- 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
IV.5. Thesis defence
IV.5. Thesis defence
72. To be allowed to the defence of the graduation thesis, the student must have completed all other courses of the curriculum.
73. If the defence of a graduation thesis is required for the completion of a curriculum, the student chooses the supervisor(s) and the topic of the thesis in cooperation with the supervisor(s). The supervisor(s) of the thesis is (are) appointed by the directive of the head of institute that manages the curriculum or the vice dean for academic affairs of the faculty that manages the curriculum at least six months before the expected defence of the thesis. A supervisor must hold a master’s degree or an equivalent level of education or be an outstanding practitioner in their field. If the student’s supervisor does not have an employment contract with the university, the supervisor in charge holding a master’s degree or an equivalent level of education must be appointed from among the university’s staff.
74. The requirements for graduation theses, the procedure of forming the defence committee and the thesis defence procedure are established by the faculty council. The head of institute that manages the curriculum or the vice dean for academic affairs of the faculty that manages the curriculum confirms the composition of the defence committee(s) and, by the beginning of the semester, the dates of thesis defence. If a professional qualification is granted to the person completing the curriculum, the composition of the thesis defence committee must be coordinated with the professional qualification committee.
75. The student submits the graduation thesis to the defence committee by the date set by the faculty council or, by the decision of the faculty council, the council of the institute or college that manages the curriculum, but no later than one week before the date of defence, completed in a standard format, electronically (also on paper if the faculty council so decides). Together with the graduation thesis, the student also presents to the committee other materials related to the graduation thesis that characterise the scientific and practical value of the thesis.
76. The supervisor in charge of the thesis submits to the committee the consent to allow the thesis to be defended. If the supervisor(s) agree(s) to allow the thesis to be defended, a reviewer of the graduation thesis is appointed according to the provisions of the procedure established by the faculty council. The reviewer submits a written review of the thesis to the committee and the defender of the thesis at least one working day before the defence.
77. The author presents the graduation thesis for defence electronically, in a PDF file. As part of the thesis, the author submits a non-exclusive licence granting the university the right to
77.1. reproduce the graduation thesis for the purpose of preservation;
77.2. electronically publish their thesis via the university’s online environment under the Creative Commons licence CC BY NC ND 4.0, which allows, by giving appropriate credit to the author, to reproduce and distribute the work and communicate it to the public, and prohibits the creation of derivative works and any commercial use of the work. If a fixed-term restriction has been established by the directive of the vice dean for academic affairs on the publication of the graduation thesis, the author allows the university to publish the thesis after the expiry of the restriction.
78. The graduation thesis is assessed at a public defence. The faculty council may decide that graduation theses that are allowed to the public defence are published on the university’s website before the defence. To protect the confidentiality of personal data, state or trade secret, or confidentiality of technology, the vice dean for academic affairs may declare the defence closed for the public. The student, the student’s supervisor(s) and reviewer are present at the thesis defence, except if the supervisor or the reviewer cannot be present for a good reason. Participation in the defence may also take place via real-time two-way audio-video communication. Photographing or recording of a public defence is permitted with the consent of the participants.
79. The results of the defence of the graduation thesis are assessed by a committee. The committee has a quorum for assessment if more than half of its members are present. The results of the thesis defence are approved by the chair of the defence committee and announced immediately after the minutes of the thesis defence are signed, but no later than within one working day after the defence.
80. Graduation theses that have been defended and assessed with a positive grade, including the multimedia files that form a part of the theses, are published electronically, and the university ensures their preservation and availability. The author is responsible for ensuring that the publication of the graduation thesis does not violate the intellectual property rights of other persons, or the requirements arising from the Personal Data Protection Act or other legislation.
81. For publication, the graduation thesis is stored in the digital repository of the university library and made available to the public electronically within three months after the defence. If the graduation thesis cannot be published due to copyrights belonging to other persons, due to the Personal Data Protection Act, a state secret, trade secret or other classified information, the author submits a reasoned request to the vice dean for academic affairs to establish restrictions on the publication of the graduation thesis before submitting the graduation thesis for defence. The vice dean for academic years establishes restrictions by a directive for up to five years. If a fixed-term restriction has been established on the publication of the graduation thesis, the thesis will be published in the digital repository after the expiry of the restriction.
82. If the result of the thesis defence is negative, the student is entitled to one repeat defence according to the procedure established by the faculty council. For the repeat defence of the graduation thesis, the committee requires the student to supplement the existing thesis or write a new thesis on a different topic. The student is not entitled to a repeat defence of the same thesis if the result of the thesis defence was negative due to academic fraud. If the student fails to appear for the defence of the graduation thesis, the provisions for failure to appear for an assessment will apply.
