Chosen specifics of Ph.D. studies

Doctoral studies at Faculty of Humanities are very diverse, but although every study programme has its specifics, there are certain aspects they all share and which are binding for all Ph.D. students. Many of them differ from graduate studies substantially.

Chosen specifics of Ph.D. studies, which should every Ph.D. student bear in mind:

• Doctoral study is not a prolonged graduate study. Output of doctoral study is individual scientific work, publication, and research activity.

• The student is guided by their supervisor who is also their dissertation thesis supervisor. The supervisor should not only be informed about the student's progress when it comes to study responsibilities, but they should also actively participate in the development of the student's dissertation thesis, research and progress in their field of study. The student should be the initiator of this cooperation.

• Any first-year Ph.D. students must create, with the help of their supervisor, their Individual Study Plan (ISP). It should contain all study requirements scheduled for particular years of a standard length of study. ISP needs to be approved by the subject-area board, after which it becomes a binding document. The student must be authorised by the Subject-Area Board to change their ISP during their study.

• Aside from doctoral seminars, face-to-face learning is rare and students are usually preparing for their examination themselves. Doctoral students must actively participate in learning. They need to contact teachers and schedule examinations individually. The purpose of examinations during doctoral studies is not to widen the knowledge base of the student but rather to apply their knowledge to a specific topic of students research goal.

• Publication activity is an inherent part of Ph.D. study. Any mentioned publication needs to be recorded and dedicated to Faculty of Humanities. Students of all programmes plan their publication activity during their first year of study as a part of ISP. It is not possible to finish Ph.D. studies without any relevant publications in peer-reviewed journals. It is advised to publish right from the beginning of your studies, because publication activity has a substantial impact on your scholarship.

• Evaluation of study and research goals is done at the end every academic year. Ph.D. students need to evaluate their progress in their evaluation report in Student Information System (SIS). After sending, this report is approved by the student's supervisor and then by the Subject-area Board. The board decides whether to recommend to the dean that the student can continue to study or not. The proper execution of the evaluation report is hence a matter of utmost importance.

• The affairs of Ph.D. students are a matter of the Doctoral Studies Office, not of the Study Department.