology, Japanese politics and economics, Japan studies, etc.

Doctoral Program in Japan Studies

Students in this program will acquire:

• Specialized knowledge in fields related to Japan and the deep comprehensive understanding of the country required to speak of Japan within a global context. Foreign students in particular will acquire a high level of Japanese language ability and understanding of Japanese society.
• Deep and specialized knowledge of Japanese language, Japanese education, Japanese literature and culture, Japanese historical sociology, Japanese politics and economics, etc.
• The qualifications to become a highly skilled academic researcher at a university inside or outside Japan or professional teacher of Japanese language in an international institute of higher education or equivalent organization.

Theses：Doctoral Dissertation

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The PhD in Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Colorado offers specializations in Chinese or Japanese with concentrations in literary and/or cultural studies of either the pre-modern or modern periods. The program consists of:

• course work
• a Comprehensive Examination consisting of a written and an oral component
• a doctoral dissertation
• an oral defense of the doctoral dissertation.

The following guidelines represent the PhD procedures specific to our department; they are not intended to replace or supersede the University of Colorado at Boulder Catalog nor any other official document issued by the Graduate School. See in particular the  Graduate School Rules .

Course Work

The PhD requires a minimum of 45 credit hours in graduate courses numbered 5000 or above in Japanese and may include a focus in a related field (such as History, Religious Studies, Philosophy, Sociology, Art History, Film Studies, etc.). Students who have completed an MA degree may be able to apply up to 21 hours toward this requirement.

The required 45 credit hours of coursework must be passed with a grade of B or better. If a student receives a grade of B- (or a lesser grade), the course in question will not count toward the total number of credits required to graduate. Upon receiving more than one B- (or lesser grade), a student will normally be dropped from the graduate program.  In order to ensure that special circumstances are taken into account, the department Graduate Committee will review each such case and recommend appropriate action to the department chair.

In addition to superior language skills in English as well as in the classical/literary and modern form of the language, a reading knowledge of one additional language is required (typically one additional Asian language or one European language), to be decided in consultation with the main advisor.

This ability may be determined by completing a college level intermediate course (typically fourth semester) in the language with a grade of B or better (either at CU or prior to arrival on campus); passing with the current minimum acceptable score an appropriate foreign language test; or passing a test of reading knowledge set by appropriate faculty.

New PhD students will select the courses they take during their first year of study in consultation with the Graduate Director of the program. By the end of their second semester, students are required to choose their major advisor, with whom they will plan their program of study thereafter. Normally this faculty member becomes the Chair of the Comprehensive Examination Committee as well as of the Dissertation Committee.

Comprehensive Examination

Before admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree, students must pass a comprehensive examination. The comprehensive exam will cover three fields—the chosen field of concentration and two related fields—to be decided in consultation with the student’s Comprehensive Examination Committee.  

The examination is conducted by an examining board appointed by the chair of the department and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. The board shall consist of the major advisor and additional members as necessary to a minimum of five (one of whom must come from outside the department or from outside the program).

Working in consultation with the Chair (usually this will be the student’s major advisor) and other members of the Comprehensive Examination Committee, the student will formulate a dissertation topic and prepare a reading list of primary texts pertaining to that topic, and a further list of secondary materials composed of critical and theoretical texts intended to inform the student’s approach to the dissertation topic. The reading lists will be circulated to the Comprehensive Examination Committee two weeks before the written exam.

The examination itself consists of a take-home written exam in three fields (the chosen field of concentration and two related fields) followed by an oral examination lasting about 90 minutes that concentrates on the written exam, but may also address texts and topics on the reading lists that are not covered in the written exam.

For the written exam, the student will be given three groups of two or three questions in each field. Usually, the Chair of the Comprehensive Examination Committee will set questions in the student’s chosen field of concentration; the questions for the two related fields are each set by a committee member. The questions for each group will be emailed to the student by the Graduate Program Assistant or the Chair of the Comprehensive Examination Committee, usually in intervals of three weeks. Each time, the student will choose one question from the group and return the response to the committee members within two weeks. What form the response is going to take is decided by the Chair of the committee. Typically, the response will be a scholarly paper of 15 to 30 pages.

The oral examination will cover the student’s broad area of concentration. It takes place within two weeks after the third response is submitted. Students are expected to demonstrate familiarity with primary and secondary sources as well as related issues such as social and historical context, and current theoretical trends in the field. The Comprehensive Examination is only open to the members of the Examination Committee.

