Doctoral Examination

Before registering for the doctoral examination, please check if you have done all the necessary steps:

• Your doctoral thesis supervisor and you agree that you are ready to defend.
• You have already attended the mandatory info event: Final Steps.
• You have acquired the necessary 12 ECTS credits and had them confirmed by the D-BSSE Doctoral Administration.
• All external members of your doctoral examination committee are approved by the Department Conference (DK).
• You have agreed with your doctoral examination committee a date and time.
• You have discussed and agreed with your doctoral examination committee, if your doctoral examination shall take place in person, hybrid or virtual.
• If your doctoral examination shall take place in person, you have booked the room with the help of the DAS.
• You have found a chair for your doctoral examination. Every D-BSSE full or associated professor is eligible.
  

You ticked all the boxes?

Then please complete and submit the online form on the bottom of this page to the D-BSSE Doctoral Administration, before you register for the doctoral examination.

The registration for the doctoral examination takes place at least four weeks before the examination date. To register for the doctoral exam you have to send the following documents to the central Doctoral Administration:

• The completed form “Registration for Doctoral Exam” and
• A copy of your thesis title page
  

Please consult the website of the central Doctoral Administration for more detailed information and the form.

At the same time (four weeks before the doctoral examination) you have to submit an electronic copy of your doctoral thesis to the members of your examination committee and the D-BSSE Doctoral Administration. Please also send your current CV to the D-BSSE Doctoral Administration.

The D-BSSE Doctoral Administration takes care of informing the examiner and co-examiners of their duty to write an evaluation report. The eveluation report must be submitted 5 working days before the defense date. The D-BSSE Doctoral Administration also will send out the invitation for the doctoral examination to the department.  

The examination committee consists of:

• A chairperson
• The doctoral thesis supervisor as examiner;
• At least one co-examiner and
• A further independent expert if there is any relationship of dependence between the supervisor and the co-examiner(s) or the doctoral student and the co-examiner(s). Employment relationships within the last five years are considered dependent relationships.
  

At least one co-examiner must come from outside ETH Zurich.

As described in detail in Second Advisor and Co-Examiner, all external co-examiners and internal persons, who are not professors, must be confirmed once by the Department Conference (DK).

The doctoral examination includes two parts:

• A 30-minute presentation by the doctoral student on the most important results of the thesis.
• An oral examination of at least 60 minutes by the examination committee. The questions relate to the subject area and the results of the doctoral thesis and should also place the research work in a broader scientific context. The chairperson of the examination committee conducts the oral examination.
  

The presentation and oral examination will be conducted in English, unless otherwise agreed between all parties.

The doctoral examination is in principle open to the public.

The examination chairperson decides whether questions from the public are permitted. Answers to questions from the audience are not included in the examination evaluation.

The physical presence of the doctoral examination committee as well as of the doctoral student at the doctoral examination is not mandatory. Alternatively, the participants can be connected via video conference.

If the examination committee wishes to hold a non-public doctoral examination, this must be justified by the doctoral student and his/her doctoral thesis supervisor.

The doctoral student (with the supervisor in CC) must submit an e-mail, stating the reason(s) for the non-public defense, to the D-BSSE Doctoral Administration four weeks before the date of the examination is set.

Reasons for holding a non-public doctoral examination may include that the doctoral thesis contains results that are subject of legally pending patent proceedings.

After a successful doctoral examination, there are only a few steps to take to receive your doctoral degree certificate. The central Doctoral Administration have listed them in detail on their website.