Admission of PhD Students
Art.6 The organization and fulfillment of admission exams and the control on the procedure for election of full-time and part-time PhD students, trained by state order, is conducted in compliance with the Ordinance for the State Requirements for Admission and Training of PhD Students and under the guidance of the Vice-Rector of Science and Research.
Art.7 The applicants, willing to apply for the announced free positions for admission of full-time and part-time PhD students, should submit the following documents:
- Application form to the Rector;
- CV;
- Diploma of completed higher education with educational qualification Master’s degree in the respective specialty of interest with mark sheet or a certificate proving its possession if the Diploma has not been issued yet. In case the Diploma is issued by a foreign educational institution, a Certificate of recognition of higher education should be submitted as well.
- Copy of the applicant’s passport /or ID card/;
- Other documents certifying the applicant’s interests and accomplishments in the respective academic field /with a list of publications, references by professors, etc./;
Art.8 (1) The applicants who suit the above-stated requirements are allowed to sit for admission exams with an official Rector’s Order issued on the basis of the report of the admission commission appointed for the purpose;
(2) The programs for admission examinations are prepared by the respective scientific unit and are presented to the applicants not later than 60 days before the exam date;
(3) The applicants who have been approved for the admission exams should be informed not later than 20 days after the expiry of the term for documents submission. Those applicants who have not been approved should be informed within the same period of time.
(4) Those applicants who have not been approved to sit for the exams can submit an official objection to the Rector within 7-days term from the date on which they have been informed.
Art.9 (1) Applicants for PhD studies sit for admission exams in their specialty of interest and in a foreign language as well (English, French or German). Only those applicants who have passed the specialty examination are allowed to sit for the exam in a foreign language afterwards;
(2) The admission exams both in the relevant specialty and in a foreign language are conducted by special commissions, appointed for the purpose with an official Rector’s order;
(3) The admission exam in the preferred specialty is in both oral and written form having separate grades. Only those applicants who have obtained a grade not less than 4.50 at the written exam are allowed to sit for the oral one. For successfully passed are considered those applicants who have obtained an average grade not less than 5.00 from both the written and the oral exam.
Art.10 The applicants who have successfully passed the above-mentioned admission exams are enrolled according to their grades from the specialty exams.
Art.11 (1) In one-week term after the admission procedure is over, the exam protocols and the other documents of the successful applicants as described in Art. 7 are sent to the department which will be in charge of the training of the prospective PhD student.
(2) The head of the department in 7-day term should report at the Faculty Council the results from the competition and should offer for election the applicant who has ranked in first position. If the announced positions for PhD students are more than one, the proposal made by the head of department is according to the competition classification of the applicants.
(3) If there is more than one successful applicant with equal scores from the specialty exam competing for one place, the Faculty Council takes its final decision upon their grade from the language exam, the average grade from the Diploma of higher education, and the applicants’ academic interests and accomplishments in the respective scientific field.
Art.12 The Faculty Council should elect the approved PhD applicants and should appoint the period of their PhD studies and the scientific advisers. The election can take place when there is a quorum; it is done with an open vote and a majority.
Art.13 (1) On the basis of the Faculty Council’s decision for election of a PhD student, the Rector issues an Order for enrollment in a PhD course of studies. The order should include the following points:
- The form of PhD studies /full-time or part-time/;
- The scientific field of the specialty;
- The scientific unit or department which will conduct the training course;
- The scientific adviser /applicable to PhD studies leading to the acquisition of the academic degree ‘Doctor of Medicine’/;
- The period of PhD studies;
- The amount of the annual tuition fee.
(2) If it is necessary because of the specific preparation and the theme of the thesis, two scientific advisers can be appointed by resolution of the Faculty Council.
(3) The PhD course of training has either three- or four-year duration for full-time and part-time form of studies respectively.
Art.14 Applicants for full-time form of PhD studies working on a labour contract at MU-Pleven or the University Hospital should sign a declaration which obliges them to use an unpaid leave of absence (art.160 of the Labour Code) for the term of PhD studies in case they are admitted for the announced position.
Art.15 (1) Bulgarian citizens applying for full- and part-time self-paid forms of studies are admitted according to the provisions in Art.8, 9 and 10.
(2) Only the applicants having an average grade not less than Very good 4.50 from the admission PhD exams have the right to be enrolled.
(3) After the procedures in Art.11, 12 and 13 are over the PhD students should sign a contract specifying the terms and conditions of training.
Art.16 (1) The PhD students admitted upon state order pay an annual tuition fee for their studies according to Art.95 of the Law for Higher Education. The fees are determined at the beginning of every academic year with a Ministry Council Resolution which specifies their amounts per year.
(2) The tuition fees of self-paid PhD students are appointed with resolution of the Faculty Council.
(3) The PhD students should pay their tuition fees in two equal installments within one academic year.
(4) The PhD students who are admitted upon state order are freed from paying tuition fee during the last two years of their PhD studies.
(5) The full-time PhD students do not have the right to receive scholarship after the appointed term of studies expires;
Art.17 The admission for self-preparatory PhD studies is fulfilled without taking admission exams on the basis of the Ordinance for the state requirements for admission and training of PhD students in case they work by the terms of a permanent labour agreement at MU-Pleven and University Hospital-Pleven.
Art.18 The applicants according to Art.17 should submit an application form to the Rector and the following documents:
- CV;
- Copy of the Diploma of higher education with academic Master’s degree with the mark sheet showing the grades obtained from the whole course of training;
- The bigger part of the thesis which has been elaborated and is going to be defended (60-70%)
- A list with the scientific publications and elaborations relevant to the thesis;
- Two references provided by professors working in the same scientific field in which the PhD training is conducted.
Art.19 (1) Within a period of 14 days after the submission of the application documents the Rector should make a statement if the applicants can be allowed to sit for the admission exams;
(2) The head of department should bring the approved for discussion at a meeting of the Department Council which should take a decision within a period of one month.
(3) If the decision taken by the respective Department Council is positive, the head of the department presents a report at the Faculty Council with a proposal to enroll the applicant with an enclosed protocol of the department’s meeting at which the decision was taken. The Faculty Council makes an announcement within a period of three months.
Art.20 (1) The Rector issues an official order for enrollment of PhD students on the basis of the decision of the Faculty Council. It should include the following information:
- The form of PhD training (part-time or full-time):
- The scientific specialty;
- The scientific adviser (applicable to PhD studies leading to the acquisition of the academic degree Doctor of Medicine)
- The scientific unit or department which will conduct the training;
- The period of PhD studies.
(2) The period of self-preparatory PhD studies has a duration of not more than three years.
