Doctoral researcher fill up nearly half of the research positions at German universities. Due to the specific interests involved in our doctoral research, many federal states have established dedicated representative bodies for doctoral researchers within their higher education laws. North Rhine-Westphalia has a higher concentration of universities than anywhere else in Germany, yet there is still no legal provision for early career scientist representation in the Higher Education Act of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (Hochschulgesetz – HG).
How do other states handle the representation of their doctoral students?
In Brandenburg and Thuringia, for example, doctoral researchers elect representatives who participate in university governing bodies and advocate for the interests of early career scientist there. In both states, these representatives are legally recognized as a distinct status group, which guarantees them permanent seats on central governing bodies such as the university senate or faculty council. In addition, they have their own election regulations and rights to participate in decision-making, enabling doctoral candidates to effectively advocate for their specific interests, such as regarding supervision, working conditions, or qualification structures. However, in Thuringia, they serve only as non-voting members on university committees and thus often lack direct voting rights, even though they hold more than half of the research positions in that state.
Brandenburg § 32 BbgHG: 1 Die Promovierenden […] wählen eine Vertretung, die in den die Promovierenden betreffenden Angelegenheiten von den Organen und Gremien der Hochschule anzuhören ist. 2 Die Vertretung hat […] ein Initiativrecht, mit dem sie die Befassung der Organe und Gremien mit Angelegenheiten der Promovierenden der Hochschule verlangen kann.
Thüringen § 32 BbgHG: 4 […] angenommenen Doktoranden bilden die Doktorandenschaft. […] Die Doktorandenschaft wählt die Mitglieder einer Promovierendenvertretung. Die Promovierendenvertretung gibt in allen sie betreffenden Angelegenheiten gegenüber den Organen und Gremien der Hochschule Empfehlungen ab; ein Vertreter der Promovierendenvertretung kann an den Sitzungen der Organe und Gremien der Hochschule mit Ausnahme des Präsidiums und des Hochschulrats, zu denen er wie ein Mitglied zu laden ist, mit Antrags- und Rederecht teilnehmen.
In Baden-Württemberg, there are legally established doctoral student convents that are elected by doctoral researchers and represent their interests. Beyond their involvement in internal university processes, these convents serve as an important tool for self-organization, peer exchange, and cross-university networking within the state. Doctoral students’ participation is ensured through regular meetings and the opportunity to serve on the speakers’ assembly. Depending on the institution, the councils may be elected either only at the highest level or already at the faculty level. This ensures that many doctoral candidates are involved and provides deans with specific points of contact. This multi-tiered structure enhances the visibility of doctoral candidates in academic self-governance and facilitates early participation in decision-making processes. However, in many places, the full development of these structures is still underway.
Baden-Würtenberg § 38 LHG : 7 Die zur Promotion angenommenen Doktorandinnen und Doktoranden bilden einen Konvent. Die Hochschule regelt, ob Konvente auf der Ebene der Fakultäten oder der zentralen Ebene eingerichtet werden. Der Konvent kann die die Doktorandinnen und Doktoranden betreffenden Fragen beraten und Empfehlungen an die Organe der Hochschule aussprechen. […] Entwürfe für Promotionsordnungen werden dem Konvent zur Stellungnahme zugeleitet; die Stellungnahme wird den Senatsunterlagen beigefügt.
Where is such a regulation for North Rhine-Westphalia?
In North Rhine-Westphalia, there is no legal recognition of doctoral candidates as a distinct group, even though the state is home to many universities and researchers. We firmly believe that better representation and a greater say in decision-making can lead to significant improvements in North Rhine-Westphalia as well. We have already seen positive examples from Cologne within the Federal Executive Board, where dedicated doctoral candidates from local doctoral clusters were involved in our founding back in the summer of 2023 and still hold a membership position in our association. So if you are pursuing a doctorate in North Rhine-Westphalia, represent the interests of doctoral candidates in a research cluster, or are a researcher in close contact with doctoral candidates, we would greatly appreciate your support. We are actively seeking people with whom we can influence policy and university leadership in North Rhine-Westphalia and jointly advance the cause of better representation for early-career researchers. So please get in touch with us!
