PhD Degree Studies – Information for Current PhD Students
- PhD Dissertation and Defense
- Tuition Fees and Scholarships
- Rules and Organization of PhD Studies
- PhD Individual Study Plan and Progress Review
- PhD Study Agreement
- Doctoral Allowance
- Applying for a Doctoral Degree
A complete doctoral programme lasts for 4 years and requires a volume of 240 ECTS. The requirements include the completion of a dissertation and its defense.
The dissertation is defined as a scientific research paper with original outstanding results, which have been published in respected journals, and articles of which the candidate is the leading author.
The dissertation may consist of a bound cycle of publications, a published monograph or, as an exception, an outstanding textbook for high school or university students.
The Doctorate Boards will make a decision as to whether the dissertation corresponds to the university's requirements and will appoint two opponents. For detailed information on requirements of doctoral thesis please check Procedure for Publication of Graduation Theses and Dissertations.
After a successful defense, the candidate will be awarded a Doctor's Degree of Philosophy (PhD). The procedure for publishing dissertations is descibed in the same document.
There are no tuition fees for PhD students, including international PhD students. In addition, scholarships have been established for students of some fields. For more information on scholarships, please see PhD scholarships.
Regulations and Organization of PhD Studies
The rules that govern the organisation of doctoral studies at UT are set out in the Study Regulations.
PhD Individual Study Plan
By September 30th of the first academic year of studies, a PhD student and his/ her supervisor should draw up an individual study plan covering the entire period of one's PhD studies. Second, third and fourth year students should, together with their supervisor(s), draw up a detailed study and research plan for the beginning of that acadmic year. The student should upload his/ her individual study plan and all related annexes to the electronic system - Study Information System, and take a paper copy to their institute or faculty.
PhD Student`s Individual Study Plan
All PhD students are required to sign a PhD study agreement and the agreement must be entered into within four weeks from the beginning of studies (for those enrolled from September, the agreement must be ready by the end of September). The agreement must be executed by the Dean of the respective faculty, the PhD student and his or her supervisor(s). The agreement must be executed in as many copies as there are parties to the agreement. Each party will keep one copy of the agreement.
The agreement will be registered and kept at the Dean's office of the faculty. When completing the agreement, please make sure that all fields are filled out. In the case of a field with several options, please keep the one that applies and delete the rest.
Clauses 5.2. and 5.3. should only be filled out if the relevant funding has been obtained. If the doctoral student’s research topic will not be funded from research allocations (targeted funding, grants, international R&D agreements, etc.) or other allocations emanating from outside the university, the clauses should be deleted.
After completion of the first study year, each PhD student must submit the following attestation review to the relevant commission.
PhD Student's Attestation Review
All full time PhD students are entitled to receive doctoral allowance during the four year time of their standard study period. This does not apply to the students of DoRa programme, as they have seprate funding measures.
The doctoral allowance can be sought by doctoral students who are citizens of the Republic of Estonia or who reside in Estonia on the basis of a residence right or a permanent or temporary residence permit and are full time students.
The amount of the doctoral allowance is 384.47 EUR per month (2012).
There is no separate application for the allowance, it is taken care automatically, and the allowance is granted for whole academic year (from August to September). PhD students who are on academic leave at the time of granting doctoral allowance shall be granted the allowance from the study month following the finishing date of academic leave until the beginning of the next academic year. For more information, please see the document about terms and procedure for granting allowances
Applying for a Doctoral Degree
Applying for a Doctoral degree.pdf