Doctoral training
Enrolment doctoral programme
As a doctoral student, you are obliged to enrol every academic year. However, you only have to pay a fee at your first and last enrolment . The years in between, the enrolment is free but you have enroll every year to be registered as a doctoral student.
Attention: Before you can enrol, you always have to apply for the doctoral programme, even if you applied directly to the supervisor or via a special call.
Doctoral training
The doctoral training programme aims to broaden and deepen your knowledge of the research field and to encourage the development of diverse competences that will enhance the quality and efficiency of the doctoral research being undertaken and / or help advance your professional career within or outside the University.
The doctoral training programme consists of a common core (“truncus communis”) and a complementary component. All elements of the common core are compulsory for anyone required to undertake the (whole) doctoral training programme. The doctoral training programme is completed when all common core requirements have been met. More info can be found in the Doctoral Programme Regulations of the Faculty.
Common Core
The common core of the doctoral training consists of the following obligatory parts:
a) present at least two seminars, either about their own doctoral research or about a more general research topic. These seminars may be held at the doctoral student’s own research centre, at another K.U.Leuven research centre or at another Belgian or foreign university or university college.
Doctoral students should attach a signed confirmation of the head of their research unit to the DOClog file
b) attend 10 doctoral seminars outside their research group: the upcoming seminars will be announced by the administrative coordinator of the doctoral programme through the ppwdoct mailing list and the Faculty Agenda . Doctoral students should mention the attended seminars on the annual progress report which should be verified and signed by their supervisor.
Doctoral students are encouraged to spread these seminars over the whole doctoral training period. Five seminars can be replaced by a course organized especially for the doctoral training programme or by the faculty or by a doctoral school of the university or the human resources department of the university or any other (inter)national scientific institution. The doctoral programme coordinator decides whether a course can be accepted or not.
c) make at least one oral presentation or a poster presentation based on their research at an international conference.
A copy of (a part of) the scientific programme should be attached to the DOClog file.
d) publish at least one international publication. More specifically, this may include: a peer-reviewed journal article, a book chapter or a contribution to conference proceedings, written in the language of communication in the discipline and aimed at an international readership. The doctoral student should be the first author.
A copy of the published contribution should be attached to the DOClog file. If the contribution is not published yet, the acceptance letter of the head editor of the journal or book should be attached instead.
e) All doctoral students should submit an annual progress report on their research. This report should be sent to the administrative coordinator of the doctoral programme before June 15. The prescribed format can be found here.
Doctoral students cannot be exempted from part d) and e) from the common core component of the doctoral training (i.e. international publication and annual progress reports).
The doctoral programme coordinator decides whether a particular item or activity can be considered as part of the doctoral training. If any doubt, doctoral students should consult the coordinator rather than wait until submitting their DOClog file.
Transitional arrangements common core previous system:
The doctoral seminars as 'presenter' or 'discussant' can be considered as part a
the doctoral seminars as 'attendant' and the doctoral colloquia can be considered as part b
Complementary component
Beside the obligatory parts of your doctoral training you are free to take some extra courses and seminars to deepen your scientific knowledge, to refine your research skills and to broaden your horizon. More information about these courses and seminars can be found here or on the agenda of the Faculty.
Finishing the doctoral training
At the end of the doctoral training, you must prove that you have fulfilled all requirements of the doctoral training by using the logbook of the doctoral training (called DOClog). Your supervisor and the doctoral programme coordinator must confirm that you have accomplished all requirements, by signing the approval form .
Steps to be taken:
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You have to mail the completed DOClog with all necessary annexes(!) together with the 'approval form', to your supervisor.
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As soon as your supervisor approved your DOClog he/she has to sign the 'approval form' and you must mail the DOClog ànd all necessary annexes to the administrative coordinator of the doctoral programme, who will forward your DOClog to the doctoral programme coordinator. At the same time you have to submit the signed 'approval form' to the administrative coordinator. No need anymore to submit a printed version of your DOClog!
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When the doctoral programme coordinator approved your DOClog he/she will also sign the 'approval form' and send it back to the administrative coordinator of the doctoral programme.
- Once the 'approval form' is received, the administrative coordinator of the doctoral programme will contact you to inform you and make further arrangements for the defense and sending the dissertation in book form to the members of the jury.
