Advice & Counseling
The Graduate Center provides advice and counseling for (prospective) doctoral researchers. You are welcome to contact us with your questions regarding your doctorate.
Contact persons at the Graduate Center
If you would like to make an appointment for a counseling or coaching session, please contact us via graduiertenzentrumtu-dortmundde!
Advice & Counseling
From the initial consideration of pursuing your own doctoral project to the choice of career path after the successful disputation: the doctorate is a phase in which you make important decisions and set the course for your own future. An individual consultation can help to create a better basis of information and to gain more clarity about your goals.
We often provide advice on the following topics:
- Administrative matters (registration, regulations, etc.)
- Stays abroad: Planning and financing
- Application and supervision
- Financing your doctorate
- Career planning inside and outside academia
- Conflicts in the work environment
- Scholarships: information and editing of your application
- Project planning and management of a doctorate
- Transferable Skills Training
You can contact us with all your questions. If we cannot help you with your request, we will be happy to refer you to the appropriate service point at TU Dortmund University.
Were you satisfied with our counseling?
To ensure high quality, we evaluate our councelings on a regular basis. The evaluation is anonymous. For this purpose, we only store your e-mail address without any further data and delete it after the evaluation.
We are pleased if you support us with your feedback. If you do not wish to do so, please feel free to let us know that you do not wish to be contacted.
Coaching: Support in the decision-making process
Deciding whether to begin a doctorate is not always easy. Sometimes even a job offer might raise the question whether you should complete the doctorate.
The Graduate Center therefore offers coaching for (prospective) doctoral researchers. Professional coaching helps you to reflect on your personal goals and preferences. In this way, you can develop strategies to achieve your goals and create the basis for a well-founded decision.

Further contact persons
If we are unable to help with a question, we will be happy to put you in touch with suitable service points or research institutions at TU Dortmund University.
Important counseling services for doctoral researchers at TU Dortmund University are, for example:
- Beschwerdemanagement (Complaint Management, also available at Department level)
- DoBus (Counseling for doctoral researchers with disabilites or chronic diseases)
- Grants Services at Research Support Services (Third-Party Funding)
- Library of TU Dortmund University (Publications, submitting dissertations, paper-based dissertation)
- Ombudspersons (Good scientific practice)
- Personnel Department (Conflict Moderation)
- Psychological Student Counseling, Central Student Counseling
- Social Counseling for International Doctoral Researchers, International Office
- Staff Council (Questions or concerns with regard to your contract or employment)
- Welcome Services, International Office