Regulations of the Conferral of a Doctorate

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Criteria for the Conferral of a Doctorate
• The Promotor
• The Dissertation
• The Manuscript Committee
• The Dissemination of the Dissertation
• The Defence of the Dissertation
• Settlement of Disputes
• The Doctorate Honoris Causa
• Final Articles and Transitory Provisions
  

Whenever 'he', him', 'his', etc. is used in these Regulations, this should be read as 'he or she', 'him or her', 'his or her', etc.

CRITERIA FOR THE CONFERRAL OF A DOCTORATE

Article 1

A candidate may be awarded a doctorate when he has satisfied the following requirements:

1. 1. The passing of the final examination of a Master's programme at university level or a Master's programme at college level.
   2. The passing of the final examination of a study programme, on the basis of the text of the Statues for Higher Education and Scientific Research, as of August 31, 2002, and as defined in Article 7.18, subsection 2.a of the Act, with a study load of not less than 168 credits, or, in the case of a study programme with a study load exceeding 168 credits, the passing of an examination covering part of the programme which is valued at not less than 168 credits;
2. The writing of a dissertation or the creation of a technological design as proof of his ability to conduct independent research;
3. The fulfilling of the obligations stipulated in these Regulations;
4. The formulation of at least six theses (premises; normally statements of one or two sentences) that are of sufficient quality for a scientific defence.

Article 2

In special cases, the Committee of Deans may award a doctorate to candidates who have complied with Article 1 sections B and C, but not with section A. A request to this effect should be submitted to the Committee through the Faculty Board. The Committee's decision will be given in writing, and, if the decision is negative, will state the grounds for refusal.

Explanation

The request referred to in this article is to be submitted to the Committee of Deans in writing, through the Board of the faculty concerned. The request must be accompanied by certified copies of the relevant certificates, the topic of the doctoral research and the name of the professor who will act as promotor. The Committee of Deans will only make this decision after it has received a positive advice concerning the manuscript from the Manuscript Committee.

See Appendix 10 for the conferral of a doctorate on the basis of a certificate granted abroad.

Article 3

At the University of Groningen, doctorates may be obtained in the following fields of study:

• Theology
• Law
• Medicine
• Mathematics and Natural Sciences
• Arts
• Economics and Management
• Behavioural and Social Sciences
• Philosophy
• Spatial Sciences

 

Explanation

These doctorates are based on the division of the university into faculties as described in the Regulations for the University Administration and approved by the Ministry of Education and Science. If these Regulations should change on this point, the doctorates may also change. The doctorate is not a PhD, but its equivalent.

Article 4

A doctorate is conferred by the faculty in which the first promotor holds a chair. If the candidate wishes the degree to be conferred by a faculty other than that of the first promotor, he should submit a request to this effect to the Committee of Deans. The Committee will make a decision on the basis of the nature of the dissertation, its topic and the arguments presented by the candidate in the request.

 

THE PROMOTOR

Article 5

Once a request has been submitted for this purpose, the Committee of Deans appoints one or more promotors for each doctorate to be conferred. The request should be made by means of an application form on which the promotors are to be ranked if there is more than one promotor (see Appendix 1).

Explanation

The doctoral candidate himself is supposed to find a professor who is willing to supervise his research. If he is unable to do so, he should report this in writing to the chairman of the Committee of Deans. The application form is to be submitted as soon as the candidate begins the research and has found a promotor. Two copies of the form are to be sent to the bureau of the faculty concerned. If the examination as defined in Article 7.18, subsection 2.a of the Act has not been taken at the University of Groningen, a certified copy of the certificate and either a certificate of residence or a copy of the candidate.s current passport are to be handed in with the application form.
Your diplomas will be checked by the Board of Examiners to ensure that you qualify for a PhD position.
For the printable form see: appendix 1.

If it seems advisable to increase the number of promotors, for example because of the course the research is taking, this is to be reported in writing to the Committee of Deans (also through the Faculty Bureau concerned) after the new promotors have agreed to participate.

Implementation

After the Committee of Deans has received a copy of the application form and the requirements referred to in Article 1 have been satisfied, the Committee officially allows the candidate to write and defend a dissertation and appoints the (maximal three) promotor(s). It communicates this decision to the PhD department (Promoties).

