Doctoral programs offer a cross-faculty and interdisciplinary education and promote transdisciplinary research by doctoral students. The common feature of doctoral programs and doctoral colleges lies primarily in the choice of an overarching research topic to which all dissertations written as part of the doctoral program are linked. There are also links to doctoral schools in terms of the courses offered specifically for members of a doctoral program. In contrast to doctoral colleges/doc.funds, members of doctoral programs are only financed selectively (e.g. via scholarships); in contrast to doctoral schools, doctoral candidates in a specific subject do not have to become members of a doctoral program.

The full text of the guidelines of the Director of Studies on the the establishment and operation of doctoral programs at the University of Graz can be found here.