- 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
III.8.1. Conclusion of a joint supervision agreement
158. An agreement for joint supervision of a doctoral student is made between a doctoral student of the university, the university and a foreign higher education institution. The joint supervision agreement allows to defend a doctoral thesis on the conditions specified in the agreement in front of a joint council of the university and the foreign higher education institution and to award to the doctoral candidate, based on a decision of the joint council, the graduation documents and academic degrees of the university and the foreign higher education institution.
The joint supervision agreement’s purpose is cooperation between the two universities in supervising the doctoral student and conducting research related to the doctoral thesis. The result is one doctoral thesis, which is defended before a joint council set up by two universities. If the thesis is successfully defended, both universities issue a diploma with reference to the degree awarded by the other university.
Pre-conditions for concluding the agreement:
- At the time of concluding (signing) the agreement, the person supervised must be a doctoral student at both universities;
- The agreement is not concluded with an external student, but an external student can defend a thesis under a cotutelle agreement concluded while the person was a student.
If the person supervised has been admitted to a partner university and applies for a doctoral student place at the University of Tartu outside the activity support, conducting a regular admission competition is not necessary. In such a case, it is enough to submit the documents required for admission, the compliance of which with the conditions of the University of Tartu is verified by the Office of Academic Affairs. In the case of an activity support-financed student place, the regular admission competition must be completed.
159. The joint supervision agreement is signed by the doctoral student, representatives of both higher education institutions and the supervisors of the doctoral student. Before signing, the supervisor sends the joint supervision agreement electronically to the council awarding doctoral degrees of the university, which submits the agreement to the Office of Academic Affairs to verify compliance with the requirements established in these regulations.
160. If the conditions and procedure of defending the doctoral thesis agreed in the joint supervision agreement do not meet the conditions of defending doctoral theses established in these regulations, the senate decides whether to approve the adaptations and then the council awarding doctoral degrees of the university decides whether to approve the agreement.
161. If the conditions and procedure of defending the doctoral thesis agreed in the joint supervision agreement meet the conditions of defending doctoral theses established in these regulations, the council awarding doctoral degrees of the university decides whether to approve the agreement.
Process of concluding the agreement
The supervisor initiates the concluding of the agreement. The supervisor informs the institute of the wish to enter into a cotutelle agreement and, if necessary, agrees on applying for a doctoral student place if the person to be supervised comes from another university.
The supervisor contacts the senior specialist for doctoral studies at the Office of Academic Affairs to prepare the cotutelle agreement. The supervisor provides the necessary information for the agreement: the name of the partner university, the contact person at the partner university, at which university the defence is planned to take place. The remaining issues will be clarified with the partner university during the preparation of the agreement.
The senior specialist for doctoral studies agrees on the content of the draft agreement with the representative of the partner university and sends the final version to the supervisor, who submits the agreement to the council awarding doctoral degrees. The agreement must be approved either by the council awarding doctoral degrees (if the agreement complies with the Regulations for Doctoral Studies) or first by the senate and then by the council awarding doctoral degrees (if the agreement does not comply with the Regulations for Doctoral Studies).
As a general rule, the cotutelle agreement is concluded in the doctoral student’s first or second study year. Many foreign universities have specific deadlines for concluding cotutelle agreements.
