Obtaining a doctoral degree
Procedure for obtaining a doctoral degree
Information for students after finishing their studies on educational or psychology doctoral programmes of ELTE with “pre-degree certificate” (2+2 years system, starting after September 2016)
You may find the slideshow of the information session of 11 November 2024 by CLICKING HERE.
According to the Doctoral Regulations of 2016
The candidate shall submit the doctoral dissertation within three years after passing the comprehensive examination according to the conditions laid out in the University Doctoral Regulations. Obtaining the pre-degree certificate is a prerequisite of submission of the doctoral dissertation.
Before submitting the doctoral dissertation the doctoral school organises an academic meeting, a so called research centre disputation, to evaluate the dissertation. Before submitting the dissertation the candidate has to have enough time to take into consideration the suggestions made at the disputation so the date of it should be set according to this.
The candidate has to submit a request for the initiation of the critique procedure and the attached documents electronically to doktori.fokozat@ppk.elte.hu, but the candidate must also submit a printed and hardbound copy of the dissertation in the Student Affairs and Registrar's Office. The critique procedure may be held between 1 September and 30 June.
- Application form for initiating a critique procedure
- List of attachments to the application form for initiating a critique procedure
- Checklist for initiating a critique procedure
- Information on DOI identification
- Declaration form for disclosure of a doctoral dissertation
- Declaration of supervisor
- Joint declaration of the supervisor and the programme leader
Information about the length and formal requirements of the doctoral thesis which can be found in the Doctoral Regulations of the Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology, Paragraph 2 in Section 30.
The decision on the request for the initiation of the critique procedure shall be taken by the disciplinary doctoral council. Simultaneously to the approval of the request the disciplinary doctoral council shall decide on the members of the Assessment Committee and the official opponents based on the recommendation of the head of the doctoral school. At the request of the disciplinary doctoral council, the two official opponents shall prepare written critiques of the doctoral dissertation within two months. The opponents shall declare whether the conditions of the obtainment of the doctoral degree have been met and whether they recommend that dissertation be subject to a public disputation. The disciplinary doctoral council shall request a third opponent if any of the first two critiques contains rejection. If none of the two official opponents support the dissertation the disciplinary doctoral council terminates the critique procedure.
Having two supporting critiques the chairman of the disciplinary doctoral council shall refer the doctoral dissertation to a public disputation within no less than 15 but no more than 60 days. The period specified for the public disputation shall exclude the months of July and August. The candidate shall receive the critiques at least 15 days prior to the public disputation. The candidate shall prepare a written response to the critiques before the disputation and shall provide a verbal response in the public disputation during the defence of the dissertation.
The candidate may present his/her abstracts within the framework of the public disputation or may maintain what is set forth in the abstracts and proceed to respond to the questions and comments of the opponents, members of the Assessment Committee and others present at the disputation. The disputation must also verify that the results of the dissertation are credible and the candidate’s own. Closing the disputation, the Assessment Committee shall decide on the qualification of the dissertation by secret ballot in a closed session.
On the basis of a critique procedure conducted in accordance with the regulations, the council shall recommend the conferment and qualification of the doctoral degree, provided that the qualifications of the doctoral dissertation and the performance of the candidate in the public disputation are not “insufficienter”. Pursuant to the regulations on the evaluation and scoring of the degree, the qualification of the degree can be “summa cum laude”, “cum laude” or “rite”.
For candidates who do NOT have an absolutorium issued by the doctoral schools of the ELTE PPK
From 1 September 2016, due to the changes of the doctoral programme, starting the procedure for obtaining a doctoral degree for those who haven’t received the absolutorium in one of the doctoral schools of ELTE is not possible. (Doctoral absolutorium received in another higher education institute cannot be taken into account for the process.) For them, joining the new 8-semester long programme is the only possibility to obtain a doctoral degree: the applicant can start the procedure based on a request submitted by him/her and then completing the complex exam. After completing the complex exam, the higher education institute accepts the minimum number of credits that is the prerequisite of taking the complex exam. It is also possible to submit a request for transferring more credits based on previously acquired skills and competence.
Applying to the complex exam and the procedure for obtaining the doctoral degree without preliminary doctoral studies is possible for those who have received their diploma at least 5 years before applying, can meet the criteria of the admission to the doctoral school, and based on his/her professional, scientific activities it can be stated that the applicant’s work meets the criteria for at least the requirements set for the training and research part in the training plan of the doctoral programme. In this case, the student status starts after completing the complex exam, based on the admission letter, and after enroling in the university.