Doctoral thesis

Submittal, Defence, and Evaluation of the Doctoral Thesis Proposal

The doctoral thesis proposal can be submitted no earlier than the end of the first (I) semester, i.e., upon passing the mandatory course Methodology of Scientific Research, and no later than the end of the fourth (IV) semester.

The doctoral thesis proposal is to be submitted on the University's form (form DR.-01) and delivered in digital form to the Faculty's clerk's office. The submittal of the doctoral thesis proposal must be accompanied by the proposed Mentor's consent with the application.

Upon the Committee's proposal (the first session in the procedure of obtaining a doctorate), the Council appoints the Committee for the Evaluation of the Thesis Proposal and Mentor Proposal.

The Committee for the Evaluation of the Thesis Proposal and Mentor Proposal evaluates the expected scientific contribution, financial and organisational feasibility of the research and proposes a Mentor.

After the appointment of the Committee for the Evaluation of the Thesis Proposal and Mentor Proposal, the Doctoral Candidate should hold a public defence of the doctoral thesis proposal. The public defence of the doctoral thesis proposal is held at the Faculty, in front of the Committee for the Evaluation of the Thesis Proposal and Mentor Proposal and other interested persons, in the same language the doctoral thesis will be written in.

After the public defence, the Committee for the Evaluation of the Thesis Proposal and Mentor Proposal makes an evaluation and submits a proposal to the Committee on the University's form (form DR.-02) no later than 90 days after the appointment. In the event that the Committee for the Evaluation of the Thesis Proposal and Mentor Proposal returns the doctoral thesis proposal to the doctoral candidate for revision, it has an additional 30 days from the moment of receipt of the revised thesis proposal to make an evaluation and submit a proposal to the competent body.

The Council, at the proposal of the Committee, adopts a decision to accept the doctoral thesis proposal and appoints a Mentor for the Doctoral Candidate, i.e. it does not accept a negatively evaluated doctoral thesis proposal, at its first following session, after submission of the proposal of the Committee for the Evaluation of the Thesis Proposal and Mentor Proposal (the second session of the Council in the process of obtaining a doctorate). An integral part of the Council's decision is the form of the Decision on the Approval of the Doctoral Thesis Proposal (form DR.-03).

If the Council approves the doctoral thesis proposal and the proposed Mentor, the draft is proposed for adoption by the Council of the Technical Area according to the instructions of the University. The Council of the Technical Area proposes the doctoral thesis proposal and the Mentor for approval by the Senate. The Senate approves the doctoral thesis proposal and the Mentor at its next session after the submission of the proposal.

Doctoral Thesis Evaluation Procedure

After acquiring a minimum of 78 ECTS credits, 30 ECTS credits of which through classes, 21 ECTS credits through mandatory forms of work, 14 ECTS credits through elective forms of work and 13 ECTS credits through the approved draft of the doctoral thesis, a completed doctoral thesis and paid tuition fees, the Doctoral Candidate initiates the doctoral thesis evaluation procedure.

Along with the written request for the appointment of the Thesis Evaluation Committee, together with the Statement of Originality, the Doctoral Candidate shall submit a copy of the doctoral thesis in electronic form, at least ten days before the session of the Council at which the Thesis Evaluation Committee is appointed (the third session of the Council in the process of acquiring the doctorate).

The Doctoral Candidate submits the application for the evaluation of the doctoral thesis to the Student Affairs Office, which determines whether the Doctoral Candidate has fulfilled all the necessary obligations for the Study.

Immediately after the appointment of the Thesis Evaluation Committee, the Student Affairs Office publishes the title and abstract of the thesis in Croatian and English on the Faculty's website.

The Council (the third session of the Council in the process), upon the proposal of the Committee, appoints the Thesis Evaluation Committee.

The Committee for the Thesis Evaluation will be formed of three or five members, with at least one member of the three-member committee, i.e., at least two members of the five-member committee, being neither teachers of the Study nor employees of the Faculty, but preferably employees of another Croatian or foreign university or a related institution. The Mentor must not be a member of the committee.

Within three months from the date of appointment, the Thesis Evaluation Committee shall submit a report to the Committee and the Council with an evaluation of the doctoral thesis on the University's form (form DR.-10). Each Committee member has the right to submit a separate evaluation.

