Frequently Asked Questions

Here you find a selection of frequently asked question in correlation with the FGCh and the TUM-GS and their corresponding answers.

Membership

Q: What is the difference between the TUM-GS and the Faculty Graduate Center of Chemistry (FGCh)?
A: The FGCh is part of the TUM-GS. Its main purpose is the on-site administration and contact for all member of the TUM-GS who are not members in a themed doctorate programme.

Q: Is it possible for doctorate candidates to join the TUM-GS at the beginning of their work at their research group with a degree not obtained in this faculty or even not in chemistry or related area?
A: Joining the TUM-GS is possible without any problems, even the entry to the doctorate student list is open in these cases. If there are any additional exams to be taken because of the degrees, the student is asked to tell this to the TUM-GS or FGCH staff. This information will be stored in the database of the TUM-GS. The membership in the TUM-GS remains provisional unless the registration in the doctorate students list has been performed. This has the consequence that for example a single-case decision about the approval of the money for the stay abroad has to be made. 

Q: Regarding the admission of the candidates, is it really necessary to register in the doctorate students' list?
A:Yes! The registration in the doctorate students' list is the starting point of the membership at the TUM-GS. This should happen early enough to assure that the minimum period of the membership is 2 years.

Q: The membership in the TUM-GS is inteded to last three years, but the time that is needed for the doctorate thesis impends to get longer. Which consequences occur in such cases?
A: A longer memnbership can be explained because of teaching duties or industrial projects and does not constitute a problem. But one thing has to be kept in mind: the financial support from the TUM-GS will not increase because of this extra time. 

Q: Exchanging the Graduate Centers: is it possible to enroll at the Faculty Graduate Center and to change into an existing or still to be founded thematic Graduate Center? (e.g. SFB, DFG or ENB Graduate School)
A: The changing from the Faculty Graduate Center to a thematic Graduate Center is always possible and vice versa.

Q: Are the benefits of the TUM-GS also available for external doctrate students?
A: External doctorate candidates must become a member of the TUM-GS and profit from the basic benefits, like Kick-off seminar. For the financing of the international curriculum every single case has to be checked, if there is another source. The term Internal doctorate candidates refers to university employees, and stipend holders with a defined working space at a research group of the TUM. Candidates who work in a company or at research institutions like Max-Plank and Helmholtz are regarded as external.

Acceptance of earlier achievements

Q: Is it possible to accept soft-skills or stays abroad which proceeded already before joining the TUM-GS?
A: Already acquired skills are accepted in the transcript of records, but no financial support is paid for events that took place before joining the TUM-GS. The ultimate decision on the acceptance is done by the TUM-GS.

Miscellaneous

Q: How many kick-off seminars are to be planned each year?
A: The TUM-GS plannes about 8 kick-off seminars every year - the structure and content are improved continuously. The next seminars are already sceduled.    Click here for the application!