Terms and conditions of admissions to the AGH Doctoral School

 

§1 General provisions

1.    Admissions to the AGH Doctoral School hereinafter referred to as the School, will start on 3 July 2023 and will last until 30 September 2023.

2.    The detailed School Admissions Calendar will be announced by the Director of the AGH Doctoral School, not later than two weeks prior to the planned starting date of the admissions procedure. The relevant infomation will be published on the School’s website.

3.    The School admits students on a competitive basis.

4.    The candidate qualification procedure will be conducted separately for each of the AGH UST organisational units (hereinafter referred to as the units), in which research work on particular research topics will be conducted. 

5.    Admission limits and the list of disciplines available to applicants are announced by the Vice-Rector for Science, subject to consultation with the units submitting the research topics.

6.    Admission limits, mentioned in (5) are set separately for programmes of studies funded from the state subsidy and from other sources for every discipline within the units.

7.    Funding from sources other than the state subsidy must secure a scholarship for candidates in an amount equal to or higher than the amount set out in Art. 209 of the Higher Education and Science Law Act of 20 July 2018 (Journal of Laws year 2022, item 574 as further amended), hereinafter referred to as the Act, for a minimum period of three years. 

 

§2 Submission of research topics

1.         Research topics can be submitted by persons authorized to provide scientific supervision over candidates’ work towards a doctoral dissertation (supervisor/supervisors or a supervisor and an auxiliary supervisor) in accordance with the provisions of Art. 190 of the Act.

2.         Research topics shall be submitted subject to approval from the head of the unit in which the doctorate will be undertaken. By granting the approval, the head of the unit acknowledges that the unit has sufficient resources required for the delivery of the research project to be undertaken for the purpose of the doctoral award.

3.         The following information must be provided with research topic submission:

a)        title of the research topic in Polish and English,

b)        academic title and/or degree and full name(s) of the supervisor(s),

c)        academic degree and full name of the auxiliary supervisor, if this function has been provided for for the purpose of pursuing the research topic,

d)        name of the scientific discipline(s) (including the leading discipline), in which the research topic will be undertaken,

e)        name of the unit where the research topic will be pursued,

f)         number of available places,

g)        description of the research topic exclusively in English,

h)        information (exclusively in English) on research resources provided by the unit, which can be used for the purpose of the research project to be undertaken,

i)          information on the source of funding for the course of education at the School.

4.    Submission and approval of the research topics will be done electronically using the electronic system for processing research topics.

5.         The research topics, approved by the School Director, will be published on the School’s website not later than 14 days prior to the last day of the candidate registration period.

 

§3 Competition procedure

1.    The admissions procedure takes place via an electronic admissions system, hereinafter referred to as the e-Rekrutacja System, subject to timeline and deadlines set out in the Admissions Calendar.

2.    After successful registration through the e-Rekrutacja system, an AGH Doctoral School candidate must obtain the consent of their prospective supervisor with regard to doctoral research supervision. The supervisor’s consent will be granted electronically by means of the electronic system for processing research topics.

3.         After obtaining the required consent referred to in (2) the Doctoral School candidate must submit the following documents through the e-Rekrutacja system:

a)        registration form (including declaration of the research topic to be pursued),

b)        personal data form,

c)        official copy of graduation certificate, and in the case of candidates expected to graduate from a second cycle programme or a long-cycle Master’s programme in 2023 who are not yet in possession of a graduation certificate, documents confirming their qualifications to undertake a course of education at the doctoral school,

d)        diploma supplement or another approved document confirming graduation, if no degree certificate (diploma) has been issued,

e)        certificate of grade point average for a higher education programme referred to in (c) (not required if it is stated in the diploma supplement),

f)         list of achievements together with supporting documents.

4.         Candidates who hold a degree conferred in another country must additionally submit a certified translation into Polish or English of the graduation certificate and diploma supplement. The graduation certificate obtained outside of Poland shall be submitted with legalization or an apostille.

5.         Candidates holding degrees conferred outside the EU country or the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) may be requested to submit a document issued by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) confirming recognition of their academic qualification awarded abroad.

6.         At the registration stage, each candidate may select only one research topic to apply for.

7.         Candidates will take a qualifying examination in the leading discipline for the doctoral dissertation to be pursued, hereinafter referred to as the qualifying examination. The subject area covered by the qualifying examination includes problems and issues related to the leading discipline. The scope of research problems related to individual disciplines is published on the School’s website. The exam includes as one of its parts a short personal presentation for the purpose of assessing the candidate’s profile with special emphasis on the candidate’s history of research activity, including:

a)       details of any completed degree theses (if applicable),

b)      history of research and professional achievements,

c)       reasons for choosing a given research topic

d)      information on how advanced the candidate’s efforts to undertake their future doctoral dissertation are.

Candidates may choose to take the examination in Polish or in English.

8.         Candidates are permitted to take the qualifying examination  on condition that they satisfy all the formal requirements set out in § 3 par. 1-6.

