New regulations will soon apply for the doctorate

ETH Zurich’s new Ordinance on the Doctorate will soon enter into force. It passed its check by the federal offices and was issued by the Executive Board at the end of November. It will come into effect in January 2022. The contents of the new regulation were agreed around a year ago (see “Internal News & Events” from 5 February 2021).

The new Ordinance on the Doctorate applies to all doctoral candidates who enrol in a doctorate from January onwards. It also applies – with some transitional provisions – to those who have already been accepted for a doctorate.

Second advisor requirement comes into effect

The new Ordinance aims to ensure that doctoral students receive better and more intensive support. It also intends to reduce dependence on specific individuals, as support will be shared among multiple staff members. According to the new regulations, all doctoral students will need to be assigned a second advisor from the first year onwards. The second advisor will offer the doctoral student additional subject-relevant support. If desired, doctoral students can also have a third advisor who acts as a mentor.

There are also major changes in the admission to the doctorate and in the planning of cooperation. All candidates will now have to develop a doctoral plan with their supervisor that sets out their research proposal and their participation in teaching and further tasks among their research group. After the first year, the candidate will appear at an aptitude colloquium, where they will have to present and defend their project. According to the new system, an aptitude committee with at least three members will decide on their definitive admission.

There are also changes to the completion of the doctorate. In the future, the doctoral examination committee will have to contain at least one external co-examiner. These procedures are already the norm in many departments, but they will now apply across ETH. The peer-review principle will thereby become a standard part of the assessment of doctoral theses.

Admission to become a requirement for employment

In addition to the new Ordinance on the Doctorate, the terms of employment for doctoral students will alter as well. Directives for Doctoral students with Employment at ETH Zurich put forward by the Vice President for Personnel Development and Leadership, Julia Dannath, were approved by the Executive Board in March 2021 and will also enter into force in January 2022. This makes admission a requirement for employment.

This may sound simple, but is in fact an important alteration – as Manfred Sigrist, Vice-Rector for Doctoral Studies, explains: “The first step is qualifying for the doctorate, not the employment contract. This is important, as the main focus is on successfully training our doctoral students.” Sigrist adds that the change will lead to more security for everyone involved, which in turn may help avoid conflicts. In future, it will always be verified that someone has matriculated before they are issued with an employment contract.

New regulations regarding the length of employment contracts

There are clear regulations on the length of employment contracts. They are structured such that employment usually lasts from matriculation until the doctoral examination. The Budget Officer must ensure corresponding financing for the entire period in advance.

A doctorate is then made up of a series of different employment contracts. The first contract begins at matriculation and lasts for at least 18 months. It includes the appearance at the aptitude colloquium and any necessary repetition of this process. Once doctoral students have defended their research proposal, they receive employment contracts lasting at least 12 months, which are generally extended multiple times until the doctoral examination. The contracts may only be shorter than this in the year in which they complete their doctorate.

Employment contracts may not be extended if agreed performance or learning progress has not been met. However, the supervisor must have regularly discussed and documented the agreed performance and learning progress with the doctoral student. Thesis supervisors must also involve HR at an early stage if they do not wish to extend the contract.