What exactly is a Doctoral Council?

The Doctoral Council represents all doctoral researchers at the university. It was introduced in the State of Berlin with the new Berlin Higher Education Act (Hochschulgesetz). At Freie Universität Berlin, it consists of two elected members per department, i.e. a total of 22 members.

What are the tasks of the doctoral representatives?

The Doctoral Council represents the interests of doctoral researchers towards the university leadership and other bodies, and promotes dialogue among doctoral researchers.

Who is eligible to vote?

All doctoral researchers who are admitted to pursue a doctorate and either enrolled or employed at Freie Universität are eligible to vote.

What rights and influence does the Doctoral Council have?

In the university's most important decision-making body, the Academic Senate, and in the Department Councils, the doctoral researcher representatives have the right to propose motions and to speak. The Doctoral Council also delegates four doctoral researchers with voting rights to the Permanent Commission of Dahlem Research School.

The Doctoral Council must be consulted when the Doctoral Regulations of the departments or the Doctoral Study Regulations of Dahlem Research School are at issue.

In addition, the doctoral researcher representatives have the right to make recommendations and statements concerning doctoral research to all university bodies, not just those mentioned above.

What options are there to work together as the Doctoral Council?

The doctoral researcher representatives meet at least once a year to nominate the participant with the right to speak and propose motions in the Academic Senate and the doctoral researchers who will become members of the Permanent Commission of Dahlem Research School. They decide on further meetings as needed.

In addition, the representatives can convene plenary meetings of doctoral researchers at the individual departments to discuss issues within a larger group and network with representatives from other universities and the German Association of Doctoral Researchers (Bundesverband Promovierende).

Why get involved in the Doctoral Council?

Doctoral representatives have a real voice and can bring about changes for all doctoral researchers, both at the university and at the federal level.