Aptitude colloquium

All students admitted after 1 January 2022 have to pass the aptitude colloquium. The aptitude colloquium takes place in the twelfth month after provisional admission of the doctoral student.

The aptitude colloquium is private and will last 45-60 minutes. Members can be admitted, if both the student and the doctoral thesis supervisor agree. The colloquium consists of a presentation of not more than 20 minutes, followed by a discussion with the committee members.

The chair of the aptitude colloquium is held by a D-MAVT professor appointed by the Doctoral Committee. Each doctoral student is assigned the chair of his/her aptitude colloquium committee in the first months of his/her doctorate.

The Doctoral Committee decides, upon request by the doctoral thesis supervisor, about other additional members of the aptitude committee.

All committee members as well as the doctoral student may join the aptitude colloquium virtually. Responsibility for the functioning of the connection lies with the examination organizer and the connected person(s).

In consultation with the doctoral thesis supervisor, committee members and the committee chair, the doctoral student is responsible for finding a date, time and location for the aptitude colloquium and registers these details with the Downloadregistration form (PDF, 33 KB)vertical_align_bottom to the D-MAVT Doctoral Administration at least four weeks before the aptitude colloquium.

The aptitude colloquium committee performs the following tasks:

1. it assesses the candidate's aptitude to independently carry out a research project and to write a doctoral thesis.
2. it declares the assessment "passed" or "failed" and records the result in writing to the attention of the doctoral committee, with additions to the research objectives if necessary.
3. it comments on the other points listed in the doctoral plan and may make recommendations in their regard.

If the decision is not unanimous, the doctoral committee will make the final ruling within one month of the aptitude colloquium, basing its decision on the research objectives described in the doctoral plan and the results of the assessment; it may also hear the aptitude committee and the candidate to make its decision.

In case of a repetition, upon the approval of the doctoral thesis supervisor (the approval for repetition can be refused only if the aptitude committee unanimously decided that the first attempt was “failed”), the second attempt takes place within three months of the result of the first attempt and follows the same procedures as for the first attempt.

The result of the aptitude colloquium (pass/fail) is communicated to the Academic Services.

In case the deadline cannot be met, a Downloadrequest for a deadline extension (PDF, 507 KB)vertical_align_bottom with reasons and a proposed new deadline, signed by the doctoral thesis supervisor, must be submitted to the D-MAVT Doctoral Administration. The Delegate for Doctoral Affairs approves signs and forwards it to the Academic Services. In case of a rejection, the D-MAVT Doctoral Administration informs the doctoral thesis supervisor and the doctoral student to discuss the situation.