Full-time doctoral program curriculum

The regular, full-time doctoral education programme is designed to help doctoral students in acquiring the knowledge and independent research practice necessary for obtaining the doctoral (PhD) degree. In the interest of the above, doctoral students participate in academic training, obtain research experience under the guidance of their supervisors, and may also undertake teaching duties on assignment.  
 
(2) The length of the full-time programme is eight semesters (48 months), which consists of a coursework and research, as well as a research and dissertation stage.

For students enrolled in (or after) 2016, the duration of the full-time doctoral program is eight semesters (48 months),

which consist of four semesters of coursework and research and four semesters of research and dissertation stage. Doctoral students earn a total of 240 credit points during their doctoral studies. Most of this, 8x26 = 208 credits in the eight semesters, is earned as research credit for their research work.

 In addition to research credits, students complete 16 educational (coursework) credits during the coursework and research stage. Of the 16 educational credit points, a minimum of 12 points must be completed from courses offered by the Doctoral School of Physics as follows:

  • a minimum of 8 credit points from the doctoral school program in which the student was enrolled,
  • 4 credit points from from any courses of the Doctoral School of Physics,
  • the remaining 4 credits can be earned from doctoral courses or education offered at any Hungarian university, or at most once by teaching or by attending an international school with the prior permission of the head of the Doctoral School of Physics. (Credits for teaching: One semester, two hours a week is worth 2 credit points).

  During the research and dissertation stage, students gain an additional 16 credits by successfully conducting a predefense of their thesis.

 During doctoral studies, doctoral students are required to complete a compulsory annual report at the end of the first and third years. (In order to accept research credits in odd semesters, a short semester report is required.)

 At the end of the fourth semester, as a conclusion of the coursework and research stage, and as a prerequisite for starting the research and dissertation phase, students take a complex exam that evaluates and assesses their academic and research progress.

Upon the successful completion of the eight semesters of coursework, the doctoral student is given a pre-degree certificate (absolutorium). The absolutorium is the document evidencing that the doctoral student has completed all academic requirements. No absolutorium may be issued to doctoral students who have not acquired the necessary 240 credits.

 

Besides the scientific courses mentioned above, in order to improve the general (methodological, ethical, etc.) research knowledge of doctoral students the Doctoral Council of the University of Debrecen announces (generally in the spring semesters) the obligatory PhD course of General Research Methods (subject code: DEAKIDI_EN )  in the Neptun system.

Last update: 2023. 03. 26. 20:04