The qualification requirements determined by the Council of Higher Education are applicable.
The Doctoral Program in Restorative Dentistry consists of at least 22 courses corresponding to 49 credits, a doctoral qualifying examination, a thesis proposal, and a doctoral thesis. Undergraduate courses are not counted toward the course load or doctoral credits.
Following the completion of the coursework period, a doctoral qualifying examination is conducted to assess whether the student has acquired sufficient depth of knowledge in fundamental subjects and topics related to the doctoral research. Students are required to take the qualifying examination no later than the end of the fourth semester. The qualifying examinations are held twice a year, during June–July and December–February.
The qualifying examinations are organized and conducted by a doctoral qualifying examination committee 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 examination committee evaluates the student’s performance in both parts and decides by absolute majority whether the student has passed or failed. This decision is reported to the relevant institute by the Head of the Department within three days following the examination. A student who fails the qualifying examination is allowed to retake it in the following semester. Even if a student successfully completes the qualifying examination and coursework, the committee may require the student to take additional courses, provided that these do not exceed one-third of the total credit requirement.
A student who successfully completes the doctoral qualifying examination must, within six months, orally defend a thesis proposal—including the aim, methodology, and research plan of the proposed study—before the Thesis Monitoring Committee. For students whose thesis proposals are approved, the Thesis Monitoring Committee convenes twice a year, once between January–June and once between July–December. The student is required to submit a written progress report to the committee members at least one month prior to each meeting. This report includes a summary of the work conducted to date and the research plan for the following year. The student’s thesis work is evaluated by the committee as either successful or unsuccessful.
Students enrolled in the doctoral program are required to prepare their thesis in accordance with the thesis writing guidelines determined by the Senate and to defend it orally before a thesis jury. The thesis jury consists of five members, three of whom are members of the student’s Thesis Monitoring Committee, and at least one of whom must be a faculty member from another higher education institution. The jury convenes and conducts the thesis defense within one month of the submission of the thesis. The defense consists of the presentation of the thesis followed by a question-and-answer session. After the defense, the jury decides by absolute majority to accept, reject, or request revision of the thesis.
A doctoral student whose thesis is accepted and who fulfills all other requirements must submit at least three bound copies of the thesis to the relevant institute within one month of the thesis defense. A student whose thesis is accepted with revisions must complete the required corrections and defend the revised thesis before the same jury within six months. A student whose thesis is rejected, or whose revised thesis is rejected, is assigned a new thesis topic.
