Doctorate

The Faculty Assembly decided in May 2025 to partially revise the doctoral regulations. The key innovations for all types of doctoral studies are:

• Introduction of the cumulative dissertation: Several scholarly articles may replace the monographic dissertation, making the doctorate more attractive for dynamic and interdisciplinary research topics.
• Introduction of the defense: A public defense of the dissertation increases transparency and confirms the independent nature of the work.
• Introduction of dual supervision: Two supervisors are intended to strengthen fairness and transparency in the doctoral process and to ease the burden on individual supervisors.

The amendments are currently undergoing the formal approval process. The date of entry into force is still open but is expected to be no later than 1 August 2026.

Current doctoral candidates will complete their doctorate under the existing regulations — without a mandatory defense and without mandatory dual supervision. A switch to a cumulative dissertation is possible; in that case, the new rules apply. A subsequent switch back to a monograph is excluded.

New doctoral candidates who enroll between 1 January 2026 and 31 July 2026 for doctoral studies beginning in the autumn semester 2026 (1 August 2026) may choose whether they wish to pursue their doctorate under the old or the new system. The Faculty of Law will contact the new doctoral candidates at the end of May 2026 regarding this choice.

The doctorate is divided into the general doctorate and various doctoral programs. 

For both the general doctorate and the doctoral programs, the RS 6.1.1 Ordinance on the Conferral of the Doctorate of Jurisprudence (Dr. iur.) at the Faculty of Law of the University of Zurich (Ordinance for obtaining a Doctoral degree)is applicable. The doctoral programs are regulated in more details in the doctoral regulations, which supplement the above-mentioned Ordinance and is available for download from the collection of Legal Documents of the Faculty of Law. 

The Faculty of Law recommends registering the topic of the dissertation in the Register of Legal Dissertations, which is administered by the Faculty of Law of the University of Fribourg for all Swiss law faculties. The registration fee of CHF 40.- will be paid by the Faculty of Law. In order to obtain the access code for the registration of your dissertation, please fill in the form “Register of doctoral thesis, IURTHESIS”, which can be downloaded from the Forms page  (section Doctorate), electronically and subit it via contact form (section "Study planning - Doctorate/PhD").

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