Useful information

• Annual evaluation of PhD curriculum in OASIS (screen shots)
• General information on the Doctoral Schools and the doctoral training programme
  

The role of the supervisor(s) and the Doctoral Advisory Committee in the doctoral training programme

Who determines the doctoral training programme?

1. The five interdisciplinary Doctoral Schools offer a clear-cut framework for all matters relating to doctoral studies. They develop doctoral training programmes containing specialist courses, transferable skills seminars and research-related activities, encouraging doctoral students to deepen and broaden their expertise and competences.
   
2. All doctoral students are entitled to take part in (part of) the doctoral training programme. Faculties admitting prospective doctoral students to a specific doctorate may make (part of) the doctoral training programme compulsory for certain students, certain groups of students or students enrolled in certain fields of study. In these cases, the succesful completion of the ‘compulsory programme’ is a necessary prerequisite for admission to the doctoral exam.
3. The structure of the doctoral training programme is identical for all doctoral students at Ghent University. Currently we are witnessing the effects of a shift from the ‘old’ (60 ECTS) structure (which expires at the end of the academic year 2011-2012) to a ‘new’ structure (which started in the academic year 2010-2011). The content of the programme is determined either separately per doctoral student, or for groups of students. The curriculum of each student’s doctoral training programme is subject to approval of his/her supervisor(s) and Doctoral Advisory Committee (if appointed), without prejudice to any provisions on this matter set out under the complementary Faculty regulations.

Who monitors the doctoral training programme and how?

1. According to article 81, § 3-4 of the Ghent University Education and Examination Code, doctoral students are required to annually submit a progress report.
   
2. This progress report is sent to the student’s supervisor(s) and (either directly or by the main supervisor) to the members of his/her Doctoral Advisory Committee (if appointed) for evaluation. The latter can comment on the included research and activity reports. The supervisor will be asked to formulate within 14 days an overall advice on the continuation of the doctoral research. This advice may be positive or negative. When negative, the report – including the supervisor’s advice – will be sent to the director of the Doctoral School, who may ask for a personal interview with the student and/or his/her supervisor(s).
3. The evaluation of the curriculum of the students who stayed in the old structure of the doctoral training programme is still processed through the DS application (until 1 October 2012, i.e. upon the expiration of this training programme). Doctoral students registered for the new doctoral training programme are evaluated through OASIS. Main supervisors are invited to use the demo with detailed instructions on how to evaluate an annual progress report. Please note that in the new-style doctoral training programme the supervisor(s) and the members of the Doctoral Advisory Committee (if appointed) are fully responsible for the evaluation of the required three conference contributions and the required publication. Careless evaluation of these activities may cause serious conflicts upon the final evaluation of the doctoral training and may even lead to a revocation of the certificate of the doctoral training programme.