The student is responsible for notifying the Graduate Program Assistant of the date of the oral examination to reserve a room.  The Exam Form  should be submitted to the Graduate Program Assistant as soon as the date is confirmed.

Upon successful completion of the Comprehensive Examination, students should fill out the  Candidacy Application for an Advanced Degree .

Dissertation Hours

A minimum of 30 hours of doctoral dissertation credit with no more than 10 of these hours in any one semester are required. Students must be enrolled in a minimum of 5 dissertation hours per semester after passing the comprehensive exam and extending through the semester in which they defend their dissertation.

Dissertation Director and Committee

Students form the Dissertation Committee in consultation with the major advisor. The committee consists of the Dissertation Director (usually this will be the student’s major advisor) and four other graduate faculty members (one of whom must come from outside the department or from outside the program).

Dissertation Prospectus

The dissertation prospectus will be submitted within a month after the Comprehensive Examination, to be followed by its defense a week later.

The dissertation prospectus should provide a clear written outline of the dissertation, including: the major theme or themes of the dissertation; a clearly expressed thesis or argument about the topic itself; an overview of relevant secondary literature; a chapter-by-chapter outline; a timeline for its completion; an extensive bibliography. Students are expected to demonstrate familiarity with their field, a thorough knowledge of primary and secondary sources, current trends in scholarship, and a clearly articulated sense of their contributions to the field. The prospectus should be roughly 4,000–5,000 words long, plus bibliography, and will be circulated to the Dissertation Committee; the Dissertation Committee will decide if a prospectus is acceptable. The prospectus defense will take place with the members of the Dissertation Committee. The defense lasts approximately an hour. If the prospectus is approved, the student begins to write the dissertation.

Dissertation

The PhD dissertation must be based upon original research and demonstrate mature scholarship and critical judgment as well as familiarity with the tools and methods of research. It should be a worthwhile contribution to knowledge in the student’s special field. The dissertation is written in close consultation with the Director and Dissertation Committee.

The dissertation must meet the format requirements of the Graduate School. Students should consult the University Catalog and confer with the Graduate School for specifications and deadlines.

Dissertation Defense

The dissertation defense—an oral examination and discussion lasting about 90 minutes—should take place in the spring semester of the fifth year. The student should schedule the defense before the start of the spring semester. Copies of the dissertation should be delivered to the committee members at least one month prior to the defense date.  The Exam Form  should be submitted to the Graduate Program Assistant as soon as the date is confirmed. A satisfactory vote from at least four committee members is required to pass the defense. The Final Examination is open to anyone who wishes to attend.

Typical Timeline

• Semester 1:   3 seminars
• Semester 2: 3 seminars
• Semester 3: 3 seminars
• Semester 4: 3 seminars
• Semester 5: 2 seminars; 5 hours of Dissertation Guidance; ​preparation of Comprehensive Exam
• Semester 6: 1 seminar; 5 hours of Dissertation Guidance; ​Comprehensive Exam; Submission of Dissertation Prospectus
• Semester 7: at least 5 hours of Dissertation Guidance
• Semester 8: at least 5 hours of Dissertation Guidance
• Semester 9: at least 5 hours of Dissertation Guidance
• Semester 10: at least 5 hours of Dissertation Guidance; Submission and Oral Defense of Dissertation
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External Funding Opportunities - Subsidies and Awards

In addition to doctoral grants, which allow you to finance your doctorate over a longer period, there are numerous other funding opportunities that you can benefit from in the course of your doctorate. These can be travel allowances for attending a conference or grants for the printing costs of your dissertation. On this page you will find an overview of the wide range of subject-specific and interdisciplinary funding opportunities.

Looking for a PhD scholarship?

In addition to the funding opportunities in structured doctoral programs, there are numerous scholarship programs for individual doctoral studies. Find the right scholarship for you here and get advice from the Bonn Graduate Center!

Funding Lines by the University of Bonn 

The University of Bonn has the right funding offer for you for every phase of your doctorate. Benefit from the wide range of funding opportunities for doctoral students.

Travel Subsidies

The University of Bonn supports international research stays of its PhD students within the framework of the Global Exchange. In addition, the Erasmus+ program of the European Union offers enrolled PhD students of the University of Bonn the opportunity to gain experience abroad through study visits, internships abroad, faculty or staff mobility. 

In addition, numerous foundations award grants for travel by doctoral students (research, archive and conference stays). You can find a compilation here. 