Article 6

The Committee of Deans will appoint at least one professor from the University of Groningen as promotor. In addition, it may appoint one or more full professors from another Dutch university and/or a foreign institute for higher education. The prior approval of the professor(s) involved (as indicated on the form referred to in Article 5) is necessary before any such appointments are made.

Explanation

If there are two or more promotors, the promotor from the University of Groningen should help the .external. promotor(s) to observe these Regulations. Two or more promotors can also be appointed if the character of the doctoral research justifies this (for example when it has a multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary nature, or contains elements that require a very high degree of specialization).

Article 7

A professor cannot be appointed as a promotor once he has left the university (see also Article 20).

Explanation

The term of five years has to do with the ius promovendi (the right to supervise doctoral candidates), which ends five years after a professor leaves the employment of the university.

Article 8

The promotor will supervise the work of the candidate and consult with him regularly.

Explanation

The promotor is accountable to the candidate, the Committee of Deans and the faculty concerned. His responsibilities include:

• Assuring the scholarly and narrative quality (language and style, composition) of the dissertation, which should also be of sufficient length;
• Assessing subsequent drafts of the dissertation and discussing these with the candidate within a reasonable period of time; and
• Ensuring that the proper procedure is followed for the writing and defending of the dissertation. The promotor should see to it that the candidate receives a copy of these Regulations at an early stage of the procedure (copies of these Regulations can be obtained from the Office of the Committee of Deans, or via the website of the RuG), and should draw his attention to relevant articles. Where several persons are involved, regular consultations are usually necessary to coordinate the supervision of the research.

Article 9

At the request of the promotor, the Committee of Deans may appoint a senior lecturer (universitair hoofddocent) as copromotor, if . in the opinion of the promotor. He has contributed significantly to the supervision of the doctoral research.

Article 10

The maximum number of doctoral research supervisors is three.

Explanation

Supervisors may be the promotor(s) and copromotor. In practice, three supervisors prove to be sufficient in most cases, even if the doctoral research extends beyond the boundaries of a particular discipline. Naturally, it is possible to make an exception, if good arguments for such a decision are given. A request to have the candidate supervised by more than three supervisors should be submitted in writing to the Committee of Deans through the Dean of the faculty concerned.

 

THE DISSERTATION

Article 11

The dissertation may consist of:

• A scholarly discourse about a particular topic;
• Several scholarly discourses, some or all of which have been previously published, provided they show sufficient coherence in their treatment of a particular topic and are preceded by an introduction which demonstrates this coherence;
• A technological design.

The dissertation or the technological design should also be accompanied by at least six theses (premises).

Explanation

Although the introduction referred to in the second item will not, as a rule, have been published before, Article 12 does not prohibit the use of such a previously published introduction. The technological design should be tangible and accompanied by extensive documentation.

Article 12

In the remainder of these Regulations, the word dissertation should (in cases where this applies) be understood to include the technological design, a part of the dissertation, or a part of the technological design.

Article 13

The dissertation may be written by one candidate or by several candidates in conjunction.

Explanation

The main requirement is that the candidates writing the dissertation in conjunction should each meet the requirements that apply to a single candidate writing a dissertation independently. In this case, .contribution to the dissertation. can also be understood as a disciplinary aspect.

Article 14

If the dissertation is written by two or more candidates, each candidate should have made an independent contribution that justifies the conferral of a doctorate, and take personal responsibility for his own contribution as well as for the coherence of all contributions.

Article 15

The dissertation and the appended theses are to be written in Dutch, English, French or German, or . after the approval of the Committee of Deans in another language.

Article 16

If the dissertation is written in Dutch, it should include an English, French or German translation of the title and a translated summary of its contents in the same language. If the dissertation is written in English, French or German, it should contain a Dutch translation of at least the title and a summary of its contents.

Article 17

If the dissertation is written in a language other than Dutch, English, French, or German, it should contain at least a Dutch translation of the title and of the summary of its contents and an English, French or German translation of the title and the summary.

Article 18

The documentation accompanying a technological design should satisfy the same requirements as a dissertation as far as the language in which it is written is concerned.

Article 19

The dissertation must be submitted to the promotor for approval. The promotor will decide if it can be accepted as proof of the candidate.s ability to conduct independent research.

