Supervisors

An overview of the eligible supervisors can be found on the website of the Doctoral School for Philosophy (VDP).

Faculty Public Presentation (FöP)

The faculty public presentation (FöP) is the first mandatory step for all DSPL43 doctoral candidates in the entry phase, following admission to the doctoral programme. It is a prerequisite for the official approval of the dissertation topic and for concluding the doctoral thesis agreement. The FÖP should be completed at the end of the first year of study.

Requirements for FÖP Registration

• Participation in the FÖP is only possible with valid admission to the doctoral programme.
• Subject-specific requirements ("Auflagen") should ideally be fulfilled before the FÖP. In exceptional cases, DSPL43 may grant approval despite outstanding requirements.
• The dissertation must be supervised by a habilitated person authorized to supervise doctoral students. A current list of eligible supervisors is available on the VDP website.

Research Proposal

Depending on the project, one of two types of exposé can be submitted.

For the Research Proposal, an official template is provided and should be used. The template is available for download in both German and English.

Exposé – 1

A comprehensive research proposal (3,000–5,000 words), including all components listed below and a bibliography, which covers the following content:

• Description of the dissertation topic with a clearly formulated research question
• Overview of the current state of research
• Outline of the planned research methods
• Relevant literature
• Selection of supervisors
• Timeline and work plan, if applicable also a financial plan and overview of required resources

Exposé – 2

A short research proposal (1,000 words in total), which contains the elements listed under Modality 1 in condensed form, as well as an independent academic paper (max. 5,000 words) that:

• was written during the first year of the doctoral programme,
• is thematically related to the research proposal, and
• illustrates the type of research to be conducted during the dissertation phase.

Registration for the FÖP

Registration for the FöP is carried out via the SSC Philosophy Servicedesk Information on dates and deadlines is available on the relevant website. As a general rule, places are allocated according to the order in which applications are received (first-come, first-served). The DSPL43 may decide on exceptions and determines the final order as well as the respective time slots in a binding manner.

The following documents must be submitted as PDFs via the Servicedesk:

1. Form – Registration of the dissertation topic (SL/D11)
2. Form – Regulations relating to good scientific practice – Declaration of authorship (BSP/W1E)
3. Research Proposal / Exposé – Template for Download (English/German)
4. Cotutelle agreement (only if applicable)

Structure of the FÖP

1. Presentation (max. 10 minutes, in German or English, based on the exposé; presentation slides are possible)
2. Discussion (20 minutes with the Doctoral Advisory Board)
3. Result: Announced after a closed discussion by the board, possibly including suggestions for revision or further recommendations.

A written protocol is kept during the FöP. 

If the FöP is not passed, the dissertation topic may be withdrawn, and the candidate may resubmit a revised exposé and reapply for a later date. In this case, registration must again be completed via the SSC Philosophy Servicedesk.

After the FöP

1. Next step: the doctoral thesis agreement may be concluded

Dissertation Agreement & ECTS

After the dissertation project has been approved as part of the FöP (doctoral thesis agreement presentation), the research phase begins. According to the curriculum, a total of 24 ECTS must be earned — through DSPL43 courses and/or other academic activities that support the doctoral project.

The planned distribution of ECTS is documented in the Dissertation Agreement (DV) (Page 2, Section 7). The DSPL43 recommends earning at least 15 ECTS through doctoral seminars offered by DSPL43. Deviations from this recommendation must be justified (e.g., in relation to the research project or future career plans).

Submitting the Dissertation Agreement

After successfully completing the FöP, students must conclude a Dissertation Agreement (DV) with their supervisor(s), which must then be approved by DSPL43.

1. Complete the Form – Dissertation Agreement (DV.01)
2. Prepare a declaration of deviation from the ECTS plan, if applicable
3. Have the Dissertation Agreement signed by the supervisors
4. Submit the documents as a PDF via the Service Desk
5. Review and approval by the DSPL43

Guidelines for Completing the Dissertation Agreement

Page 1: Personal and Study Details

• Personal details can be accessed via u:space
• Supervisors can be found via u:find
• Curriculum: Doctoral Programme in Philosophy (as of June 2018)
• Degree programme code: UA 792 296

Page 2, Item 4: Feedback

• Guideline of the DSPL43: Feedback must be provided no later than four weeks after the submission of chapters or research results.
• It must be specified whether feedback will be provided orally, in writing, or both.

Page 2, Item 7: ECTS Planning

• The plan for completing the 24 ECTS credits must be documented in Item 7.
• Recommendation of the DSPL43: At least 15 ECTS credits should be earned through DSPL43 doctoral seminars. Any deviations must be justified on substantive grounds and aligned with the dissertation project or individual career plans.
• Example of a possible distribution: “15 ECTS through DSPL43 doctoral seminars, 9 ECTS through academic activities.”

Changes to Supervision Arrangements & Co-Supervision

The following forms can be used to change the supervision arrangement. Please tick "Notification of change" on the first page:

• Form – SL.D11

If the person is only to be registered as a co-supervisor, please use the following form:

• Form – BSP/W5 (currently available in German only)

If the person is not currently employed by the University of Vienna, the Personal Data Sheet / External Data Sheet is also required.

• Form – Personal Data Sheet / External Data Sheet

Progress reports

The progress report is submitted annually to document the progress of the research and must be countersigned by the supervisors and the DSPL43. While the progress report itself does not constitute an application for the recognition of ECTS credits, students are asked to submit applications for the recognition of ECTS-related activities together with the annual progress report via the Servicedesk (see: Recognition of courses, external courses, and academic activities).

