General Doctorate

The general doctorate includes, in addition to writing a monographic or cumulative dissertation, attending two colloquia worth at least 12 ECTS credits.

The colloquia serve, on the one hand, to deepen and broaden methodological skills in legal scholarship and, on the other hand, to facilitate scholarly engagement with the dissertation. PhD candidates in the General Doctorate must complete one of each type of colloquium during their doctoral studies. For each of these two types of colloquia, PhD candidates are offered at least one opportunity per year.

Registration for a colloquium should be lodged with the relevant professorship. An overview of the colloquia available can be found at Course Catalog UZH.

With the consent of the primary supervisor, other academic achievements may also be recognised as a colloquium. All information on such recognition can be found in the Recognition and Transfer of Credit section.

For PhD candidates who enrolled in the doctorate before the fall semester of 2026 and are writing a monographic dissertation, the transitional provision set forth in § 47(1) of the PVO (2026 version) applies. This means, among other things, that these PhD candidates are not required to complete one colloquium of each type in order to fulfill the 12 ECTS credits required for the two doctoral colloquia.

The Admissions Office is responsible for admission to doctoral studies at the University of Zurich.

Please observe the general admission requirements of the University of Zurich and the special admission requirements for Doctoral Studies.

Admission with a Master of Law or licentiate degree from the Faculty of Law, University of Zurich

Candidates who have obtained a Master of Law degree or a licentiate degree in law from the University of Zurich with the distinction summa cum laude or magna cum laude are entitled to admission. Candidates who have not achieved the distinction will be admitted to the doctorate if two members of the professorial staff have indicated willingness to assume supervision.

Admission with a Master of Law or licentiate from the faculty of law at another Swiss university

Candidates who have obtained a Master of Law degree or a licentiate degree in law from another Swiss university are admitted if two members of the professorial staff have indicated willingness to assume supervision.

Admission with a Master of Law or degree of equal value from a foreign faculty of law

Persons who have obtained a Master of Law degree or a degree that is recognized as being of equal value in accordance with § 41 lit. b of the Ordinance on admission to studies at the University of Zurich from a foreign faculty of law are admitted if two members of the professorial staff have indicated willingness to assume supervision. Admission may be linked to conditions or restrictions. The admissions committee decides on admission.

Admission with a Master’s degree or degree of equal value in another field of study

Admission is possible with a Master's degree in another field of study recognized by the University of Zurich, or a university educational background that is recognized as being of equal value, in individual cases. The application requires confirmation from two faculty members of their willingness to serve as primary and secondary supervisors respectively. There is no legal entitlement to be admitted to a program. Admission may be linked to conditions or restrictions. The admissions committee decides on admission.

Continuing education qualifications from the Master of Advanced Studies level and courses of equal value do not entitle candidates to admission to the doctorate. However, they may be taken into account in the decision on admission.

The principle of dual supervision applies to the general doctorate.

Professors, emeritae and emeriti, as well as private lecturers of the Faculty of Law are entitled to act as primary supervisors of doctoral students.

For secondary supervision, professors, emeritae and emeriti, as well as private lecturers from other faculties or universities are also eligible.

If the primary supervisor is a private lecturer, the secondary supervisor must be a faculty member of the Faculty of Law.

• Primary supervisor: The primary supervisor is the permanent point of contact for the PhD candidate. They bear the main responsibility for the doctoral process and are responsible for all matters for which no other responsibility has been assigned. The primary supervisor prepares the first expert report.
• Secondary supervisor: The secondary supervisor has a supportive and advisory role in the doctoral process and serves as an additional point of contact when the primary supervisor is unavailable. They contribute to quality assurance in the doctoral process and also mediate in conflicts between the PhD candidate and the primary supervisor or other parties, should this become necessary. The secondary supervisor generally prepares the second expert report.

For PhD candidates who enrolled in the doctorate before the Autumn Semester 2026 and are writing a monographic dissertation, the transitional provision pursuant to § 47 para. 1 PVO (2026 version) applies. This means, among other things, that the principle of single supervision continues to apply for these PhD candidates, with the option of submitting a request for the involvement of an additional supervisor. The application form can be downloaded from the Forms section (under Doctorate).

A doctoral thesis is always evaluated by two reviewers.

The primary supervisor acts as the first reviewer. The secondary supervisor generally prepares the second expert report.

For PhD candidates who enrolled in the doctorate before the Autumn Semester 2026 and are writing a monographic dissertation, the transitional provision pursuant to § 47 para. 1 PVO (2026 version) applies. This means, among other things, that these PhD candidates must, together with their primary supervisor, who serves as the first reviewer, propose a second reviewer to the Faculty Council. The form for this request for the appointment of a second reviewer can be downloaded from the Forms section (under Doctorate). It must be submitted to the Faculty Council as early as possible. The Faculty Council must have appointed the second reviewer before the second reviewer begins the review process.

The primary supervisor, the secondary supervisor and the doctoral student agree in a written agreement on the objectives, procedure, timeframe, type and scope of supervision as well as the further framework conditions of the doctorate as an aid and orientation tool. The doctoral agreement can be adapted to changing circumstances. It can be downloaded from the forms section.

In the case of a cumulative dissertation, the research plan forms part of the doctoral agreement.

PhD candidates writing a cumulative dissertation must independently develop a research plan at an early stage of their doctoral studies. Since the research plan forms part of the doctoral agreement, it must be available when the doctoral agreement is signed.

The research plan ensures that the doctoral project is clearly structured from the outset and does not need to be fundamentally reoriented at a later stage. Adjustments to changed circumstances are possible in agreement with the supervisors. Where applicable, the doctoral agreement must be updated accordingly.

A template for the research plan can be downloaded from the Forms section. However, the format of the research plan is flexible. In terms of content, the requirements of § 22a PVO must be met.

Detailed information on the cumulative dissertation and the associated research plan can be found in the relevant sections on the doctoral studies main page and in § 18a and § 22a PVO.

Anyone complying with the admissions requirements according to the Doctoral Regulations is eligible to apply for the General Doctorate. Please apply online at the admissions office.