WIKI-PhDA

The PhD timeline

Glossary

Note: the abbreviations are from the Hungarian originals.

University Doctoral Council (EDT) – responsible for all major decisions and for all major regulations at Corvinus.
University Doctoral Office (EDI) – provides unified administrative support for the doctoral programs.
Doctoral School (DI) – doctoral education in Hungary is organized in doctoral schools.
Doctoral Program – within doctoral schools, doctoral programs provide education in particular academic areas.
Doctoral dissertation – the document containing the original research description and results of a doctoral candidate.
Publication requirement – the number and quality of scientific journal articles you need to publish in order to receive a PhD
Neptun – the official course and student administration software used by Hungarian universities
Moodle – software used to share course material with students at Corvinus
MTMT – the central Hungarian repository of scientific publications and citations

I. Enrollment

I.1. First year registration

After successful completion of the admission procedure, the student status of the admitted doctoral students is established upon enrollment, based on the admission decision.
Registration is open in the first 2 weeks of September, Monday-Thursday (9 am to 4pm)
Documents required for enrollment:
1. Identity card: original and photocopy (in case of non-Hungarian citizens, the passport, settlement/residence permit);
2. TAJ number, tax number, bank account number, address card: original and photocopy;
3. MA/MSc diplomas and language certificates: original and photocopy;
Prior to enrolment, please carefully read the Doctoral Regulations of Corvinus University of Budapest and the regulations of the doctoral school to which you have applied. The regulations provide information on the credits to be completed during the training, the conditions for semester registration and successful completion of semesters, the conditions for obtaining a diploma and the procedure for obtaining a doctoral degree.

I.2. Semester and course registration (2nd year and above)

To remain in good standing, you must activate your student status at the beginning of each semester, during the registration period.
A detailed schedule of the academic year, along with the deadlines, can be found here.
Activating your status and registering for courses is done in Neptun.
During the research and dissertation phase (after your comprehensive exam), you can elect to remain inactive (“passive”) for at most two semesters. You have to initiate this by filing an official request in Neptun during the registration period.
You need to register for courses in Neptun, as specified in your course schedule (The curriculums of each Doctoral Schools can be found here: https://www.uni-corvinus.hu/main-page/about-the-university/corvinus-doctoral-schools/regulations/?lang=en#accordion-item-1002). You have to register at least for the compulsory technical courses. Numbers in the names of these courses indicate the semesters when you have to register for them.
It is ok if you register for T/S courses but end up not earning credits by the end of the semester.
Relevant documents for starting a semester and course registration: (i) DI Operational Regulations, (ii) DI Course Schedule, (iii) late course registration form, (iv) credit request form.

II. Program structure

II.1. Education and Research Phase

General information

The education and research phase is the first four semesters of doctoral studies, which is concluded by a comprehensive exam.
In this part of the program, you have to collect study, research and teaching/service (T/S) credits.
During the four semesters, each student must earn at least 120 (with a minimum of 48 Study, 6 T/S, and 60 research) credits to be able to be admitted to the comprehensive exam.

Study credits

Study credits can be earned via regular course completion, registered in Neptun. To collect the required credits, you have to take compulsory, elective and optional courses as specified by the course schedule.

Teaching/service credits

Teaching/service credits are fixed, they are recorded via the Teaching credit and Teaching administration credit technical courses.
Teaching credits can be earned with teaching activity. To get the 6 credits you have to teach one module (90 minutes) per week throughout a semester.
You can collect 2 service credits by performing consultation, teaching support and other service activities during a semester. These need to be approved by your program director.
You can also earn T/S credits by teaching at other, domestic or foreign accredited higher education institutions.
Each semester you can take up to 1 teaching plus 1 service technical courses, or up to 2 service technical courses.

Research credits

Research credits are earned by scientific research, conference and research forum participation, and publications. You are strongly advised to consult doctoral school regulations, as specific requirements may differ across schools and programs.
By fulfilling the research requirements as specified by your doctoral school, you get a fixed amount of 15 credits per semester. To be eligible, you need to register for the appropriate technical courses in Neptun.
As a general rule, you should register for one such course each semester. However, it is possible to take two courses – in this case please consult your supervisor and your program director.

