Study Plan for PhD students at the Cziráki József Doctoral School
Working collaboratively with their doctoral supervisor, students admitted into the doctoral program shall prepare a detailed 48-month study and research plan and submit it to the doctoral council of their field of study for approval. Changes to the study and research plan can only be made with the agreement of their doctoral supervisor and the doctoral school leadership. Before the doctoral school leadership makes a decision concerning changes, it will consult the appropriate doctoral council.
The fulfilment of academic and research obligations for doctoral students is measured in credits. A doctoral student must earn at least 240 credits during their studies and training.
The most important components of the doctoral program are the research activity topics the doctoral school announces. Research activities are evaluated in two ways, both with corresponding credit values. The first is the fulfilment of individual scientific research; the second is through publication.
Doctoral students can also earn credit points by undertaking teaching duties.
With the consent of their doctoral supervisor, doctoral students can publish their research results if they have continuously fulfilled their duties according to the study and research plan. Within the framework of a doctoral conference, doctoral students report on the research they have completed at the end of Years 1 and 3. The report is public. Students take complex exams at the end of Year 2. The requirements of the complex exam include Operational Regulations.
To be eligible to take the complex exam, doctoral students must first obtain 90 credits in the "training and research stages" of the doctoral program (the first 4 semesters) AS WELL AS complete the required courses and earn all the credits as stated in their study and research plan.
The doctoral supervisor shall certify a doctoral student’s completion of independent scientific research each semester in the student’s registration book.
The minimum and maximum limits of obtainable credit points are listed in the table below.
| Subjects | Lecturing | Research | Publication | Doctoral Student Conferences |
|
| minimum | 48 | 0 | 108 | 36 | 12 |
| recommended | 48 | 24 | 108 | 48 | 12 |
| maximum | 60 | 36 | 108 | 70 | 12 |
Sample Curriculum
| Study and Research Phase | Research and Dissertation Phase | ||||||||
| Semester | 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | 7. | 8. | In total |
| Subjects | 18 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 48 | ||||
| compulsory subjects |
12 | 6 | |||||||
| main subject of complex examination |
6 | ||||||||
| optional subjects (electives) |
4 | 12 | 8 | ||||||
| Lecturing | 24 | ||||||||
| Independent Scientific Research |
12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 108 |
| Publication | 48 | ||||||||
| Doctoral Conferences |
6 | 6 | 12 | ||||||
The basic principles of the doctoral program curriculum are the following:
a) The theoretical part of the complex exam at the end of Year 2 consists of exams completed in a main and elective subject. The main subject must be a six credit complex examination subject from the student’s doctoral program, while the elective subject can be freely chosen from the selection of elective subjects offered in the complex exam.
b) Course requirements are concentrated in the beginning of the course of study thereby providing doctoral students the opportunity to devote more time to research starting from the Semester 3 onward.
c) Research requirements in Semester 1 and 2 are moderate for independent scientific research, but a review of literature and bibliographical research are still mandatory. However, Semester 3 and 4 are more research centred. The doctoral supervisor verifies the completion of this in the student’s registration book each semester.
d) Education credits: one weekly 2 hour course each semester is worth 6 credits; independent laboratory work equals 4 credits; degree planning is 4 credits. Fulfilment of education requirements are confirmed by the institute director.
The doctoral seminar must be completed in the first 4 semesters; every semester the student must participate in five presentations, a comprehensive/complex exam, and a defence. Dr. Antal Kánnár certifies the completion of these requirements through his signature.
The attainable credit points for research results slated for publication until the publication date are shown in the table below:
| Journal article | With impact factor | 16 |
| Without impact factor, but Q1-Q4 | 14 | |
| Academic journal listing – foreign language | 10 | |
| Academic journal listing - Hungarian | 8 | |
| Other peer-reviewed – foreign language | 8 | |
| Other peer-reviewed – Hungarian | 6 | |
| Other not peer-reviewed – foreign language | 4 | |
| Other not peer-reviewed - Hungarian | 3 | |
| Book chapter – peer-reviewed | Foreign language | 10 |
| Hungarian | 8 | |
| Conference paper (full text, min. 4 pages) |
Foreign language | 8 |
| Hungarian | 6 | |
| Conference paper – abstract (1-3 pages) |
Foreign language | 3 |
| Hungarian | 2 |
Credit points listed in the table must be divided by the number of co-authors; the doctoral supervisor will not be counted when determining the number of co-authors. (Foreign co-authors will also not be counted during any division of credit points.)
Publication Requirements: Ph.D.
- Requirements for substantive publications:
- Minimum number of published scientific papers: 4
- Minimum number of foreign language papers published: 2
- The minimum number of published peer-reviewed papers: 2
- Minimum number of foreign-language peer-reviewed publications (which can be referred to through Scopus and Web of Science): 1
- Minimum number of published pieces in Hungarian for native Hungarian-speaking candidates: 1
- Minimum number of works appearing in foreign publications (journals or conference papers): 1
Thesis requirements: Peer-reviewed and formally approved (guaranteed date of publishing) papers should cover at least half of the thesis.
In cases of published pieces with many co-authors, the doctoral student’s contribution is divided by the number of co-authors; doctoral supervisors are excluded from this calculation.
Published conference papers fewer than 2 pages, abstracts, or posters do not count as acceptable published pieces in respect to earning a degree and will not be considered or evaluated.