The promotor should state in writing that the theses are of sufficient quality for a scholarly defence.

Explanation

Before the theses are printed, the promotor should notify the Dean in writing that they can be defended in a scholarly manner.

Article 20

Once a professor appointed as a promotor has retired, the approval of the dissertation and the defence of the dissertation should occur within five years. If the defence does not occur within this period, the Committee of Deans will discharge the promotor and appoint a new promotor in consultation with the candidate, unless the Committee deems this unnecessary, for example if two or more promotors from the University of Groningen had originally been appointed.

Explanation

The term of five years has to do with the ius promovendi (the right to supervise doctoral candidates), which ends five years after a professor leaves the employment of the university.

Article 21

If a promotor does not approve of the dissertation, the Committee of Deans can appoint another promotor at the request of the candidate (after hearing the promotor and the candidate), unless the Committee deems this unnecessary . for example if two or more promotors from the University of Groningen had originally been appointed.

 

THE MANUSCRIPT COMMITTEE

Article 22

The promotor will report his approval of the manuscript to the Committee of Deans by means of the appropriate form (see Appendix 2) to be submitted to the Dean of the faculty concerned. The Committee of Deans will subsequently establish the Manuscript Committee through the mediation of the Dean concerned.

Article 23

The Manuscript Committee will consist of the promotor and three professors from the University of Groningen and/or another Dutch university and/or a foreign institute for higher education. It will be chaired by the Dean of the faculty concerned . The chairman is not a member of the Committee. One of the three professors appointed may be a professor emeritus or former professor who should, however, have retained his ius promovendi.

Explanation

After the Manuscript Committee has been established by the Dean of the faculty concerned, the Committee of Deans is to be informed by means of the Manuscript Approval Form. After the form has been duly processed, the Dean of the faculty will send it to the PhD department (Promoties). Once the PhD department (Promoties) has received the form, the candidate may contact the PhD department (Promoties) to set a preliminary date for the defence of the dissertation, after which the PhD department (Promoties) will send the candidate the necessary forms and information.

Article 24

As soon as possible, but not later than two months after its installation, the Manuscript Committee will decide whether the candidate has given sufficient proof of his eligibility for a doctorate and whether the cum laude designation can be awarded. The Committee will report its decision in writing to the Dean of the faculty concerned. The candidate will not be allowed to defend the dissertation if at least two of the professors referred to in Article 23 are of the opinion that the dissertation shows a lack of ability to conduct independent research.

Explanation

The committee may only consist of professors. It should always decide whether the cum laude distinction might be granted. The proposal to award this distinction should be presented by the promotor.

Implementation

1. The candidate will present each member with a copy of the manuscript that has been approved by the promotor;
2. As soon as the Committee has communicated its decision to the Dean of the faculty concerned, the Dean will notify the Committee of Deans, the candidate, the promotor, and the PhD department (Promoties) in writing. The date for the defence ceremony then becomes official.
3. If the promotor proposes to award the cum laude distinction, the following procedure will be followed:

1. If a majority of the Manuscript Committee (not including the promotor) is of the opinion that the quality of the dissertation is such that the distinction may be granted, it will report this decision and the reasons supporting it to the Dean of the faculty concerned not later than six weeks before the ceremony;
2. The Dean will then ask the opinion of at least two experts who are not members of the Manuscript Committee and who are preferably not staff members of the university;
3. The proposal to award the distinction will only be adopted if these experts agree that the dissertation is "very good" and if the defence is of sufficient quality . In that case, the PhD department (Promoties) should be notified, so that the additional text can be added to the degree certificate.
4. The distinction will be awarded by or on behalf of the Committee of Deans.

 

THE DISSEMINATION OF THE DISSERTATION

Article 25

After the Manuscript Committee has decided that the candidate be allowed to defend the dissertation, the dissertation or the documentation accompanying the technological design will be multiplied and the design will be created. The dissertation or the documentation may be printed or mimeographed. It should have a cover that displays at least the title of the dissertation or the

name of the design and the name of the candidate. In addition, the recto and verso of the title page should satisfy the criteria given in Appendix 3. The technological design should be described unambiguously.

Implementation

1. Application form for a PhD ceremony date, inclusive a very clear copy of your passport,is to be submitted to the PhD department (Promoties) at least two months before the defenc eceremony.