Universität Bonn: Direktaustauschprogramm 3 3 [website in German]  Discipline: Open  Target country: Worldwide

DAAD 4 4 [website in German]  Discipline: Open  Target country: Worldwide

Fazit-Stiftung 5 5 [website in German]  Discipline: Open, especially journalism  Target country: Worldwide  Details: Financial hardship

Fulbright Commission  6 6 Discipline: Open  Target country: United States

Gesellschaft für Kanadastudien 7 7 Discipline: Open  Target country: Canada

JSPS Bonn Office 8 8 [website in German]  Discipline: Open  Target country: Japan

JSPS Summer Program 9 9 Discipline: Open  Target country: Japan

JSPS Fellowship short-term 10 10 [website in German]  Discipline: Open  Target country: Japan

JSPS Fellowship standard 11 11 [website in German] Discipline: Open Target country: Japan

JSPS Invitational Fellowship long-term & short-term 12 12 [website in German] Discipline: Open Target country: Japan

The  Erasmus+ Program of the European Union  13 13 offers enrolled doctoral students of the University of Bonn the opportunity to gain experience abroad through:

• a study period at an Erasmus partner university in Europe,
• an internship abroad,
• teaching mobility ,
• staff mobility .

Barbara-Wengeler-Stiftung [website in German] Discipline: Psychology, neuropsychology, philosophical psychology Target country: Worldwide

German Institute for Japanese Studies Discipline: Japanese studies  Target country: Japan (Tokyo)

Gerald D. Feldman Travel Grants Discipline: Humanities Target country: Host countries of Max Weber Institutes

German Historical Institute Washington DC Discipline: History Target country: USA

Helmuth von Glasenapp-Stiftung [website in German]  Discipline: India research  Target country: India

Mesoamerika Gesellschaft Hamburg e.V. [website in German]  Details: Relation to Mesoamerica  Target country: Mesoamerica

Stiftung für Kanada-Studien [website in German]  Discipline: Canadian studies  Target country: Canada

Weichmann-Stiftung [website in German]  Discipline: Resistance to the Nazi regime  Target country: Worldwide 

Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach-Stiftung [website in German] Discipline: Humanities and social sciences Target country: USA 

Thesis Print-Cost Subsidies

Printing cost grants for dissertations are awarded primarily in the humanities and social sciences. As a general rule, only dissertations that have been evaluated very positively are funded. A few options are listed below; for a comprehensive survey of German research funding institutions, please consult the German version of this webpage. For subsidies on which information in English is not provided, international researchers may still be eligible to apply.

Print-Cost Subsidies

Geschwister Boehriger Ingelheim Foundation for Social Sciences [website in German] 41 41 41 Discipline: Social sciences Amount: €1,000 to €2,500 Fonte Foundation [website in German] 42 42 42 Discipline: Literature, German studies, English studies, Romance studies, Cultural and media studies Amount: Dependent on project   Johanna und Fritz Buch Gedächtnis-Stiftung [website in German] 43 43 43 Discipline: Medicine, social & law sciences  Amount: Up to €1,500   Deutscher Akademikerinnenbund [website in German] 44 44 Discipline: gender related projects Amount: Up to €1,500   Franz und Eva Rutzen Foundation [website in German] 45 45 Discipline: Archaeology Amount: Not specified   Richard Stury Foundation [website in German] 46 46 Discipline: Aesthetics and dramatics Amount: Not specified   ADAMAS Foundation Götz Hübner [website in German] 47 47 Discipline: Interculural studies German-Polish / German-Greek Amount: Dependent on project   Barbara Wengeler Foundation [website in German] 48 48 Discipline: Interdisciplinary linkage of philosophy and neurosciences Amount: Dependent on project   Deutsche Altamerika Foundation [website in German] 49 49 Discipline: American studies Amount: Dependent on project    Society for Endangered Languages 50 50 Discipline: Endangered languages  Amount: Up to €1,500   Society for Missiology [website in German] 51 51 Discipline: Missiology Amount: Not specified Gerda Weiler Foundation [website in German] 52 52 Discipline: Feminist women's studies Amount: Not specified   Gertrud und Alexander Böhling Foundation [website in German] 53 53 Discipline: Language and cultures of the Christian Orient Amount: Not specified   Helmut von Glasenapp Foundation [website in German] 54 54 Discipline: India studies Amount: Not specified Herbert und Elsbeth Weichmann Foundation [website in German]  39 39 Discipline: Resistance against the NS regime Amount: Not specified  Martha Muchow Foundation [website in German]  55 55 Discipline: Pedagogy in elementary and primary level Amount: Not specified   Foundation on the Promotion of Japanese-German Research and Culture relations [website in German] 56 56 Discipline: Japan studies