Submission:

1. Form – Progress report (BSP/V02E)
2. Form – Application for Recognition (SL/A1-en) for the recognition of ECTS-relevant achievements, including all records of performance and certificates of participation.

Recognition of External Achievements & Academic Activities (ECTS)

Recognition of Academic Activities (ECTS)

In addition to courses, academic activities may also be credited with ECTS, provided that sufficient documentation is submitted.

Examples and Guideline Values

The listed ECTS values are indicative only. Final credit allocation is determined by the DSPL, based on the individual application. Factors considered include academic relevance, scope of the activity, workshop size, and publication output.

• Teaching (own teaching): ECTS based on the number of teaching hours

• Conference presentation: 1 ECTS

• Conference attendance: 0.5 ECTS

• Peer review for academic journals: 0.5 ECTS

• Own publication (not part of the dissertation): up to 2 ECTS

• Editorial work: up to 2 ECTS

• Organization of academic events: up to 2 ECTS

• Outreach projects and academic internships: individual decision by DSPL43

How to Apply for Recognition

Please apply when you submit a progress report. The application should include the following supporting documents to retrospectively confirm participation or academic achievements:

• Form – Progress Report (BSP/V02E)
• Form – Application for Recognition (SL/A1-en) for the recognition of ECTS-relevant achievements, including all records of performance and certificates:
  • Publication: Published work (electronic version), confirmation of acceptance by the publisher/journal
  • Conference presentation: Official confirmation by the organizers, conference program
  • Conference participation: Payment receipt for participation or certificate of attendance
  • Summer schools: Certificate of attendance or payment receipt for participation
  • Own teaching: u:find entry, official link to the course announcement, course catalogue (lecture directory)

Assignment of the dissertation to examiners

The appointment of examiners marks the beginning of the final phase of the doctoral program and must take place before submitting the dissertation. It must be decided in advance who will evaluate the dissertation. The process for assignment within DSPL43 is outlined below:

Assignment process

Students and their supervisors propose three external reviewers to the DSPL. The application is submitted via the service desk and must include:

• Form – Assignment of a dissertation to examiners (BSP/D3)
• Form – Abstract in German (SL.D4 DE)
• Form – Abstract in English (SL.D4 EN)
• CV including publication list for each proposed person

Review and preliminary decision by the DSPL

• The DSPL makes a preliminary decision and determines which of the proposed reviewers will be contacted by the SSC.
• The SSC carries out the official request to the selected reviewers.

Important notes

• Selection of reviewers: Further information on selecting suitable reviewers can be found on the VDP website
• Students and supervisors must not have direct contact with (potential) reviewers. There must be no prior academic collaboration between students and reviewers (e.g. joint publications)

Timeline planning

Submit the application for assignment only when it is foreseeable that the dissertation will be submitted soon. The assignment process goes through several stages, and acceptance or rejection by the external reviewers may take some time. Final approval by the Studienpräses can take several weeks. Please plan this period accordingly in your final phase. For questions regarding the assignment of the dissertation, please contact the SSC Philosophy.

Submission of the dissertation

After the dissertation has been assigned to the external reviewers, it can be submitted via u:space. Information on submission via u:space can be found here.

Once the dissertation has passed the plagiarism check and been sent to the external reviewers for assessment, students must submit the following to the SSC:

1. A digital copy of the HOPLA upload confirmation
2. Form – Submission of the dissertation (SL.D6)
3. Three printed copies of the dissertation, including a copy of the HOPLA upload confirmation. The documents should be submitted to the porter at the NIG and placed in the mailbox "SSC Philosophy."

The SSC must receive the two external reviews within a period of four months. As soon as the SSC receives a review, it will be forwarded to the students and supervisors via the SSC service desk.

Important note:

Students and their supervisors must not under any circumstances contact the reviewers during the review period.

Defense

In the Defensio, only the quality of the presentation and the scholarly discussion during the defense are assessed. The evaluation of the dissertation itself remains unaffected by this.

The Defensio is a public examination; interested persons may attend.

The examination committee consists of:

• the responsible Director of Studies Programme (DSPL43) as chair,
• the two reviewers of the dissertation.
• Prior to the Defensio, all curricular requirements stipulated in the curriculum must have been fully completed.

Coordination of the Defensio Date

The scheduling of the Defensio is the responsibility of the candidates.

The Defensio date must be coordinated with the responsible Director of Studies Programme (DSPL43) via dspl.philosophie@univie.ac.at as well as with the two reviewers.

The use of a Doodle link with several possible time slots is recommended. Different time zones should be taken into account.

Format of the Defensio

The Defensio may be conducted

• in person on site (NIG),
• in a hybrid format, or
• fully digitally.

As a rule, the Defensio takes place in person on site. If personal travel by the reviewers is not possible, the Defensio may be held in hybrid form. A fully digital format is also possible at the explicit request of the candidates.

As the Defensio is a public event, not only interested members of the public but also guests (e.g. family members, friends) may attend.

Registration for the Defensio

Once a Defensio date has been fixed, official registration is carried out via the SSC Service Desk. If required, the SSC will create the Zoom link and send out the official invitation to the Defensio.

• Form – Registration for the Final Oral Examination (SL.P4)
• Indication of whether the Defensio is to be publicly advertised