2. The Phd department (Promoties) will inform all professors and professors emeritus (who still have ius promovendi) of the faculty that is to confer the doctorate about the date of the defending of the dissertation by mail. By answering the mail to the candidate a professor can ask for a copy of the dissertation.
3. After the Manuscript Committee has approved of the manuscript, the Dean of the faculty concerned will notify the Office of the College of Deans and the PhD department (Promoties) of this decision.
4. A printer.s proof (not the cover) of the title page of the dissertation (recto and verso; see Appendix 3 [PDF]) is to be submitted to the  PhD department (Promoties) for approval not later than five weeks before the date of the defence ceremony. The PhD department (Promoties) will approve the title page officially once it has been notified that the manuscript has been approved. The date for the defence ceremony then becomes official.
5. The Communication Office (Afdeling Communicatie), the Dean of the Faculty, the Porters. Office (Bode- en Conciergedienst) and the Catering Service Office (Dienst Restauratieve Voorzieningen) are to be notified of the date and time of the defence ceremony by means of a copy of the Defence Ceremony Date Application Form. The Communication Office will notify the press and assist the candidate in any PR activities (see Appendix 11). In this context, it should be realized that the dissertation and theses will not be formally accepted by the Committee of Deans until the degree has been conferred.
6. The Catering Service Office will notify the parties involved of the possibilities for holding a reception at the Academiegebouw.

Article 26

The Committee of Deans will determine the number of copies of the dissertation that need to be delivered to the University at least 21 days before the defence ceremony.

Implementation

At least 21 days before the defence ceremony, the candidate should send the following to:

• The University Library:
  2 copies of the dissertation, including the theses for inter-library loan purposes, and an electronic version to be disseminated through the Groningen Campus Information System, for more information about submitting electronical dissertations click here;
• The SSC, PhD department (Promoties):
  a. Three copies including the theses intended for the Communication Office and the Committee of Deans;
  c. Three title pages.

The candidate is eligible for a subsidy towards the costs of publication (printed and electronic versions) to a total of 750 Euro (see Appendix 8).

 

THE DEFENCE OF THE DISSERTATION

Article 27

The defence of the dissertation will occur at a predetermined date and time in the presence of the Committee of Deans, or a Doctorate Board to be established by the Committee of Deans. This board is to consist of professors from the University of Groningen, other Dutch universities, or foreign institutes of higher education and/or senior lecturers who have acted as copromotors. For this purpose, the ecclesiastical professors and the professors occupying endowed chairs at a non-confessional university are counted as ordinary professors.

Explanation

The Doctorate Board referred to in this article should have at least five members, of which no more than two may be senior lecturers; the members of the Manuscript Committee are included in this number.

Article 28

The candidate will defend the dissertation and the theses for 45 minutes against objections raised by the Committee of Deans and any person who has been given the right to raise such objections by the Rector Magnificus.

Explanation

The times allocated for the start of the defence ceremony are 11:00, 12.45 (till 1 Oktober 2011 at 13:15 hours) , 14:30 (till 1 oktober 2011 14.45 hours) and 16:15 hours. The defence will last 45 minutes, which is regarded as being an 'academic hour'. The following afternoons have been set aside for degree defence ceremonies:

• Wednesday for the Faculty of Medicine;
• Friday for the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences;
• Thursday for all other faculties.

If one of these afternoons is fully booked, the ceremony may be held on Monday in the same week, the same times as mentioned above.

Implementation

1. Before the start of the ceremony, the Doctorate Board as referred to in Article 27 will hold a meeting chaired by the Rector Magnificus or his deputy in the chamber of the faculty concerned. This meeting, and the meeting after the defence has taken place, is open to professors and professors emeritus from all faculties, professors from other universities invited by the Rector or his deputy, and the senior lecturers (two at most).
2. The chairman will verify that the necessary number of committee members is present. He will appoint one of the professors present as secretary. The secretary will sit beside the chairman during the ceremony and will keep the attendance list.
3. In this preparatory meeting, the order in which the opponents will speak will be determined (without prejudicing the opportunity for members of the audience to speak out), with the following constraints:

• Opposition to the dissertation prevails over a discussion of the theses;
• The promotor may have the last say, should he so wish;
• The candidate will be allowed roughly the same amount of time for the defence as the opponents for their contentions.

