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Ministry of Science
and Higher Education

Doctoral education

In 2018 a new model of doctoral studies at doctoral schools was introduced in Poland.

Doctoral schools in Poland are very diverse, have different structures and are based on unique solutions implemented by entities in accordance with their autonomy.

The doctoral school system is characterized by:

  • freedom of the entities in the construction of training programs, doctoral school regulations and recruitment rules;
  • cooperation of the doctoral student with the promoter at an early stage of education;
  • education carried out on the basis of the educational program and the individual research plan (IPB) agreed upon by the doctoral student with the promoter;
  • mandatory mid-term evaluation of the implementation of the IPB, the result of which determines the continuation of the doctoral student's education;
  • universal doctoral stipend;
  • suspension of education for the period corresponding to the period of parental leave, during which the stipend is paid.

Recruitment to the doctoral school is conducted by means of a competition on the basis of the rules defined by the senate or the scientific council of the entity. Doctoral education shall last from 6 to 8 semesters.

A person admitted to a doctoral school begins training and acquires the rights of a doctoral student upon taking the oath. Within three months of taking up education, doctoral students shall be assigned a supervisor or supervisors. The education is based on a doctoral training and an individual research plan - the implementation of the plan is subject to mid-term evaluation.

In turn, a doctoral student's education ends with the submission of a doctoral dissertation with a positive opinion from the supervisor or supervisors. One can be a doctoral student in only one doctoral school at a time.

Doctoral school search engine

It should be emphasized that the procedure for awarding a doctoral degree is a process separate from education at a doctoral school (however it starts at school) and is initiated upon request - pursuant to Art. 189 section 1 above Act. Pursuant to the provision in question, a person submitting an application to initiate the procedure for awarding a doctoral degree must meet the following requirements:

  • have a professional title of master's degree, master's degree in engineering or an equivalent diploma or a diploma giving the right to apply for a doctoral degree in a country in whose higher education system the university that issued it operates;
  • obtain learning outcomes for qualifications at level 8 of the Polish Qualifications Framework, and the learning outcomes in the field of knowledge of a modern foreign language are confirmed by a certificate or diploma of completion of studies, confirming knowledge of this language at the level of language proficiency of at least B2;
  • have minimum publication achievements, i.e. at least:
    • 1 scientific article published in a scientific journal or in peer-reviewed materials from an international conference, which in the year the article was published in its final form was included in the so-called ministerial list of periodicals or
    • 1 scientific monograph published by a publishing house that was included in the so-called a ministerial list of publications or a chapter in such a monograph or
    • an artistic work of significant importance.

Doctoral stipend

The amount of the monthly doctoral stipend is at least:

  • 37% of the professor's salary - up to the month in which the mid-term evaluation was conducted (i.e., currently PLN 3,466.90 gross) – ca. EUR 806 gross
  • 57% of the professor's salary - after the month in which the mid-term evaluation was conducted (i.e., currently PLN 5,340.90 gross) - ca. EUR 1242 gross

The amount of the doctoral stipend may depend on the achievements of the doctoral student.

A doctoral student with a disability certificate, a disability degree certificate or a certificate referred to in Article 5 and Article 62 of the Act of August 27, 1997 on Professional and Social Rehabilitation and Employment of the Disabled shall receive a doctoral stipend in an amount increased by 30% of the amount indicated in Article 209, paragraph 4, point 1, i.e., currently PLN 1,040.07 gross, both before and after the mid-term evaluation.

The doctoral scholarship is not awarded to:

  • a doctoral student with a doctoral degree;
  • a doctoral student who has already received a doctoral scholarship in doctoral schools for a total period of 4 years (this period does not include the period of suspension of education for maternity reasons);
  • a doctoral student whose training at a doctoral school involves an obligation to be employed on the basis of an employment contract at the entity running the doctoral school with a monthly salary exceeding the minimum monthly salary of a professor.

Evaluation

The evaluation of the quality of education at doctoral schools stems from the need to ensure an independent external assessment of the quality of doctoral education. Its introduction was motivated, among other things, by the conclusions of the Supreme Audit Office's audit of doctoral education (information of 5 January 2016), which indicated the need for a separate external evaluation of the quality of doctoral education.

