Aptitude colloquium and doctoral plan

Passing the aptitude colloquium is a condition for definitive admission to the doctorate for all students admitted after 1 January 2022. The aptitude colloquium takes place in the twelfth month after the student's provisional admission.

The aptitude colloquium is private and lasts 45-60 minutes. Members may be admitted, if both the student and the doctoral thesis supervisor agree. The colloquium consists of a presentation of no more than 20 minutes, followed by a discussion with the committee members.

The aptitude colloquium is chaired by a D-MAVT professor (full or associate) appointed by the Doctoral Administration. Each doctoral student is assigned a committee chair during the first few months of their doctoral studies.

The Doctoral Committee will decide on additional members of the of the aptitude committee at the request of the doctoral thesis supervisor.

All committee members and the doctoral student may participate in the aptitude colloquium virtually. The responsibility for the functioning of the connection lies with the examination organizer and the persons connected.

In consultation with the doctoral thesis supervisor, the committee members and the committee chair, the doctoral student is responsible for finding a date, time and location for the aptitude colloquium and for submitting these details with the Download registration form (PDF, 50 KB) to the D-MAVT Doctoral Administration at least four weeks before the aptitude colloquium.

The aptitude colloquium committee has the following responsibilities:

1. It assesses the candidate's aptitude to independently carry out a research project and to write a doctoral thesis.
2. It declares the assessment "passed" or "failed" and records the result in writing to the attention of the doctoral committee, with additions to the research objectives if necessary.
3. It comments on the other points listed in the doctoral plan and may make recommendations in this regard.

If the decision is not unanimous, the doctoral committee will make the final ruling within one month of the aptitude colloquium, basing its decision on the research objectives described in the doctoral plan and the results of the assessment; it may also hear the aptitude committee and the candidate to make its decision.

In case of a repetition, with the approval of the doctoral thesis supervisor (the approval for repetition can be refused only if the aptitude committee unanimously decided that the first attempt was “failed”), the second attempt takes place within three months of the result of the first attempt and follows the same procedures as for the first attempt. The result of the aptitude colloquium (pass/fail) is reported to the Academic Services.

In case the deadline cannot be met, a Download request for a deadline extension (PDF, 507 KB) with reasons and a proposed new deadline, signed by the doctoral thesis supervisor, must be submitted to the D-MAVT Doctoral Administration. Please note the Download Principles of the Vice Rector Doctorate for deadline extensions for the aptitude colloquium (PDF, 72 KB). The Delegate for Doctoral Affairs approves signs and forwards it to the Academic Services. In case of a rejection, the D-MAVT Doctoral Administration informs the doctoral thesis supervisor and the doctoral student to discuss the situation.

The doctoral plan is drawn up in consultation with the thesis supervisor and discussed with the second advisor.

The doctoral plan (max. 10 pages excluding references) must contain at least the following elements:

- cover sheet with a working title of the thesis and the current date, and with the name and signature of the doctoral candidate, the doctoral thesis supervisor;
- abstract, max. ½ page;
- scope of the project, research tasks;
- elaboration on how the proposed research fits within the overall research of the institute and how it connects to other projects in the institute or department;
- literature review;
- future opportunities emerging from this research;
- time schedule;
- planned publications;
- teaching tasks;
- additional duties of the doctoral candidate;
- the timeline and courses of the extended doctoral studies (if applicable).

The doctoral plan must be submitted to the doctoral thesis supervisor, to the second advisor and to the Doctoral Administration of D-MAVT at least three weeks before the aptitude colloquium. The information about the planned aptitude colloquium must be sent to the D-MAVT Doctoral Administration at least four weeks in advance.