Doctoral student
Only the first enrollment – Upon entering POSMEC, the student must print the Enrollment application – regular students and talk to the Supervisor to decide which courses the student should take. After that, the student must deliver the signed application to the administration office.
Every two months, enrollment of regular students in courses is done through CAPG, in the periods defined by the Academic Calendar. The enrollment form filled in at CAPG must be printed, signed by the supervisor, and delivered to the POSMEC administrative office within the established deadline.
Enrollment in courses from other UFSC graduate programs – The student must print the Enrollment application – regular students (manually, not via CAPG) and fill in the course details, collect the Supervisor’s signature, and deliver the document at POSMEC during the program’s enrollment period.
Every doctoral student MUST enroll in each term. As long as the student does not complete the minimum number of credits, enrollment must be made in courses. After completing the minimum number of credits (36), the doctoral candidate MUST enroll, every term, in Dissertation (even if s/he required an extension). There are no enrollment fees.
Adjustment and Cancellation of Enrollment in Courses
The enrollment adjustment (done manually) is done through the Enrollment Request for Regular Students (above). It must be filled, have the Supervisor’s signature, and be delivered at POSMEC within the cancellation period.
Enrollment in one or more courses can be canceled at the request of the student with the consent of his/her Supervisor. The cancellation must be requested via CAPG. Print the document and deliver it signed by the student and the supervisor to the POSMEC office (according to the deadline stipulated in the academic calendar).
Minimum Number of Credits
Full-time students must be enrolled in at least 4 credits in each academic term. All students must complete a minimum of 36 credits to defend the dissertation. They must have completed 48 credits by the end of the program (36 + 12 dissertation credits). Enrollments in a smaller number of credits may be authorized by the Program Coordination in special cases. To do so, the student must send a written request to the POSMEC office stating his/her reasons. It is necessary to have the supervisor’s consent.
Foreign Language Proficiency
The student will be required to show proficiency in two foreign languages. Foreign POSMEC students must also show proficiency in Portuguese.
No student in debt with foreign language proficiency requirements may take the qualifying exam.
English language proficiency can be proven with the TOEFL score or by taking the DLLE/CCE/UFSC exam.
Directed Study (Only for Doctoral students)
The directed study is sent through the Directed Study Request, completed and signed by the supervisor and student, for approval at the POSMEC council meeting. The evaluation committee must already be indicated in the document. It is the responsibility of the council to approve the request and the selected committee. After approval at the council meeting, the administrative office will arrange the student’s enrollment at CAPG.
To register the student’s grade at the end of the evaluation, the document Directed Study Evaluation Form, signed by the members of the evaluation committee, must be delivered to the POSMEC office.
Qualifying Exam
Every doctoral student needs to prepare, deliver, and defend his/her Qualifying Exam (QE) as soon as the 30 credits are completed and before 18 months of entering POSMEC. The period for defending the QE can be extended by up to another six months, if properly justified. To do so, the supervisor and the doctoral student need to send the POSMEC office a request for an extension including the reasons and attaching a period schedule. If the defense of the QE does not take place until the 24th month, the doctoral scholarship will be suspended.
The form, content and other specificities of the QE will be regulated by a Normative Regulation that is being worked on by a committee.
The text of the qualifying exam typically has between 60 and 90 pages with the proposal of the dissertation to be developed. It should contain the preliminary bibliographic review of the topic, define the objectives of the work, point out its original elements, present the way the work will be developed (method), the work schedule, the expected results and demonstrate that there are sufficient conditions and resources to make the work possible.
The QE is evaluated by an examining committee composed of a minimum of three doctors, where the president must be an accredited professor at POSMEC. The composition of the committee members must comply with the Guidelines for Examining Commissions (legislation and standards) and be approved by the Delegate Council. Normally, the examining committee will observe: (a) Whether the proposal has the size and originality compatible with a doctoral dissertation; (b) Whether the proposed path (method) has a good chance of success; (c) Whether the means necessary for the work to be carried out are secured or well underway and (d) Whether the candidate has sufficient control over the proposed work.
The defense of the QE has a public part and another behind closed doors. The public part begins with a 50-minute presentation of the work proposal by the student. The audience then has the opportunity to speak up about the work and ask the student questions. Then, the closed doors phase begins. The doctoral candidate is questioned by each member of the examining committee about the work proposal. Finally, the examining committee meets privately to decide whether to approve the work. The minutes of the defense are taken, and a sheet of recommendations is prepared, where the examining committee leaves its guidelines on the corrections of directions, complementation and other considerations that it deems pertinent.
Attention: there is no second chance to take the QE. In case of failure, the doctoral student is dismissed from the program.
Deadline for Doctoral Completion
The regulatory deadline for completing the doctorate at POSMEC is 48 months. All courses are expected to be completed by the end of the first academic year. The qualifying exam (QE) should ideally be taken until the 18th month. Thereafter, the development of the research work, the preparation and defense of the dissertation must be carried out by the end of the 48th month. Objectivity and dedication are elements of great impact for success.
