Doctoral School of Physics at University of Debrecen
Complex exam subjects/topics
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DE Doctoral regulations 13.§ The complex examination
(1) The complex examination is an examination to be completed in the course of the doctoral education, at the end of the fourth semester, as the conclusion of the coursework and research stage and as the condition of the commencement of the research and dissertation stage, which assesses and evaluates the student’s progress in the academic and research fields.
(2) The condition of admission to the complex examination is that the student has earned at least 90 credits in the “coursework and research stage” of the doctoral education, including all “course credits” prescribed in the education plan of the doctoral school (with the exception of those preparing individually). Application for the complex examination shall be in writing (see Appendix 4). Since the student enters the degree-conferment procedure upon the completion of the complex examination, application for the complex examination shall also constitute application for the degree-conferment procedure.
(3) The complex examination is to be taken publicly, before the board designated by the doctoral council of the disciplinary area. The board of examination shall consist of at least three members, and at least one third of them shall be persons who are not in the employment of the institute where the doctoral school operates. The chairperson of the board of examination shall be a faculty member or researcher with the title of full university professor, habilitated university association professor, habilitated college professor, Professor Emeritus or doctor of the Academy. All members of the board of examination shall have academic degrees. The supervisor of the doctoral student may not be a member of the board of examination.
(4) Prior to the complex examination, the supervisor shall evaluate the performance of the doctoral student, and shall declare make a declaration as to whether he or she recommends that the degree-conferment procedure be started.
(5) The complex examination consists of two main parts: in one part, the examinee’s theoretical preparedness is assessed (“theoretical part”), while in the other part, the candidate shall give an account of his or her progress in the field of research (“dissertation part”).
(6) In the theoretical part of the complex examination, the doctoral student shall give proof of his or her level of preparation in the literature of the field, as well as his or her knowledge of the most recent theoretical and practical knowledge in the relevant discipline. In the theoretical part of the complex examination, the candidate shall take examinations in at least two subjects/topics; the list of the subjects/topics shall be included in the educational plan of the doctoral school. The theoretical examination may also include a written part.
(7) In the second part of the complex examination, the examinee shall give an account, in the form of a lecture, of his or her knowledge of the relevant literature, reports on his or her research results, discusses the research plan pertaining to the second part of the doctoral programme, as well as the proposed schedule for the completion of the dissertation and the publication of the results. The supervisor shall be given an opportunity to also assess the candidate in the course of the examination.
(8) The board of examination shall evaluate the theoretical and the dissertation parts of the examination separately. A written record, including a textual evaluation shall be drawn up of the complex examination (see Appendix 5/1). The results of the examination shall be announced on the day of the examination. The complex examination shall be considered as successful if the majority of the members of the board of examination evaluated both parts of the examination as successful. The doctoral student may re-take an unsuccessful complex examination once, within the same examination period.
(9) The doctoral student may only register for the fifth semester of the doctoral programme after successfully completing the complex examination