Procedure on PhD Thesis Defense

PhD Thesis Defense

I. Doctoral students shall be admitted to defense in case they have:

1. Officially completed their studies and are entitled to defense;
2. Prepared a PhD thesis that has been discussed at the Department and a positive decision has been made about the readiness for defense;
3. The written PhD thesis is in line with the minimal requirements for research defined by the Rulebook on the Implementation of LDASRB.

II. Within 30 days from the Departmental council’s positive decision on the readiness for defense, the Doctoral student submits at the Science Directorate the following documents:

1. Application to the Rector /model – 1. Doctoral students enrolled up to 4 May 2018; 2. Doctoral students enrolled after 4 May 2018/ for organizing and holding the defense;
2. CV;
3. A copy of the minutes from the Departmental council’s meeting at which a positive decision has been made about the readiness for defense;
4. Copies of the PhD thesis and the official summary both on electronic device and on paper for each member of the scientific panel and a copy to be at the disposal of those interested, which is stored at the Science Directorate;
5. Copies of the publications on the topic of the PhD thesis for each member of the scientific panel;
6. A reference note certifying that the minimal requirements for research defined by the Rulebook on the Implementation of LDASRB are met;
7. A declaration about the scientific and applied scientific results that constitute an original contribution to science.
8. Data Management Plan /e-form to be filled in/.

III. Full-time or part-time Doctoral students enrolled for state-subsized studies are exempt from a fee for the public defense of the PhD thesis, if within the duration of their academic training they file their documents for the defense at the Scientific Councils and Contests Directorate together with the application in a unified form that has been issued a reference number by UNWE’s clerk’s office.

The Doctoral students that have officially completed their studies and are entitled to defense (after the expiry of the duration of academic training) can defend their PhD thesis within two years by paying a fee for public defense to the amount of 2 900.00 leva. Upon the expiry of the two years, the Doctoral student loses all rights under the Doctoral degree studies.

IV. The open meeting for the public defense of the PhD thesis is held at UNWE in presence, unless an order issued by the Rector provides for something else. The date, hour and place of the defense are made public on UNWE’s website and/or through other appropriate means.

The open meeting of the scientific panel is held on the following agenda:

1. The scientific supervisor or the chair of the scientific panel presents the Doctoral student;
2. The Doctoral student makes a brief presentation of the basic results of his PhD thesis;
3. The members of the scientific panel present their reviews and opinion statements;
4. The members of the scientific panel and each attendee at the public defense have the right to make statements and ask questions which the Doctoral student may answer;
5. Each member of the scientific panel publicly announces their assessment − positive or negative;
6. The chair of the scientific panel announces the results from the defense.

V. Up to seven days after the defense, the Doctoral students that have successfully defended their PhD thesis submit to the Science Directorate three copies of the PhD thesis and of the official summary to provide to the depositary organizations.

VI. The Educational and Scientific degree of PhD is acquired on the day on which the PhD thesis is successfully defended.

UNWE issues the diploma for the Educational and Scientific degree of PhD in the Bulgarian language, and in the event of a personal request – an attachment in English.

Contacts:

Scientific Councils and Contests Sector – office 2038 / phone number +359 2 81 95 390