Completion of training at the Doctoral School

The submission of the dissertation marks the end of training at the Doctoral School, i.e. obtaining the status of a graduate of the Doctoral School. It should be noted that the legislator understands by the term "completion of training" that the doctoral student is active until this point- it doesn't mean that training, based on the Training Program, i.e. the delivery of coursework and other activities, continues until this point. In order to submit your dissertation and complete your training, you must have all elements of the 8th PRK completed. 

NOTE: Failure to submit the dissertation by the deadline specified in the individual research proposal or by the extended deadline - in accordance with the Act and §25 para 1 item 2 of the School Regulations - is an obligatory premise for removal from the list of doctoral students. 
If it is not possible to meet the deadline indicated in the IRP, an application for an extension of PhD training must be submitted, accompanied by an update of the IPB. This is referred to in §23 of the regulations. Information on this, together with a template and the application procedure, will soon appear on our website.

To complete your training at the Doctoral School you need to:

  1. Pass all subjects and other elements of training required by the curriculum of the Doctoral School within the discipline of training. > more details
  2. No later than in the 4th year, pass a doctoral examination verifying knowledge at an advanced level in the discipline in which the training is conducted. The exam is organized by the Discipline Council / Field Council / Scientific Councils in the Institutes, supervising education at the Doctoral School at Gdańsk University of Technology, and its result is confirmed in the protocol. For examinations, you should contact directly the chairpersons of the Discipline Council / Field Council / Scientific Councils.
  3. Provide the Doctoral School office with a copy of the doctoral examination protocol, which will enable the Doctoral School to provide a certificate of achievement of learning outcomes for a qualification of level 8 of the Polish Qualification Framework in a particular discipline, necessary for the submission of a doctoral dissertation.
  4. Submit the doctoral dissertation along with the positive opinion of the supervisor(s) (the record of the supervisors' opinion is effective from 1.10.2023) and other attachments required by the Council to the appropriate Discipline Council / Field Council / Scientific Council of the institute supervising the training at the Doctoral School at Gdańsk University of Technology.
  5. Provide the Doctoral School office with confirmation of the submission of the doctoral dissertation to the appropriate Discipline Council / Field Council / Scientific Council of the institute supervising the training at the Doctoral School at Gdańsk University of Technology. Confirmation of the submission of the dissertation may be a copy of the letter addressed to the Discipline Council / Field Council on the initiation of proceedings for the award of the doctoral degree or a copy of the first page of the dissertation. This document must include the stamp and signature of the receiving person, the place and date of submission of the dissertation.

Templates for the documents: doctoral exam protocol and confirmation of thesis submission can be found on our website PhD Students > Formalities > Download materials > Templates. 

Submission of the doctoral dissertation to the Discipline Council / Field Council / Scientific Council of the institute, which supervises the training at the Doctoral School at Gdańsk University of Technology, ends the education at the Doctoral School. 

Upon completion of the whole procedure, a PhD student can receive at the Doctoral School office a certificate of completion of training at the Doctoral School. The Doctoral School does not provide separate diplomas or certificates.

Note:

The requirements for the Ph.D. exam, dissertation and doctoral defense are determined by the relevant Discipline Council / Field Council / Scientific Council of the institute, which also nominates the reviewers. The defense of the doctoral dissertation is conducted to the relevant Discipline Council / Field Council / Scientific Council  or to a committee appointed by the Council. Additional information about the doctoral dissertation, the procedure for awarding the doctor’s degree and the composition of the councils can be found on our website in the tab PhD Students > Training > Doctoral dissertation.

A doctoral student who submits their doctoral dissertation at an earlier date than the date of completion of doctoral training program provided for in the curriculum shall receive a doctoral scholarship in the amount due on the date of submitting their doctoral dissertation until the date of completing the doctoral training program, but not longer than for 6 months, and provided that the entire curriculum leading to qualifications at the level of the 8th Polish Qualification Framework is completed. At the same time, the total period of payment of the scholarship cannot exceed 4 years in total, and the scholarship is available only to those who do not have a doctor’s degree (upon defense, the doctoral student loses the right to it).

Legal basis:

  • Act of The Law on Higher Education and Science
  • Regulations of the Doctoral School at the Gdańsk Tech