The qualification requirements determined by the Council of Higher Education are applicable.
The doctoral program for students who hold a master’s degree with a thesis consists of at least seven courses totaling no fewer than 21 credits, a qualifying examination, a thesis proposal, and a dissertation. For students admitted with a bachelor’s degree, the program consists of at least 14 courses totaling 42 credits, a qualifying examination, a dissertation proposal, and a dissertation. Undergraduate-level courses are not counted toward the course load or doctoral credits.
Following the coursework period, a qualifying examination is administered to assess whether the student has sufficient depth in fundamental subjects and in topics related to doctoral research. Students admitted with a master’s degree must take the qualifying examination by the end of the fifth semester at the latest (students admitted with a bachelor’s degree must do so by the end of the seventh semester). Qualifying examinations are held twice a year, during June–July and December–February. The examinations are organized and conducted by the doctoral qualifying examination jury proposed by the head of the department and approved by the Institute Administrative Board. The doctoral qualifying examination consists of two parts: written and oral. The jury evaluates the student’s performance in both parts and decides by absolute majority whether the student is successful or unsuccessful. This decision is reported by the department chair to the relevant institute within three days following the examination, together with an official report. A student who fails the qualifying examination is allowed to retake it in the following semester. Even if a student who passes the qualifying examination has completed the required coursework, the jury may require the student to take additional course(s), provided that the total does not exceed one-third of the required credits.
A student who successfully completes the doctoral qualifying examination must, within six months at the latest, orally defend a dissertation proposal before the Dissertation Monitoring Committee, covering the purpose, methodology, and study plan of the proposed research. For a student whose proposal is accepted, the Dissertation Monitoring Committee meets twice a year—once between January–June and once between July–December. The student submits a written report to the committee members at least one month prior to each meeting. This report includes a summary of the work completed to date and the work plan for the following year. The committee evaluates the student’s dissertation work as either successful or unsuccessful.
A student enrolled in the doctoral program must write the results obtained in accordance with the thesis writing guidelines determined by the Senate and must orally defend the dissertation before a jury. The dissertation jury consists of five members: three faculty members who serve on the student’s Dissertation Monitoring Committee and at least one faculty member from another higher education institution. The jury convenes and conducts the examination within one month at the latest following the submission of the dissertation. The examination consists of the dissertation defense and a subsequent question-and-answer session. After the completion of the examination, the jury decides by absolute majority to accept, reject, or require revision of the dissertation. A doctoral student who successfully passes the dissertation examination and fulfills all other requirements must submit at least three bound copies of the dissertation to the relevant institute within one month from the date of the examination. A student whose dissertation is decided to require revision must complete the revisions and re-defend the dissertation before the same jury within six months at the latest. A student whose dissertation is rejected, or rejected after a revised defense, is assigned a new dissertation topic.
