- Regulations for Doctoral Studies
- I. General provisions
- II. Doctoral Studies
- II.1. Learners in doctoral studies
- II.2. Supervision
- II.3. Filling a vacant student place
- II.4. Organisation of study
- II.4.1. General principles
- II.4.2. Period of study, suspension of doctoral studies and changes to the period of study of doctoral students matriculated to doctoral programmes opened from the 2022/2023 academic year
- II.4.3. Workload, academic leave and extending the period of study of doctoral students matriculated to doctoral curricula opened before the 2022/2023 academic year
- II.4.4. Individual plan
- II.5. Progress review
- II.5.1. Progress review schedule
- II.5.2. Progress review committee
- II.5.3. Documents required for progress review
- II.5.4. Progress review meeting
- II.5.5. Decisions of the progress review committee
- II.5.5.1. Decisions of the progress review committee regarding learners in doctoral studies in doctoral programmes opened from the 2022/2023 academic year
- II.5.5.2. Decisions of the progress review committee regarding learners in doctoral studies in doctoral curricula opened before the 2022/2023 academic year
- II.5.6. Repeat progress review and appealing a progress review decision
- II.6. Exmatriculation
- III. Applying for Doctoral Degree
- III.1. Completion of the doctoral programme
- III.2. Council awarding doctoral degrees
- III.3. Requirements for doctoral candidate
- III.4. Requirements for doctoral thesis
- III.4.1. General requirements for doctoral thesis
- III.4.2. Doctoral thesis as an integrated collection of research publications
- III.4.3. Doctoral thesis as a monograph
- III.4.4. Requirement for research publications and the introductory chapter
- III.4.5. Requirements for patents, patent applications and applied solutions
- III.4.6. Structure of the doctoral thesis
- III.5. Allowing a doctoral thesis to be defended
- III.6. Publication of the doctoral thesis
- III.7. Defence of the doctoral thesis
- III.8. Applying for doctoral degree and defence of the doctoral thesis under a joint supervision agreement
- III.9. Contesting and overruling the decisions of the council awarding doctoral degrees
- III.10. Preservation of the doctoral thesis
- IV. Implementing provisions
- Study Regulations
- I. General provisions
- II. Courses and modules
- III. Following the curriculum
- IV. Assessment
- V. Completion of studies
- VI. Filling vacant student places and rematriculation
- VII. Additional rights and obligations of students
- VII.1. Notification
- VII.2. Counselling
- VII.3. Making adaptations in studies
- VII.4. Giving feedback
- VII.5. Studying at other higher education institutions in Estonia
- VII.6. Studying at higher education institutions abroad
- VII.7. Academic leave
- VII.8. Extension of studies
- VII.9. Good academic practice
- VII.10. Contesting decisions concerning the organisation of studies
- Annex 1. Studying as a visiting student or external student
- Annex 2. Intensive study of Estonian
- Annex 3. Recognition of prior learning and professional experience
Regulations for Doctoral Studies and Study Regulations
II.2. Supervision
21. Before matriculating a doctoral student, the faculty council or, by the decision of the faculty council, the council of the institute that manages the specialisation of the doctoral programme, appoints supervisor(s), including the supervisor in charge, and approves the topic of the doctoral thesis. The supervisor’s consent is required to appoint the supervisor. The supervisor in charge submits the topic of the doctoral thesis to the council in Estonian and English and in the language of the doctoral thesis, if it is not Estonian or English, and to classify the thesis, up to three fields of research based on the category classifications of the Common European Research Classification Scheme.
22. Before registering a person as an external student, the faculty council or, by the decision of the faculty council, the council of the institute that manages the specialisation of the doctoral programme, appoints supervisor(s) to the external student, including the supervisor in charge.
The principles of appointing a supervisor are described in the good practice of doctoral studies clause I.3.
23. The supervisor of a learner in doctoral studies must hold a doctoral degree. In justified cases, a leading practitioner in the field may be appointed as one supervisor regardless of holding a doctoral degree.
24. The supervisor in charge must have an employment contract with the university unless the interinstitutional cooperation agreement concluded to organise doctoral studies states otherwise. In that case, at least one supervisor must have an employment contract with the university.
25. A supervision agreement is concluded between the learner in doctoral studies, the supervisor(s) and the university within one month of the matriculation of the doctoral student or registration of the external student. If the person continues studies as an external student immediately after a study period for which a supervision agreement has been concluded and its terms do not need to be changed, the agreement continues to apply for the new study period.
Prior to concluding the supervision agreement get acquainted to the advisory code of conduct for doctoral students and supervisors in the good practice of doctoral studies.
The supervision agreement must be signed in as many copies as there are parties to the agreement. Each party will keep one copy of the agreement.
The agreement indicates the division of responsibility and tasks between the supervisors.
The agreement is registered and stored at a respective dean’s office. If the dean has authorized a head of institute to sign the agreements, then the agreement needs to be taken to the institute a doctoral student is matriculated to (information on matriculation is in SIS).
26. Based on the application of the learner in doctoral studies or the supervisor, the council that appointed the supervisor has the right to appoint a new supervisor or relieve the supervisor from the supervision duty.