The Thesis Evaluation Committee prepares a report recommending:

- the acceptance of the doctoral thesis with an explicit statement on the achievement of original scientific contribution, or

- a revision of the doctoral thesis, with a mandatory explanation and deadline for revision, which must not exceed 3 months, or

- the rejection of the doctoral thesis, with a mandatory explanation.

At its first session after the submission of the report (the fourth session of the Council in the process), the Council, upon the proposal of the Committee, makes a decision on the report of the Thesis Evaluation Committee.

After accepting a positive thesis evaluation report, the Faculty is obliged to make the doctoral thesis publicly available by publishing it on its website at least 30 days before the date of the defence. The published electronic thesis must be protected from copying of the content or saving the file by third parties.

Doctoral Thesis Defence

A Doctoral Candidate whose doctoral thesis has been positively evaluated has the right and duty to publicly defend the doctoral thesis before the Thesis Defence Committee appointed by the Council (the fourth session of the Council in the process of obtaining a doctorate), at the earliest within 31 days and at the latest within 60 days from the publication of the thesis on the website.

The public defence of the doctoral thesis is held only once.

The Committee for the Thesis Defence will be formed of three or five members, with at least one member of the three-member committee, i.e., at least two members of the five-member committee, being neither teachers of the Study nor employees of the Faculty, but preferably employees of another Croatian or foreign university or a related institution. The Mentor must not be a member of the committee.

The public defence of the doctoral thesis is held on the Faculty's premises, in the language in which the doctoral thesis was written.

The public defence procedure is determined by the protocol, about which the chair of the Thesis Defence Committee informs persons present at the defence.

The Doctoral Candidate's presentation given during the defence of the Thesis may not last more than 45 minutes and must contain an explanation of the structure of the doctoral thesis, an explanation and justification of the use of research methods, and an explanation of the original scientific contribution.

Minutes of the doctoral thesis defence are recorded on the form of the University of Zagreb (form DR.-11).

After the Doctoral Candidate's presentation, members of the Thesis Defence Committee ask questions that must be related to the topic of the doctoral thesis. Persons present at the public defence may formulate questions in written form and the chair of the Thesis Defence Committee will then decide on the validity of such questions and forward these questions to the Doctoral Candidate. All questions for the Doctoral Candidate during the defence are to be attached as an annex to the minutes of the defence of the doctoral thesis.

After answering the questions, the Thesis Defence Committee decides whether the Doctoral Candidate successfully defended or failed to defend the doctoral thesis. If the defence was successful, the Thesis Defence Committee may issue a grade from the Latin classification of honours as rite, cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude. The decision and evaluation are determined by a majority vote of the Thesis Defence Committee.

In the event that the doctoral thesis is not defended, the chair of the Thesis Defence Committee informs the Doctoral Candidate thereof and suspends the procedure for obtaining the doctorate. The Doctoral Candidate thus loses the right to obtain a doctorate at the Study.

Candidate's Rights and Obligations after Defending the Doctoral Thesis

The study, along with all the exams passed and completing the required forms of work, ends with a public defence of the doctoral thesis. Doctoral Candidates acquire the rights of a PhD on the day of the successful defence of the doctoral thesis, and the full rights of the academic degree and diploma are acquired by taking the oath at the graduation ceremony and by being inscribed the Book of PhDs.

Three copies of the hard bound doctoral thesis and the doctoral thesis in electronic form shall be submitted to the Student Affairs Office within 15 days from the day of the defence. Doctors (PhDs) must fill out the University form for the graduation ceremony of PhDs within 15 days from the day of the defence.

The doctoral diploma is handed to Doctoral Candidates by the Rector at the graduation ceremony for PhDs and Doctors of Arts.

In the event that the research results of the doctoral thesis include an innovation suitable for the protection of intellectual property rights, the Doctoral Candidate and Mentor can report this to the Faculty. In this case, the Doctoral Candidate may, with the Mentor's consent, before submitting the doctoral thesis for evaluation, request that the submitted doctoral thesis be treated in secret until the moment of public defence and the Faculty may take the necessary steps for the legal protection of such intellectual creations prior to publication, in accordance with the Regulation on Intellectual Property Management of the University of Zagreb.