Center for Postgraduate Studies Center for Postgraduate Studies

More than 200 doctoral projects are currently supervised by our professors within research initiatives at HAW Hamburg. 

HAW Hamburg holds the right to confer doctorates across three doctoral programmes, which are combined within the university's Research School. Prospective doctoral candidates can apply directly for admission to one of these programmes. In addition, HAW Hamburg continues to support cooperative doctorates in collaboration with universities in Germany and abroad. All doctoral projects are supported by the Center for Postgraduate Studies (CPS) from initial interest through to completion of the doctorate.

HAW Hamburg offers ideal conditions for carrying out successful doctoral research projects. In this respect, HAW Hamburg differs from large, research-intensive universities in several ways. For instance, the smaller overall number of doctoral candidates fosters a collaborative and interdisciplinary exchange and enables closer supervision by the university’s professors. Furthermore, the university’s focus on applied sciences encourages a strong practical orientation in research projects. The main emphasis lies within HAW Hamburg’s key research areas, though projects may also extend beyond these.

In March 2025, HAW Hamburg was granted the independent right to confer doctoral degrees by the Hamburg Ministry of Science. This right applies to three research-intensive fields within the established Research School: 

• Computational Engineering and Applied Data Science (CEADS)
• Interdisciplinary Social and Health Research (ISGF)
• Sustainable Technologies and Systems (STS)

As a result, HAW Hamburg can conduct doctoral programmes independently without a partner university and supervise doctoral candidates directly. This right to award doctorates applies exclusively to the three aforementioned doctoral programmes.

Detailed information on admission procedures for these doctoral programmes is available in the section for prospective doctoral candidates.

Cooperative doctoral studies are joint programmes conducted between universities authorised to confer doctoral degrees and research institutions without independent degree-awarding powers, both in Germany and abroad. Doctoral theses produced at HAW Hamburg in collaboration with these partner universities are therefore officially awarded by the respective university. In this context, HAW Hamburg serves as an external partner, while bearing significant institutional responsibility for candidate supervision and project success, depending on the structure of the collaborative doctoral programme.

In these cooperative doctorates, the original research is generally conducted and supervised at HAW Hamburg, demonstrating the candidate's ability to carry out in-depth, independent academic work. As an institution, HAW Hamburg is responsible for the successful supervision of independent, original research and the qualification of doctoral candidates.

Information on initiating cooperative doctorates is available in the section for prospective doctoral candidates.