Discipline
The Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD) is awarded on the basis of a Doctoral Dissertation on a subject area relevant to the discipline of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Duration
The Postgraduate Program for a PhD degree is taken over three (3) calendar years minimum and four (4) calendar years maximum, beginning at the time of formation of the three-member Advisory Committee.
Candidates who are not Master’s Degree holders may be admitted to the P.P. with the requirement to attend courses specified by the P.P.G.A. Course attendance is included in the minimum duration for the completion of the P.P., which in this case is four (4) calendar years.
In case maximum time is exceeded the P.P.G.A may disqualify the student. The P.P.G.A. may grant an extension of study duration only after the need is adequately substantiated by the student and his academic advisor.
Requirements for Admission to the Program for a Doctoral Degree
Eligible for admission to the program are students who hold a Research Master’s Degree in the field of Nutritional Sciences or another relevant in content and equivalent qualification from a Higher Education Institution in Greece or abroad. Master’s Degree holders who did not complete a research thesis during their postgraduate studies do not meet the requirements, unless:
a) they have at least two years research work experience at recognized research centers in Greece or abroad or
b) they complete a research thesis in accordance with the Master’s Degree Regulation before joining the P.P. for a Doctoral Degree
In exceptional cases, the P.P.G.A. may decide the admission to the program of a non-Research Master’s Degree holder. Graduates from Technological Educational Institutes (TEI), the School of Pedagogical and Technological Education (ASPETE) or other equivalent institutions are admitted to the program on the condition that they are Research Master’s Degree holders.
Candidates for the Doctoral Degree must demonstrate proficiency in English, (Proficiency of Cambridge or Michigan, TOEFL>80, IELTS>6/9, or the Greek State Certificate of English Language Level Γ2). The above certification is not required for candidates whose native language is English or have an undergraduate or graduate degree from an accredited University where English is the language of instruction.
Doctoral Student Admission Process
a) Faculty who wish to supervise doctoral candidates apply to the PPGA twice a year: June 1-15 and December 1-15.
b) The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics publishes calls for applications for the Doctoral Program in September and February of each year.
c) Applications are examined by the respective Faculty who nominate candidates for admission to the CC. The final decision rests with the PPGA.
Requirements for the Acquisition of a Doctoral Degree
a) Doctor of Philosophy Degrees are awarded on the basis of:
· at least two (2) original publications in recognized international scientific magazines relevant to the subject area of the dissertation
· teaching assistance for at least two (2) semesters and
· an original Doctoral Dissertation in the Greek or English languages
b) After proposal by the C.C. the P.P.G.A. assigns each Doctoral student a Three-Member Committee that, in cooperation with the student, decides on the Dissertation topic. The advisory committee consists of the Supervisor who is an A.R.S. member from the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics of Harokopio University, at the level of Professor, Associate Professor or Assistant Professor, and two more members that may be i) A.R.S. members from the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics or from any other department of Harokopio University, ii) A.R.S. members from other Higher Education Institutions in Greece or abroad, iii) retired Faculty from Higher Education Institutions iv) level A, B or C researchers at recognized Research Centers or Institutions in Greece or abroad, given that they have PhDs and recognized scientific work, v) professors at Higher Military Educational Institutions (ASEI) or R.S. members from Technological Educational Institutes (TEI) or the School of Pedagogical and Technological Education (ASPETE).
At least one member of the committee must be from outside Harokopio University. The committee members’ scientific and teaching specialty must be highly relevant to the scientific subject area of the Doctoral Dissertation.
c) Moreover, the candidate is required to:
i. take oral and/or written examinations administered by the Three-Member Committee on the sudject area relating to the dissertation topic. Examinations may take place either before or during the presentation of the Scientific Proposal. In case of failure, re-examination may be held after at least one month passes. On second failure, the C.C. requests either the student’s disqualification or the provision of one (1) more chance for re-examination.
ii. submit copy of the Research Proposal for the Doctoral Dissertation and present it within one (1) year of admission date. The Scientific Proposal is either approved (with or without modifications) or rejected on specific grounds. In case of rejection the Three-Member Committee suggests changes to be made and requests the student’s re-examination after at least one (1) month passes. Detailed guidelines on writing a Research Proposal are provided in Appendix B.
d) The P.P.G.A may decide for the candidate to prepare part or the whole of the experimental part of the doctoral dissertation at recognized Research Centers in Greece or abroad.
e) Every year in January the Postgraduate Student submits to the P.P. Secretariat an annual progress report on research progress, publications, participation in seminars and conferences, participation in academic activities, as well as on difficulties and problems identified during the previous year. The report is also signed by the Supervisor.
f) After research is concluded, the candidate writes the Dissertation either in Greek or in English. Detailed guidelines on writing a Doctoral Dissertation are provided in Appendix C. The candidate is required to submit copy of the dissertation to the Three-Member Committee and an application accompanied by an abstract of the dissertation and a short curriculum vitae, as well as the original data for the P.P. archives to the Secretariat. The Supervisor schedules the dissertation defense within 30 days of submission. Subsequently the Secretariat circulates within the Academic Community a publication including the dissertation abstract, the candidate’s curriculum vitae and an announcement of the defense date.
g) Final dissertation assessment is administered by a seven (7) member assessment committee appointed by the P.P.G.A. The three member advisory committee members also serve on the assessment committee. At least four (4) committee members must be A.R.S. members, two (2) of which must come from the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics. The rest of the members fit into one of the categories mentioned earlier concerning the three-member committee. The assessment committee members’ scientific specialty must be either the same or highly relevant to the scientific subject area of the Doctoral Dissertation. The candidate defends his/her dissertation in public before the assessment committee, which subsequently assesses the dissertation in terms of originality and degree of contribution to science. For approval, the agreement of at least five (5) members is required. In case of failure the P.P.G.A. gives the student the chance to re-defend the dissertation within a reasonable period of time, taking under consideration suggestions made by the committee.
h) The P.P.G.A. confers upon the Candidate the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) after a proposal by the Coordination Committee clearly stating the fulfillment of the candidate’s obligations mentioned earlier in this handbook.