4. The opposition and subsequent defence will not be discussed with the candidate in advance. If necessary, notes may be used. No electronic or other aids and appliances are allowed.
5. During the ceremony, which proceeds in accordance with the protocol described in Appendix 7, the chairman will see to it that the opponents from the corona (the professors and professors emeritus) do not take much more time than is allotted to them. If one or more members of the audience wish to oppose, they may use one of the microphones in the corona.
6. After the defence of the dissertation and/or the theses, the Doctorate Board, the professors emeritus, the invited professors of other universities and the senior lecturers will hold a closed meeting to reach a decision as referred to in Articles 32 and 33. The professors emeritus and the senior lecturers will have an advisory capacity in this matter, while the invited professors are not allowed to vote.
7. After the closed meeting, the degree certificate . to which the cum laude distinction will be later added if it has been awarded . will be signed in the following manner:

• By the Rector Magnificus or his deputy;
• By the promotor appointed by the Committee of Deans;
• On behalf of the Doctorate Board: if the Rector is present, by the Dean of the faculty concerned, or any other Dean present; if the Rector is not present, by a member of the Committee of Deans (not the deputy of the Rector), or the secretary mentioned under 2.

8. The ceremony will be held in accordance with the protocol described in Appendix 7. After the promotor has conferred the doctorate on the candidate, the chairman will present the new Doctor with the degree certificate and doctoral award.

Article 29

If the dissertation has been written by more than one candidate, each of them will defend the dissertation personally in accordance with Article 28.

Article 30

The formulation of the objections and the defence are conducted in Dutch, or . at the approval of the Rector Magnificus . in another language.

Article 31

The doctorate will be conferred after the defence by or on behalf of the Committee of Deans.

Explanation

The doctorate must be conferred after the defence. The preceding approval suffices. The only requirement is that some kind of defence must have taken place, which means that only complete silence on the part of the candidate for three quarters of an hour can prevent the doctorate from being conferred.

Article 32

If the candidate has shown exceptional ability to conduct independent research, the Committee of Deans may award the cum laude distinction (partly on the basis of the defence of the dissertation). The decision is also partly based on the advice of the Manuscript Committee referred to in Article 23. After being informed of this Committee.s assessment, the Dean concerned will consult with other experts on this matter.

Explanation

See also the explanation of article 24. If the cum laude distinction cannot be awarded, but the Doctorate Board feels that the quality of the dissertation and/or the defence is such that praise should be given, the promotor will do so in words formulated during the closed meeting after the defence.

Article 33

The decision to grant the cum laude distinction must be made by a majority vote.

Article 34

As proof of the doctorate conferred, the newly created Doctor will receive a certificate, signed by the Rector Magnificus or his deputy and the promotor.

If it has been awarded, the cum laude distinction will be stated on the degree certificate.

 

SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES

Article 35

If a dispute should occur during the procedure leading up to the conferral of a doctorate, the injured party should lodge an appeal with the Committee of Deans in which the dispute is described. Before ruling on this appeal, the Committee will hear the parties involved and any other person(s) who in the opinion of the Committee may shed light on the dispute. As soon as possible, but not later than two months after the appeal was filed, the Committee will issue a ruling, and immediately notify all of the parties involved of its decision and the arguments leading to it.

Explanation

The procedure for solving a conflict between promotor and candidate about a refusal to approve the dissertation is described in Article 21.

Article 36

The ruling referred to in article 35 may be prepared by a committee established by the Committee of Deans, which will be made up of members of the Committee of Deans and/or other persons.

THE DOCTORATE HONORIS CAUSA

Article 37

The Committee of Deans has the right to award a doctorate honoris causa to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to scholarship. The awarding of the doctorate honoris causa will occur on behalf of and in the presence of the Committee of Deans and in a manner stipulated by this Committee.

FINAL ARTICLES AND TRANSITORY PROVISIONS

Article 38

In all cases not foreseen by these Regulations, the necessary decisions will be made by the Committee of Deans, in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

Article 39

In exceptional cases, the Committee of deans may decide to deviate from the rules and regulations in the present document, at the suggestion of the Rector Magnificus.

Article 40

These Regulations will become operational on 1 January 2006.