The Department offers a Doctoral Studies Program (Ph.D.) in English.

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:

1. Doctoral Dissertation (Ph.D. thesis): 60 ECTS credits.
2. Two publications in international journals ranked in Q1, Q2, or Q3 categories in SCIMAGO (SCOPUS): 30 ECTS credits each.
3. Scientific paper and presentation at an international peer-reviewed conference (Proceedings): 30 ECTS credits.
4. Mandatory 39-hour doctoral-level course “Research Methodology”: 6 ECTS credits.
5. Additional requirements for Ph.D. candidates, such as interim deliverables and periodic progress reports from supervisors.
6. Other educational or research activities: 24 ECTS credits.

Specifically, the required 24 ECTS credits can be earned from the following activities:

• Doctoral level elective courses: 6 credits (per course). Courses are chosen in consultation with the supervisor. The list of available doctoral level courses is approved by the Department Assembly and updated when deemed necessary.
• Teaching assistance in undergraduate courses: 3 ECTS per semester (can be chosen up to 4 times). The Department’s Assembly confirms teaching assistance assignments.
• Literature review: 6 ECTS (can be chosen once), confirmed by the supervisor upon successful completion.
• Presentation of research results at the University of Western Macedonia: 2 ECTS per presentation (can be chosen up to 3 times). The successful completion of the specific activity is confirmed by the supervisor.
• Two lectures at universities of the country or in the context of summer school ( summer school ) in the homeland. The lecture plan must be approved by the supervising professor : 6 ECTS (can be chosen once). The successful completion of the specific activity is confirmed by the supervisor , after the presentation of the relevant certificate-justifications.
• A lecture at a university abroad or as part of a summer school ( summer school ) abroad. The proposal plan must be approved by the supervising professor : 6 ECTS (can be chosen once) . The successful completion of the specific activity is confirmed by the supervisor, after the presentation of the relevant certificate-justifications.
• Courses of free choice from the Institutional Catalogue:
  • E.g. "Gender Equality", "Sustainable Development": up to 6 ECTS.

* The two (2) publications in international scientific journals, belonging to one of the Q1, Q2 or Q3 categories of SCIMAGO (SCOPUS), will only be accepted if:

a. The Ph.D. candidate is the first author.

b. The supervising professor is listed as a co-author.

c. The number of participants in the publication does not exceed five (5) people.

c1. In the event that the number of participants in the publication exceeds five (5) people, the PhD student should be the first name in at least four (4) publications, where the supervisor/supervising professor will also be found, with a topic originating from the D.D. in a prestigious, international journal belonging to one of SCIMAGO's Q1, Q2 or Q3 categories (SCOPUS).

d. The two (2) published scientific articles do not belong to the bibliographic review category ( survey / review articles ).

 The organized P.D.S. with learning results and credit points concerns the Y.D. which will be registered in it after the approval and publication in the Government Gazette of this regulation.