What Must Be Done After Admission to the GHS?
All rules for the doctoral studies within the GHS can be found in the documents «Bylaws for the Graduate School for Health Sciences of the University of Bern» («Organisationsreglement»), «Rules for Conferring a Doctorate at the Graduate School for Health Sciences of the University of Bern» («Promotionsreglement»), and the «Study Rules for the PhD Program of the Graduate School for Health Sciences at the University of Bern» («Studienplan»). These documents are published on the website of the GHS (see Regulations). Furthermore, you find «guidelines» concerning the 1st Year and 2nd Year Examinations on the appropriate website (see 1st Year and 2nd Year Examinations).
The most important steps are:
Doctoral Agreement
About 4 weeks after the GHS official admission the GHS requires a document called “Doctoral Agreement”. In this document, the Thesis Committee and the doctoral candidate conclude an agreement, which consists in a long-term a plan of courses, objectives, framework conditions meant as an individual training program for the students during the whole PhD (Study Rules, Art. 3,3 & Art. 4,3).
→ Please submit the Doctoral Agreement to the Coordinator of the GHS, Dr. Tullia Padovani Schipper (Tullia Padovani).
ONLY for the PhD candidates of the Expert Committee III (FKIII) there is an additional signature required of the mentor.
1st Year Examination
After having finished the first year of the PhD and at the beginning of the second year there will be the 1st Year Examination in form of a two-hours written examination on the questions and methodology of the research project (Study Rules, Art. 5,2).
→ It lies in the PhD candidate's responsibility to fix a date in due time with the Thesis Advisor for this examination. The «1st Year Examination Record (PDF, 211KB)» has to be sent to the Coordinator of the GHS, Dr. Tullia Padovani Schipper (Tullia Padovani).
Progress Report
Doctoral candidates keep a record of course attendance in which all activities (course lectures, meetings with Co-referee, visits to conferences, publications) are validated individually and research project work is recorded. This document is called Progress Report (old regulations) or Progress Report (new regulations).
Every year the PhD students receive an invitation and a form from the GHS to submit the Progress report. You will find additional information here.
The Progress Reports of the doctoral candidates of the Expert Committee III (FKIII) are evaluated directly by the mentor. Please use the form Evaluation Progress Report.
2nd Year Examination
About one year after the 1st year Examination there will be the 2nd Year Examination. This exam consists of a 30-minute public, scientific presentation followed by a discussion of the research work completed up to that point in the presence of the Thesis Committee and in the form of a colloquium. The presentation and discussion should include an overview of the subsequent work and finalize objectives. The examiners decide on the mark immediately after the examination (Study Rules, Art. 5,3)
→ Please send the «2nd Year Examination Record (PDF, 220KB)» to the Coordinator of the GHS, Dr. Tullia Padovani Schipper (Tullia Padovani).
