The colloquium serves to

• provide a clear point of orientation during the first year of the PhD programme,

• offer guidance and direction for the subsequent phases of the project,

• and support the development of the research project into a robust, realistic,
  and transdisciplinary doctoral project.

It consists of three clearly distinct phases:

Preparation:
Candidates prepare their oral presentation. In addition, a short written exposé must be submitted as a preparatory document to support the discussion. Further details can be found in Section 5 of this document.

Oral examination:
The colloquium itself takes the form of a public oral examination conducted by a committee. Candidates present their doctoral project and discuss it with the committee. This oral examination is assessed on a pass/fail basis and constitutes the only examined component of the colloquium.

Follow-up and further development:
After the colloquium, the committee formulates recommendations for the further development of the project. These recommendations have a binding, guideline character, provide a framework for revising and refining the project, and form the basis for the subsequent Dissertation Agreement.

2. How Is an Individual Colloquium Slot Structured?

Each candidate is allocated a fixed time slot of 70 minutes, structured as follows:

- 20 minutes – Presentation of the PhD project

- 25 minutes – Q&A and oral discussion with the committee

- 20 minutes – Internal deliberation by the committee (without the candidate)

- 5 minutes – Short formal notification (“Pass / Fail”) and transition

This structure applies to all candidates and ensures a clear, transparent, and comparable examination

framework.