Axel Springer Stiftung [website in German] 57 57 Topics: German-jewish history, national socialism, Israel, DDR, totalitarianism, media history and transatlantic relations     Georg Strecker Stiftung [website in German] 58 58 Discipline: Protestant theology

Currently no funding options available

Dissertation Awards

Numerous funding organizations, especially in medicine and life sciences, award prizes for outstanding dissertations. In our overview you will mainly find those prices for which self-application or an external nomination is permitted.

Dr. Robert Radu

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Stefanie Rübbert

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+49 228 73-6882

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MA Theses and PhD Dissertations

School news, asma altalafeeh defends her phd dissertation, sabreen salih defended her ma thesis, gaida'a yousef defended her phd dissertation.

Teen walks at graduation after completing doctoral degree at 17

Dorothy Jean Tillman II was 10 when she entered college as a freshman.

A teenager from Chicago walked in her graduation ceremony this month after earning her doctoral degree at 17.

Dorothy Jean Tillman II told " Good Morning America " that she was homeschooled in her early years before entering college at age 10.

In 2020, she said she earned a Master of Science degree, and then, one year later, at age 15, was accepted into the Doctorate of Behavioral Health Management program at Arizona State University.

In December 2023, at 17, Tillman successfully defended her dissertation to earn her doctoral degree in integrated behavioral health from ASU's College of Health Solutions.

On May 6, she walked at ASU's spring commencement ceremony.

Tillman told "GMA" she has always held education in such high regard in part due to her family's background.

"People in my life like my grandmother, who was part of the Civil Rights movement, she of course harped on the importance of education and consistently learning something always," Tillman said. "But the way I always held education so high on my own, aside from being raised that way, was finding different things to be educated about."

She continued, "I feel like that urge to learn something new just never didn't exist for me."

Teen who battled leukemia and homelessness as a child graduates college at 18

Dr. Lesley Manson, a clinical associate professor at ASU, told "GMA" that Tillman is the youngest person in school history to earn a doctoral degree in integrated behavioral health.

Manson said she oversaw Tillman's dissertation for the doctoral program offered through ASU Online.

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During her studies, Tillman wrote a journal article of her dissertation and completed an internship at a university student health center, according to Manson.

"She really led change and worked on different forms of management to really reduce healthcare stigma and improve that student population there to be able to enter and accept student health services," she said of Tillman. "It was wonderful to see her and help her navigate some of those personal and professional interactions and grow through those experiences."

Manson described Tillman as an "inquisitive" and "innovative" student, and emphasized just how rare it is to accomplish what she has so far.

"It's a wonderful celebration ... but this is still something so rare and unique," she said. "She has innovative ideas and motivation, which is wonderful, and truly, I think what is inspiring is that she embodies that meaning of being a true leader."

Manson said she hopes Tillman continues to inspire people with her love of learning, saying, "That curiosity is always there, and I think all learners come with that, but it's great to be able to see it in someone so young as well."

Her inspiration and how she gives back to community

Tillman said her own journey wouldn't be possible without the support of her mom, who she said is one of her biggest motivators.

"Seeing my mother consistently work so hard to continuously uphold our family's legacy, and be that person that everyone was able to go to, if they needed anything ... always seeing [her] like [a] 'wonder woman' definitely made me want to grow up [into] an accomplished person," she said.

An advocate for education, Tillman is also the founder and CEO of a leadership institute that emphasizes the arts and STEM.

"I feel like adding art and putting a focus on it throughout science, technology, engineering and math makes the kids excited to learn all those things," she said. "And it opens them up to all of the possibilities and all the knowledge provided in that area of just STEM."

'Super dad' graduates with master's while working 3 jobs

As for her plans after graduation, Tillman said she is "just like any other teenager, still figuring out what my specific dreams and goals are."

"I'm really just grateful that the world is my oyster, and that I've done so much so young," she said. "And I have time to kind of think that through."

Tillman added that she hopes young people will take away from her story that it's OK to continually figure out what you want to do in life.

"Always remember that everyone has points in their life where they feel like they're figuring it out," she said. "And so figuring things out, not knowing what you want isn't a bad thing. But making the choice not to sit down and try to figure it out is."

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional quotes from Tillman since its original publish date of May 13, 2024.

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