II.2. Comprehensive Exam

General information

The comprehensive exam (CE) concludes the first phase of the doctoral program. It is held in the Spring semester, in the exam period. Passing the CE is a requirement for progressing into the second phase.
The exam is open to the public and takes place in front of a committee. Results are announced immediately after the exam.
Prerequisites: (i) the required 120 credits (with minimum requirements satisfied by credit type), and (ii) a signed, supportive evaluation from your supervisor.
A failed CE can be repeated in August of the same semester.
Failing to pass the CE leads to automatic termination of student status.

Timing

Application forms due: February
All documentation due: May
Exam: June

The exam

The exam has two parts, the theoretical part, and the dissertation part.
The theoretical part evaluates whether the student knows the relevant literature and methodology required for a successful thesis.
The dissertation part evaluates the proposal (thesis plan) that the student submitted for the CE.
The exam is successful of the committee judges both parts to be satisfactory.

II.3. Research and Dissertation Phase (K+D)

General information

The research and dissertation (or degree) phase follows the successful comprehensive exam and lasts for 4 semesters. During this part of the program, students are engaged in an intensive research activity. Research outputs are disseminated through scientific forums and publications.

Required credits

You need to collect at least 120 credits during the 4 semesters.
Research activities, as specified by your doctoral school, are worth 25 credits per semester. You need to register for the appropriate Research technical course in Neptun. In exceptional cases, after consulting with your supervisor and program director, you may register for 2 such courses in one semester.
It is possible to earn T/S credits in this phase. For details, see the Education and Research Phase section of this guide.
In the research and dissertation phase, you can earn a one-time, extra 20 credits for research-related activities that go above and beyond the general requirements. For details, please consult specific regulations of your doctoral school.

Absolutorium

At the end of the 8^th active semester, you must achieve the absolutorium, which is a document certifying that you completed the required 240 credits (and the required minimum amounts for each credit type).

II.4. Dissertation, defence

Pre-defence

Before submitting your final thesis, it must go through the pre-defence procedure.
The submitted thesis draft must contain all the essential elements of the final dissertation, including results.
Prerequisites for a pre-defence are a successful comprehensive exam, and the registration of your publications in the MTMT database.
You can submit the draft thesis before or after the absolutorium. In the former case, deadlines are March 15 (or October 15) of your 8^th semester. If the pre-defence is successful before the end of the 8^th semester, you are eligible for 20 extra credits.
You can find more information about the submission procedure here:
The draft thesis is evaluated by two referees, and it has to be defended in an oral examination.
The outcome can be (i) accept with at most minor modifications, (ii) accept with substantive modifications, (iii) reject.
In the first two cases you can start the final defence procedure.

Final Public defence

To submit your final thesis, you must have received the absolutorium, and fulfilled the DI’s publication requirement, and successfully completed the Thesis Draft Defence
The minimum publication requirement at the university level is a Scimago Q3 journal article. Details can vary across doctoral schools, please see the respective DI Regulations document.
For more details of the submission procedure, see here: https://www.uni-corvinus.hu/main-page/about-the-university/corvinus-doctoral-schools/dokumentumok/?lang=en
The dissertation is evaluated by two reviewers and a committee, appointed by the University Doctoral Council, and it has to be defended in front of a committee.
The outcome can be: Summa Cum Laude, Cum Laude, Rite, Insuficiente.
The PhD title needs to be approved by the University Doctoral Council

III. Administrative details

III.1. Repeating courses

If you cannot fulfill the requirements of a course, you can re-register in a subsequent semester. You can re-register at most once, or twice with the special permission of the Dean. Failure to complete a compulsory course during the four semesters leads to an automatic termination of your student status.

III.2. Closing a semester and getting credits

Course evaluation and awarding technical credits takes place at the end of the semester, during the exam period. Technical credits are approved by the program directors based on your research and teaching/service activities.
At the end of the semester, you have to upload the following documents to Moodle: (i) semester report, (ii) student evaluation about supervision, (iii) supervisor’s evaluation, (iv) teaching/service credit form.

III.3. Travel grants

During your studies you can apply for conference travel support, which covers – up to a limit – costs of travel, accommodation and registration fees for conferences, workshops and summer schools.
Support is not automatic, as funds are finite.
For conference and workshop travel, you need a paper accepted for presentation (poster is ok).
Only high-quality events are supported, as certified by the head of your doctoral school.
For details on how to apply, see here:
Conference support description.docx
Application form_ENG.docx
For VAT invoice, the address and VAT number of the university are:

Corvinus University Budapest

1093 Budapest, Fővám tér 8.

Tax number: 19156972-2-44/HU19156972

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