Program information
3rd Cycle Doctoral Study Programme in Mechanical Engineering
Study programme level: Level 3
Duration: 4 Years
Number of ECTS: 240
Postgraduate’s professional degree: doktor znanosti (abbreviated to dr. in front of the name)
The Fundamental Program Objectives and General Competencies
The ultimate objective of doctoral study program is to educate exceptionally successful post graduate students of Master programs in engineering and natural sciences and to educate them for independent scientific and research work in mechanical engineering sciences. The program is entirely based by the principle of choosing options where the students, with the assistance of their research mentor, create their own research path. Therefore they can follow the needs of future employers to be integrated later, when finishing the program.
The structure of the Study Program
Basic fields of studies:
- Machine Design and Mechanics Engineering Science,
- Energetical, Process and Environmental Engineering Sciences,
- Production Engineering Sciences, Cybernetics and Mechatronics
Forms of Study:
The programme of study consists of organised forms of study amounting to 60 ECTS, with the remaining forms of study amounting to 180 ECTS devoted to research work for doctoral dissertation. Each year comprises 60 ECTS, and the semester 30 ECTS. The curriculum of the doctoral studies of each candidate in the doctoral study programme in ENGINEERING consists of requirements that fall into two groups:
Organised forms of study (60 ECTS):
a) Theoretical and methodological set
- Four (4) optional courses (40 ECTS) (or courses syllabus (227 pages !!))
- One (1) Seminar (5 ECTS).
b) Presentation of doctoral dissertation thesis, Presentation of the results of the research work before defending the doctoral dissertation and Doctoral dissertation defence (15 ECTS).
The organised forms of study comprise the presentation of the dissertation topic, the presentation of the research results and the drafting and defence of the dissertation. The presentation of the dissertation topic with the elaborated scientific hypothesis and its approval by the UL Senate must be completed before enrolment in the third year. The presentation of the results of the research work and the elaboration and defence of the dissertation may the student if he/she has fulfilled the condition of two scientific publications in the field of the dissertation topic and within the validity period of the dissertation topic.
Enrolment requirements and selection criteria in case of limited enrolment
Doctoral study programme of MECHANICAL ENGINEERING is open to applicants who have completed:
- Level 2 study programme,
- study programme to obtain a university education, accepted before 11 June 2004,
- study programme to obtain a specialisation in science and technology, who have previously completed a higher professional study programme. To equalise the entry knowledge of candidates before enrolment in doctoral studies, the UL FME Committee for doctoral Studies determines additional obligations amounting to 30 ECTS depending on the intended area of doctoral study programme. Applicants must complete additional obligations before enrolling in the programme (Table 1.6.1).
- study programme to obtain a Master of science degree. Graduates of previous Master's degree programmes are awarded study obligations amounting to 60 ECTS in the doctoral study programme,
- a degree programme educating for professions regulated by EU directives, or another standardised Master's degree programme worth 300 ECTS.
Graduates of foreign universities can also enrol to doctoral study programmes. The equivalence of the education previously acquired abroad is established in the procedure of recognition of foreign education for further education under the UL Statute.
Number of places for citizens of the Republic of Slovenia and EU members: 45 places.
Enrolment places for Slovenians without Slovenian citizenship and foreigners: 5 places.
If admission restriction occurs, the applicants will be selected based on these criteria:
Success in previous studies, knowledge test in the optional written examination and possible achievements in the academic and professional fields, considering these proportions:
- average study grade (15%),
- diploma or Master's thesis grades (5%), and
- overall achievement in the elective written exam (80%).
Note: Applicants who wish to enter doctoral studies after having enrolled in a specialised programme following completion of higher professional education are advised that they must meet the additional requirement of 30 ECTS credits before enrolling in the programme. The candidate shall apply to the Committee of Doctoral Studies, UL, FME, to request fulfilment of these obligations.
Dodatne obveznosti za diplomante specialističnega študija
Requirements for progression through the programme
In the case when the student does not fulfil the study obligations due to legitimate reasons, he can file an application for the suspension status. The request has to be accompanied by documented proof of the reasons.
Advancement from year 1 to year 2 is the fulfilment of study obligations amounting to at least 50 ECTS credits.
Advancement from year 2 to year 3: Students who have completed all study requirements in the 1st and 2nd year organised forms of study and have a positive evaluation from the doctoral Supervisory Committee on the appropriateness of the dissertation topic by a member of the UL Senate may be matriculated.
Advancement to year 4: Students with a confirmed doctoral dissertation topic at the UL Senate can enrol.
Conditions for completion of studies
Completing the study programme and the award of the title of Doctor of Science depend on the successful completion of all study requirements set out in the programme totalling 240 ECTS credits and the successful defence of doctoral dissertation
During the study programme, before submitting the doctoral thesis, the candidate must have published or accepted for publication at least two scientific papers in the doctoral thesis in internationally recognised journals with an impact factor in the SCI (Science Citation Index) system. At least one of these two papers must appear in the journal from the upper half of the journals in the field and at most one in the journal Strojniški vestnik, with six or fewer authors. For at least one paper, the candidate must be the first author. A single paper with several authors can be considered only for one doctoral candidate.
Conditions for completing individual parts of the programme
There is no possibility to complete individual parts of the doctoral study programme. The programme is implemented and considered as a whole.
Criteria for transitions between study programmes
“Transition between programmes shall be deemed to be the completion of studies in the programme in which the student has enrolled and the continuation of studies in the third-level doctoral study programme ENGINEERING, in which part or all of the study requirements already completed by the student in the first study programme shall be recognised as completed. It should be borne in mind that transitions are only possible between study programmes, which ensure the acquisition of comparable competences at the end. The applications of candidates for transfer to the Doctoral Study Programme of Level 3 in MECHANICAL ENGINEERING and the scope of the recognised study requirements in the study programme shall be considered individually by the doctoral Studies Committee in accordance with Articles 181 to 189 of the UL Statute and the provisions of FME on the conditions for transfer between study programmes. According to the criteria for transition between study programmes, a candidate may enrol in Level 3 of the doctoral programme in MECHANICAL ENGINEERING if he/she fulfils at least half of the ECTS requirements of the first study programme that relate to the compulsory subjects of the third cycle of the Doctoral study programme in MECHANICAL ENGINEERING. If, as a result of the transfer procedure, the candidate obtains at least the same number of credits as those required for enrolment in a higher year of Doctoral Study Programme of Level 3 of the Doctoral Study Programme in MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, the candidate will be allowed to enrol in the upper year of the Doctoral Study Programme of Level 3 of the Doctoral Study Programme in MECHANICAL ENGINEERING".
