DOCTORAL STUDIES
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN MACEDONIA | SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
Specialization
The University of Western Macedonia offers specialization in key subject areas, as well as related fields from the university’s departments.
Academic Title
The execution of original scientific research is certified, along with the substantial contribution of the candidate to the advancement of science and its related scientific fields.
Scientific Research
The production of high-level scientific research with an emphasis on publishing the scientific work that is carried out within the program.
Description and Objectives
The Doctoral Studies of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the University of Western Macedonia aim to promote Knowledge through original scientific research and lead to the acquisition of a Doctoral Degree. The Doctorate Diploma is an academic title, which certifies the preparation of original scientific research and the essential contribution of the holder to the development of science and knowledge in the respective scientific field.
The primary goal of the program is to ensure that students acquire deep knowledge and skills to become independent researchers.The PhD program aims to prepare doctoral candidates to achieve original results in their research, by publishing scientific articles in high-impact journals and contributing to the advancement of science and technology.
The Department provides P.D.S. in the English language.
The Ph.D. program includes a structured curriculum of courses and other educational and research activities, with learning outcomes specified at the program level. Completing the Ph.D. program requires 180 ECTS credits, distributed across the following activities:
- Doctoral Dissertation (Ph.D. thesis): 60 ECTS credits.
- Two publications in international journals ranked in Q1, Q2, or Q3 categories in SCIMAGO (SCOPUS): 30 ECTS credits each.
- Scientific paper and presentation at an international peer-reviewed conference (Proceedings): 30 ECTS credits.
- Mandatory 39-hour doctoral-level course “Research Methodology”: 6 ECTS credits.
- Additional requirements for Ph.D. candidates, such as interim deliverables and periodic progress reports from supervisors.
- Other educational or research activities: 24 ECTS credits.
Right to apply
Right to submit an application for the preparation of a D.D. in the P.D.S. have those who meet the following conditions:
- They hold a degree from a Higher Education Institution (A.E.I.) in Greece or from a recognized Higher Education Institution abroad.
- 2) They are holders of M.D.E. which has been granted by a Higher Educational Institution (HEI) of the country or abroad, or a graduate of an undergraduate study program (P.P.S.) of an HEI. for a minimum duration of five years corresponding to three hundred (300) credits of the European System of Transfer and Accumulation of Academic Credits ( ECTS ).
- 3) They hold a certification of good knowledge of the English language at B2 level.
- 4) In the case of graduates from P.P.S. FOREVER. for a minimum duration of five years corresponding to three hundred (300) credits of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System ( ECTS ), the graduation grade must be at least six and a half (6.5) on the 0-10 scale. Alternatively, candidates in this category must (a) be documented to be in the top 50% of the degree ranking among graduates in the same year of enrollment in their Department of graduation, or (b) have at least one publication in subject related to the subject of the D.D., in an international peer-reviewed scientific journal or announcement at an international peer-reviewed scientific conference.
- 5) In the remaining cases, the weighted average of the graduation grade from the P.P.S. FOREVER. and the degree of M.D.E. must be at least a six and a half (6.5) on a scale of 0-10. The weighted average is calculated as follows:
Candidate selection procedure
The call for applications takes place once per academic year, during the months of September to November, or whenever deemed necessary by the Department Assembly. The calls for doctoral candidate positions are posted on the Department's website. The calls specify:
The submission period for applications,
The academic fields in which candidates can conduct their PhD research, as well as the number of available positions per field,
The required documents to be submitted with the application.
Any interested party who meets the conditions of the Doctoral Studies Regulations may submit an application to the Department Assembly for the preparation of a D.D. The application includes at least the following information:
- the proposed field/title of the PhD thesis,
- a brief summary of the subject matter of the PhD thesi
the language of writing, which can be different from Greek, provided the Tripartite Committee approves it,
the proposed supervisor or supervisors for the PhD thesis, who must be in a field related to the scientific work being undertaken as part of the PhD thesis.
The application must be accompanied by a detailed CV of the applicant, as well as documents supporting that the conditions outlined in Article 1 of the Doctoral Studies Regulations are met. Additional conditions may be required.
The candidate's mandatory qualifications include good knowledge of English at the B2 level. The language may differ from English if this is deemed important for academic reasons by the Department Assembly. Any additional language certification is evaluated positively.
The Department Assembly, after receiving the submitted applications, categorizes them based on the relevance of the research subject and appoints tripartite committees for each category of application, consisting of faculty members of the Department.
The committees examine all the documents accompanying the application and invite the candidate for an interview. Then, the committees draw up a detailed report listing the reasons for each candidate’s acceptance or rejection based on whether the conditions are met to proceed with the approval by the Assembly. If the proposed supervisor is included in the application, the appropriate committee is responsible for recommending their approval and submitting it to the Assembly for approval.
The Department Assembly considers the committee’s report, the opinion of the proposed supervisor(s), and decides whether to approve or reject the candidate’s application, providing a justified explanation for the decision. In case of approval, the Assembly finalizes the dissertation’s title, language of writing, and supervisors.
At the same meeting, it may be decided whether the candidate should take additional courses, fulfill other obligations, or participate in scientific events, etc.
Doctoral Dissertation
Obligations and rights of doctoral candidates
1 To cooperate To cooperate with the supervisor and the members of the Three-Member Advisory Committee to support the preparation of the D.D. their.
2) To submit in writing a detailed memorandum of progress of the D.D. them on an annual basis to the Three-member Advisory Committee and to present orally its progress.
3) To provide auxiliary teaching work according to the needs of the First and Second Cycle Programs of the Department, upon the suggestion of the supervisor , as well as auxiliary administrative work in the Department, e.g. surveillances.
4) Submit to the Secretariat before the start of the D.D. support process. a responsible statement that their work has been prepared by them and does not contain elements of plagiarism.
5. To respect and abide by the decisions of the bodies of the Department and the P.D.M.The non-compliance with all of the above without a serious and documented justification, as well as
a) the violation of the written provisions regarding the treatment of disciplinary offenses by the competent disciplinary bodies and
b) offenses that fall under the law on intellectual property (law 2121/1993) during the writing of the D.D., they constitute grounds for deleting the D.D. from the Third Cycle of Studies.
During the preparation of the D.D. and before its support , PhD candidates have the rights of P.M.S students and any other right defined by the Doctoral Studies Regulations . The Y.D. may participate in research projects/programmes of A.E.I. and receive scholarships in the context of co-financed, self-financed or other projects/programs for the financial support of their doctoral research.
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