9.         Each Candidate is required to sit a B2 English language competence test. Candidates holding language certificates may apply for the such a certificate to be credited towards the English language competence test. Decisions regarding exemption from the language test and the grade awarded on the basis of an external certificate will be taken by the English Language Examination Board. Certificates enabling their holders to qualify for exemption from the language test are listed in Appendix 2 to this Resolution.

10.     Candidates failing to take the examination referred to in (7) and (9) will be deemed to have received negative evaluation.

11.     The qualifying examination is conducted by Examination Boards appointed by the Doctoral School Director subject to consent from heads of the units open for admissions. Each Examination Board consists of 4-6 members. The candidate may request that a representative of  AGH-UST Office for Persons with Disabilities joins the Examination Board in an advisory capacity. The examination will take place if at least three members of the Examination Board are in attendance. If the candidate’s prospective supervisor is a member of the Examination Board, they must not be involved in the examination of this particular candidate.

12.     As the qualifying examination and the English competence test are closed to the public, only members of the Examination Board, a representative of AGH-UST Office for Persons with Disabilities, the Candidate and the Director(s) of the AGH Doctoral School are permitted in the examination room.

13.     The ranking lists of prospective candidates, separate for individual units, shall be drawn up by the Doctoral School Director on the basis of the admission index. If a particular unit accepts candidates in several disciplines, rankings will be drawn up separately for each discipline, with research topics funded from the state subsidy being shown separately from those funded from other sources.

14.     To be considered for enrolment at the School, Candidates must successfully pass both the qualifying examination in the leading discipline and the English language competence test.

15.     The admission index is calculated according to the following formula:
Wr = w_sr*O_sr + w_os*O_os + w_ek*O_ek + w_ej*O_ej,
where:

l  w_sr = 5 – weighting carried by  GPA obtained for the higher education programme entitling the Candidate to qualify for a course of education at the doctoral school,

l  w_os = 4 – weighting carried by the grade awarded for the history of the Candidate’s scientific achievements to date,

l  w_ek = 8 – weighting carried by the grade awarded for the qualifying examination in the leading discipline,

l  w_ej = 3 – weighting carried by the grade awarded for the English language competence test,

l  O_śr – GPA for the Candidate’s higher education programme entitling the candidate to undertake a course of education at a doctoral school, calculated in accordance with the Study Regulations at the issuing institution (if GPA is not based on a 2-5 scale, it must be converted to a 2-5 scale, if such conversion is not possible or GPA cannot be properly documented, a default value of 3.0 will be used),

l  O_os – grade awarded for the history of the Candidate’s scientific achievements to date, determined by the Examination Board for the leading discipline based on a review of supporting documents submitted by the Candidate during the auto-presentation, on a 2-5 scale,

l  O_ek – grade awarded for the qualifying examination in the Candidate’s leading discipline based on a 2-5 scale,

l  O_ej – English language competence test grade based on a 2-5 scale.

16.   To be enrolled at the School, the Candidate’s admission index must be 70/100 or higher.

17.   Candidates seeking research topics to be funded from sources other than the subsidy must additionally meet all the  requirements set out by the entity that will finance the research topic, in accordance with relevant regulations enforced by this entity.

 

§4 Enrolment of doctoral candidates

1.       Candidates are enrolled at the School, based on a ranking list, provided they have met all formal requirements, subject to admission limits prescribed for individual units.

2.       If more than one candidate qualifying for the Doctoral School seeks a particular research topic, the topic will be awarded to the candidate with the highest place in the ranking of all candidates seeking the same topic. Other qualifying candidates who have sought the same topic may be admitted to the School provided they submit a consent relating to an alternative topic within the same discipline to be pursued at the same unit unless that other topic has been awarded to another candidate in accordance with §3, Par. 2 within the deadline provided for in the Admissions Calendar.

3.       Candidates who have applied for a research topic financed from sources other than the subsidy and who wish to choose a subsidy-funded research topic in accordance with (2), may do so only after the rankings lists for the subsidy-funded topics have been published.

4.         Qualifying candidates will be enrolled as doctoral students by the AGH Doctoral School Director. Candidates who are not Polish citizens are enrolled through an administrative decision.

5.         If admissions to a given unit are conducted for more than one discipline, places that have not been taken up in one discipline may be transferred to another discipline open for admissions at the same unit to increase the admission limits for that other discipline. The Doctoral School Director will transfer the places between disciplines within a particular unit subject to the consent of the heads of the units involved.

6.         Candidates who have not been enrolled at the School will receive an official notification of refusal in the form of an administrative decision. Candidates may appeal against such decisions to the Rector requesting that their case be reconsidered.

 

§5 International admissions

1.         AGH Doctoral School  candidates without Polish citizenship  who have satisfied official requirements regarding education as set out in Art. 326 of the Act will be admitted in accordance with the admission procedure stated in §3 and §4.

2.         Foreign candidates may be admitted to the School based on Art. 323 (1), (1) and (2) of the Act subject to exemption from the prescribed examinations if the agreement referred to in Art. 323 (1), (1) and (2) provides for the admission procedure to be conducted by a foreign entity. The limits and rankings referred to in §1, §3 and §4 will not apply to candidates enrolled under this clause.