The evaluation of the quality of education in doctoral schools aims to:

  1. evaluate the conditions for scientific or artistic development created for doctoral students and the ways in which the knowledge and skills acquired by doctoral students, as well as the social competences they developed, are verified;
  2. provide entities running doctoral schools with feedback on the functioning of their schools, as well as disseminating this information in the public space;
  3. allow to run doctoral schools only those entities which guarantee adequate conditions for doctoral students' scientific or artistic development.

The Science Evaluation Committee (SEC, Komisja Ewaluacji Nauki - KEN) is responsible for carrying out the evaluation. Although this  body is appointed by the Minister of Science, it is entirely independent in the field of evaluation of doctoral schools. The resolution of the Science Evaluation Committee  determines the result of the evaluation of a doctoral school.

The evaluation is carried out at least every six years, according to the agreed schedule, but it is a staggered process for all doctoral schools. The first evaluations will start in the academic year 2024/25. The evaluations - in Polish and English - will be carried out by experts with significant scientific or artistic achievements, including at least one employed at a foreign university or foreign scientific institution, and one doctoral student appointed from among candidates indicated by the Polish Association of Doctoral Candidates.

Candidates interested in serving as an evaluation expert who meet the requirements set by SEC should personally complete and submit the application form available on the Doctoral School Evaluation System (SEDok) website. Submission of an application does not result in an automatic appointment as an expert of the evaluation team authorized to evaluate doctoral schools. Experts who have submitted applications are appointed to the team by the Chairman of the SEC.

The object of the evaluation will be to assess:

  1. the adequacy of the curriculum and individual research plans to the learning outcomes for qualifications at level 8 of the Polish Qualifications Framework (PQF) and their implementation,
  2. the manner of verifying the learning outcomes for qualifications at PQF level 8,
  3. qualifications of academic teachers or academic staff working at a doctoral school,
  4. the quality of the recruitment process,
  5. the quality of scientific or artistic guidance as well as support in research,
  6. the reliability of the mid-term assessment,
  7. internationalisation,
  8. the effectiveness of doctoral education.

The above points constitute the evaluation criteria indicated in Article 261 of the Act - Law on Higher Education and Science. In addition, the evaluation will take place taking into account the detailed criteria specified in the Regulation of the Minister of Education and Science on the evaluation of the quality of education at doctoral schools.

It should be pointed out that the evaluation of the quality of education at doctoral schools will be characterised by:

  • qualitative evaluation, based on international standards and the expert’s knowledge and experience;
  • an individualised approach correlating with the specificity of education in the doctoral school;
  • a positive (which may include recommendations) or negative (preventing the continuation of the doctoral school) outcome of the evaluation;
  • no ranking of doctoral schools;
  • the cyclical nature of the process, staggered over time for doctoral schools in general.

The area of evaluation of the quality of education at doctoral schools is regulated in the Act of 20 July 2018 - Law on Higher Education and Science (Journal of Laws of 2023, item 742 as amended) in Section VI. Evaluation of the quality of education, evaluation of doctoral schools and evaluation of the quality of scientific activity in Chapter 2. Evaluation of doctoral schools (Articles 259 - 264), as well as in the following legal acts:

Rules of cooperation with experts

  1. Before establishing cooperation, the Science Evaluation Committee (SEC) asks the candidate for an expert about the willingness to participate in the evaluation of a specific doctoral school.
  2. After establishing cooperation, the expert participates in mandatory online training, which includes the Polish doctoral education system and the operation of the ICT (information and communication technologies) system - Doctoral School Evaluation System (SEDOK) website.
  3. The chairman of the evaluation team will also contact the expert to arrange the date of the first online team meeting. The experts' work involves remote contacts in English. A secretary will also be appointed to each evaluation team. The expert will be obliged to analyze the self-evaluation report in the SEDok system,.
  4. On the date agreed upon when establishing cooperation, the expert is obliged to personally participate in the inspection of a doctoral school.
  5. After completing the inspection of the doctoral school, the evaluation team prepares an evaluation report in Polish and English, containing an analysis of the quality of education at the doctoral school based on the criteria in the Polish legal regulations. The preliminary evaluation report is submitted to the entity operating a doctoral school for review and possible comments.
  6. After considering the comments, the evaluation team establishes the final version of the evaluation report and then makes the evaluation of a doctoral school - positive or negative - which is submitted together with the report to the SEC.
  7. The SEC adopts a resolution on the evaluation of the quality of education at the doctoral school.
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