Completing the doctorate within the regulatory deadline is the best alternative for the doctoral student, supervisor and POSMEC. After this deadline, and if there is a good justification, it is possible to request an extension. In cases of force majeure, up to 12 months of extension may be granted. However, there is no possibility to extend the scholarships administered by POSMEC beyond the regular period of 48 months. The only exceptions are pregnant women and doctoral students of excellent performance who went straight from the master’s to the doctoral program.
Doctoral students who complete and defend their doctoral dissertation within the regular period of 48 months will have the expenses with the preparation of N + 3 copies of the doctoral dissertation paid by POSMEC, N being the number of members of the evaluation committee.
Extension
The request for extension must be made by the supervisor, in a specific form, Deadline Extension Form, containing the justification and attaching the schedule of activities for the period. The application must be signed by the doctoral student and the supervisor. The maximum extension time is 12 months, and the minimum is one term. The evaluation of the extension time is the responsibility of the program coordinator.
Leave of Absence
In cases of force majeure or due to particular impediments, the doctoral student may request a leave of absence. During this period, the doctoral student will not be able to take courses, take the qualifying exam, defend the doctoral dissertation, or complete any formality related to the program. The period related to the leave of absence is not counted for the maximum time for completing the doctorate degree. The minimum leave of absence is one term, and the maximum is 12 months. It is not possible to request a leave of absence in the first and last academic term, or in periods of extension.
The leave of absence can only be requested during the registration period, at the beginning of the term.
Note: when the leave is granted, the scholarship is immediately canceled.
Leave of Absence Form
An absence of up to 12 months plus extension of up to 12 months is allowed.
Withdrawal
Currently, the student who requests withdrawal within the regular deadline (without extension), has the right to request, through new participation in the admission selection process, the validation of the courses in which s/he has been approved. However, the decision on validation is left to the analysis committee. The deadline for validating course credits is currently up to 10 years from completion. It cannot be requested if the student is about to leave the program.
Dismissal
The student who is dismissed from the program loses the right to validate course credits and other completed events, in the case of a new request to enter the program. Students who fall under any of the following items will be dismissed from the program due to insufficient performance:
- if s/he stop enrolling for two consecutive periods, without requesting a leave of absence;
- if s/he fails in two courses;
- when the maximum period for finishing the program has expired;
- if s/he fails the dissertation defense.
Supervisor
Each doctoral student must have a doctoral supervisor accredited by POSMEC. The selection of the supervisor occurs when the doctoral student enters the course. The supervisor will guide the student in choosing the courses necessary to develop the agreed work plan, as well as in all phases of the development of the QE, the research, and the dissertation document.
The change of supervisor is allowed, either at the student’s or at the supervisor’s initiative. To do so, just send an e-mail to the old and the new supervisor, informing the change.
Further information can be found in the POSMEC 2011 Rules.
The inclusion of a co-supervisor will be done on request, at any time, with the approval of the Council.
Doctoral Dissertation
The doctoral dissertation is the written document in which the developments and contributions of the research work developed within the scope of the doctoral program will be registered. It must be written with scientific rigor, in Portuguese. The Council may authorize the use of the English language. POSMEC provides a Model for Dissertation and Thesis (Microsoft Word) that should preferably be used. There is also the Model for Dissertation and Thesis in LATEX.
The doctoral dissertation must be defended by the student before an Examining Committee made up of the Supervisor (president) and three other members defined in accordance with the Guidelines of the Examining Commissions, where one of the participants must be external to UFSC. One of the external members is designated as the dissertation reporter. S/he will examine the work in advance and issue an opinion stating whether the student can defend the dissertation as it stands. The defense can only be authorized with the positive opinion of the Reporter.
The composition of the evaluation committee must be requested by the supervisor in a specific form and must be approved by the Delegate Council before the defense. It is recommended that the request for approval by the evaluation committee be forwarded to the POSMEC Office at least 45 days in advance of the expected date for the defense.
The defense is public. It starts with a 50-minute presentation made by the student about his/her work. It is followed by the oral examination from each member of the evaluation committee. The attending public also has the opportunity to speak up. Then, the evaluation committee will deliberate in private on whether to approve the work. The minute is taken, and a requirements document is prepared, with the changes that the examining committee may require to be incorporated in the final version of the doctoral dissertation.
POSMEC has prepared some guidelines to help you in the process of preparing and presenting your doctoral dissertation: Tips for better writing and Tips for oral presentations.
Attention: there is no second chance to defend the dissertation. In case of failure, the doctoral student is dismissed from the program.
Publication in Journals
Each doctoral student needs to publish at least one article in a prestigious international journal. The Qualis evaluation of the journal is required to be A1, A2, B1 or B2. The Delegate Council WILL NOT APPROVE the examination committee without proof that the article has been published, is accepted for publication, or has been submitted for publication.
Defense of Doctoral Dissertation and Diploma
For the defense of the Dissertation the student must follow the STEPS FOR THE DEFENSE – 2019
It is in the student’s interest to request the diploma.
After being approved in the doctoral defense, the now PhD must complete some formalities to have his/her diploma issued. Among them, s/he must deliver the final version of the dissertation within the deadlines set by the examining committee.
After the defense (around 5 days), the student should go to the POSMEC office to check the documentation list for the diploma application. The student must deliver only the final digital version (with signatures) to POSMEC. Send the final version to tese.posmec@gmail.com.