 

§6 Non-standard admissions

Candidates to the School who do not hold the degree of magister, magister inżynier or equivalent, applying for admission to the School under Art. 186 (2) of the Act may seek admission provided they have obtained a positive opinion from the AGH Doctoral School Board acknowledging the person’s outstanding academic achievement. The decision issued by the AGH Doctoral School Board is final.

 

§7 Candidates with special health-related needs, including persons with disabilities, seeking enrolment at the School

1.   The School creates conditions that allow persons with special health-related needs, including persons with disabilities, to fully participate in the life of the School and the academic community, including the Doctoral School admissions and the course of study to be pursued at the School.

2.   Provision of support and coordination of actions for persons with special health-related needs, including persons with disabilities, are subject to terms and conditions stipulated on the website of the AGH-UST Office for Persons with Disabilities, subject to provisions set out in Par. 4 and Par. 5.

3.   Provision of support by the School is the responsibility of the individual units within the School’s structure. All support activities are coordinated by the AGH-UST Office for Persons with Disabilities.

4.   If warranted by their extraordinary needs, candidates with special health-related needs, including candidates with disabilities, shall be eligible for specific entitlements and services, ensuring, among other things, that:

a)   the form of the qualifying examination and of the English language competence test makes them accessible to the candidate and that  their form and the grades awarded for them fully satisfy the criteria of equivalence and objectivity respectively.

b)   the qualifying examination and the English language competence test are accessible with regard to:

                                     i.        architectural design of the building where the examination or the test is to be held,

                                   ii.        the surroundings of the venue where the examination or the test is to be held, so that at least the following are fully accessible: examination room, toilets, office, cloakroom, access to the building and car park.

c)   the conditions and all practical arrangements properly guarantee the accessibility of the qualification examination and the English language competence test, including:

                                     i.        proper sound system, sound-proof examination room equipped with induction loop or other solutions to support hearing.

                                   ii.        proper lighting.

                                  iii.        reduced negative impact of factors affecting the candidate when taking the examination (including noise levels, the number of persons in the room).

                                  iv.        sufficient duration of the examination, including extended time for: oral and/or written answers, preparation to an oral presentation etc.

d)   the examination to be taken is available in the digital (online) form.

e)    a teaching assistant is available.

f)    a sign language interpreter or a lip speaker is available.

g)   the candidate may request an early referral for medical examination - that is: issued prior to the enrolment.

h)   the candidate may request that any harmful, adverse or hazardous factors accompanying the teaching process be reduced or eliminated.

5.   Any requests and petitions submitted to the School by candidates with special needs (including those with disabilities) and relating to health issues will be considered in cooperation with the AGH-UST Office for Persons with Disabilities.

6.   Medical documentation, doctor’s reports etc. are filed with the AGH-UST Office for Persons with Disabilities and are kept outside the documentation of the admissions procedure.

7.   Detailed information on admissions and other topics for persons with special needs, including persons with disabilities, who seek admission to the School has been published on the School’s website as well as on the website of the AGH-UST Office for Persons with Disabilities.

 

§8 Medical examinations

1. The list of harmful, adverse and hazardous factors occurring during the course of study provided by individual units is compiled and updated by the Occupational Health and Safety Section and published on the School’s website.
2. The doctoral student may be allowed to undertake the courses or research subject to submission of a medical certificate confirming the person’s fitness to pursue a course of education (in a given unit) - subject to (4).
3. Persons enrolled at the School receive referrals for medical examinations. A certificate of fitness to study at the doctoral school must be submitted within 30 days of receiving the referral.
4. The School is committed to providing educational opportunities to the widest possible audience, which should include, in particular, elimination or reduction of the occurrence of harmful factors in individual cases.
5. Persons referred to in (3)  may request the referral for medical examination to be issued at an earlier date.
6. Persons who will submit a medical certificate stating lack of fitness to study at the School may exercise their right to request that the occurrence of harmful factors be eliminated or reduced. If the  occurrence  of harmful factors is reduced, the persons in question will obtain another referral for medical examination - this time relating exclusively to those harmful factors, whose occurrence has been reduced.
7. If the occurrence of harmful factors connected with a course of education provided by a given unit cannot be reduced or eliminated or, if - despite the occurrence of such factors being successfully reduced - the person in question produces a medical certificate confirming lack of fitness to study at the School, the School Director, acting with the authority granted by the University Rector, will disenroll the person under an administrative decision.

 

§9. Registration fee

1.    Candidates are required to pay a fee of PLN 100.00 charged in connection with the AGH Doctoral School enrolment procedure, hereinafter referred to as the ‘Registration Fee’.

2.    The registration fee in the amount stated in (1) must be paid by the candidate either via the fast electronic payment system (eCard) or a bank transfer to the AGH UST account no. 96124047221111000048582922. Candidates use the code obtained from the e-Rekrutacja system as the transfer title.

3.    The fee will be deemed to have been made on the day when it is credited to the eCard account or to the AGH-UST bank account set out in (2).

4.    The registration fee is not refundable.

 

In the event of any discrepancies between the English and Polish version of this document, the Polish version will prevail.