Graduation and completion of the PAG Program
After the modules and the dissertation are successfully completed the student can register for graduation.
Graduation dates
The Faculty of Agriculture offers four PhD Graduation dates per year. One in the beginning and one in the end of each term. The dates for graduation within a term are published at the end of the previous term.
The way to graduation
1. Registration of the dissertation at the Examination office
Students should register the dissertation and hand in the documents listed on the Instruction Sheet to the examination office eight weeks before the regular submission date (link: dates of graduation) for the dissertation (approx. 3 months before the date of graduation). If all documents aren’t available at this early date the examination office will in individual cases allow students to hand them in later.
It is possible to withdraw the registration at any time before the date of submission of the Dissertation.
2. Appraisal of the Dissertation and Disputation
At the submission of the Dissertation seven weeks before the Graduation date the student receive the letter of “admission for graduation” and all documents needed for the graduation are placed in a File. It is the duty of the students to make sure that their file is brought forward and back between the Supervisors and the Examination office before the respective deadlines. The file is also needed by the disputation. See dates of Graduation.
The supervisors have four weeks for the appraisal of the dissertations. Then all dissertations must be displayed at the Examination Office for 1 week. After this follows the week of Disputations. The last week before the Graduation is needed to finalize administrative matters and the preliminary certificates.
3. Graduation ceremony
At the graduation ceremony the students receive a preliminary certificate. This doesn’t allow the student to call himself a PhD or Dr. See below: Publication of the Thesis.
After the graduation ceremony it is an old custom in Göttingen that the graduates go to the “Gänseliesel” fountain at the market place by the old town hall. The graduates climb onto the fountain and give Gänseliesel flowers and a symbolic kiss, while they are targeted by water bombs tossed at them by their peers and cheering audience.
4. Revision of the Dissertation
Before the publication the students have a chance to revise their thesis according to the suggestions by their supervisor. The 1.supervisor must sign a “Revisions Schein” before the can publish the dissertation.
5. Publication of the results of the thesis
The different Examination regulations 2004, 2006 and 2008 allow different possibilities for publication in form of cumulative dissertations with publications in scientific journals or publication in form of a dissertation either online or in form of a book. Each student should elaborate this question with his/her supervisor and ask at the student advisory office or examination office in case more information is needed.
6. Completion of the PAG Programme
With evidence of publication documented at the Examination office the Graduate is allowed to call himself a PhD or Dr. At this stage the certificate, the transcript of records with the results of the modules, the dissertation and the disputation as well as a Diploma supplement will be prepared.
New PhDs should allow for at least two weeks for the preparation of the exam papers. Don’t book your flight home too early.
In order to successfully complete the PAG program, the doctoral student must have acquired at least 180 credits. The PAG program is completed at the end of the semester in which the doctoral certificate has been presented.
7. Certification of the certificates
For some of your home countries it is needed to get the certificates certified by the Lower Saxony Government before they can be recognised. Please contact your country’s embassy to get information on what your own country need. Allow for one day to go to Braunschweig to get the stamps. More information you find here.