The outline is intended to allow immediate transition to Stage B, directly after admission to the doctoral studies.
A direct PhD track to transfer to Stage B of doctoral studies immediately after acceptance is offered to outstanding students. The program is intended for outstanding students who have achieved solid results in the first three semesters of the master's thesis that can form a solid basis for a doctoral thesis. This program is offered in addition to the existing outline of the direct doctorate course (Stage A) after 4 semesters. Students are advised to prepare for this track from the onset of their M.Sc. studies.
Suitable for the new outline are students with an average of at least 85 in a bachelor's degree and an average of at least 90 in the master's courses (obtained in the first three semesters of study and at least 16 credits). In addition, the student must show preliminary results at a level and scope appropriate to the end of Stage A of the doctoral research program.
The following is the procedure for submission and admission to the direct doctoral track (submission to Stage B):
1. At the beginning of the 4th semester of the master’s studies, the student will submit the following documents to the faculty's direct doctoral committee (the committee includes members of the Faculty PhD committee, vise dean of teaching and chair of the relevant department):
A. Proposal for a doctoral research as required for the transition to Stage B. It should be emphasized that there is no "second chance" for the research proposal, i.e. no amendments will be allowed for a proposal that is not submitted according to the procedures or does not meet the required level (see the guidelines in the Authority for Research Student website or in the document attached).
B. Proposal for an advisory committee and a list of supplementary courses submitted by the supervisor as required by the Authority for Research Student.
C. Letter of recommendation from the supervisor - the student's achievements and ability to continue as a research student must be explained, and detail how the achievements so far fit in with the outline of the proposed doctoral dissertation.
D. Details of the grades in the master’s courses.
The faculty's direct PhD committee will discuss the application for a transition to the direct track and will decide whether to approve the transfer to Stage A or the assembly of an advisory committee in accordance with the new outline. The advisory committee, later in the process as detailed below, will decide whether it is appropriate to keep the student in Stage A or to recommend the approval of the research proposal and move on to Stage B. In any case, admission to the doctorate is conditional on the student completing all the master's studies (24 credits) with an average of at least 90.
The decision of the direct PhD committee will be based on the student's academic achievements and assessment of the quality of the application on all its components (quality and scope of research conducted within the master's degree, student's abilities in scientific writing and scientific maturity as shown in the research program). If the assembly of an advisory committee is approved, the direct PhD committee will recommend to the Authority for Research Student the composition of the advisory committee. In this case, the student will be asked to register online. The direct PhD committee will provide the research students with the relevant documents (proposal for members of an advisory committee, research proposal, supplementary course program). The Authority will notify the direct PhD committee of the approved members of the advisory committee. The official appointment will be made only after the student is accepted for doctoral studies.
2. The meeting of the advisory committee will take place immediately after admission to Stage A, until the end of the month following the fourth MSc semester (February or July, depending on the date of commencement of the master's studies). The advisory committee will decide whether to approve admission to Stage B or Stage A only. Should the committee find the proposal insufficient for stage A, the student will be required to resubmit the proposal as detailed in the regular direct PhD course. The advisory committee will submit the required report to the Authority for Research Student. The report (which includes the research proposal and the approved supplementary study program) will be submitted to the plenary member for approval, who will coordinate her response to the Authority for Research Student with the Faculty PhD committee of.
3. If the Faculty PhD committee has decided on transition to Stage A, the advisory committee will convene no later than one year from the date of the decision, in line with the doctoral program.