After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• take part in individual research projects in German literature
• enter professions demanding independent and critical thinking as well as cultivated diction in mother tongue and fluency in German language
• research and teach in some German literature topics

Graduates of the doctoral degree study programme in German literature are equipped with the general knowledge and skills required for independent philological work. They are able to reflect and analyse literary texts based on their comprehensive knowledge of relevant research history and current trends. They are able to apply their acquired competence in creative ways to solve individual tasks. Beyond the comprehensive overview of the whole study field, the graduates have specialized proficiency in the topics of their thesis projects. Based on these skills, they are qualified to work in positions in linguistic research or in the humanities in a broader sense, which demands independent and critical thinking as well as a cultivated presentation of gathered knowledge, in universities and research institutes, in translating, etc.

The standard duration of the doctoral degree study programme is four years (eight semesters). For admittance to the doctoral final state examination, students have to earn a total of 240 ECTS credits for type A/required, type B/selective, and type C/elective courses.

Type A/required courses constitute the basis of the discipline; type B/selective courses can be chosen by the students according to their interests and intended professional specialization; type C/elective courses can be chosen from those offered in the curriculum of the given study programme or from other courses offered by any other study programme.

During the course of their studies, students should follow the study catalogue valid for their year of matriculation. The study topics and curriculum are specified in the individual plan of study, with respect to the respective topics of the doctoral thesis. Information about the courses as well as the specific conditions of the registration are published in the registration templates for the study programme.

Practical training at external workplaces is not an obligatory part of the study plan. Active involvement of the students in teaching, researching, and organising tasks within the institute offers an opportunity to acquire further praxis-related skills in these areas.

The doctoral final state examination has an oral form and consists of a presentation and discussion of selected topics from German literature (within and outside of the direct scope of the doctoral thesis).

One part of the doctoral final state examination is the defence of the doctoral thesis.