FAQs

Which topics covers the doctoral plan?
The doctoral plan provides information on:
- Research objectives
- Teaching task
- Any other duties
- A timeline for extended doctoral studies, if applicable

What is the length of a doctoral plan?
Your doctoral plan should be 2-5 pages (references can be added extra) and written completely in your own words.
Include all points from the template into your doctoral plan.

Is there a template that may be used?
Yes. You can find it in the section Download"Forms and Documents" (PDF, 415 KB)vertical_align_bottom.

Why is a doctoral plan needed?
The doctoral plan forms the basis for the aptitude colloquium, which all doctoral students must complete within the first year of their doctorate.

Please note that the doctoral plan has not the character of a legally binding agreement, but is rather a declaration of intent between you and your supervisor.

Who do I submit the doctoral plan to?
To the supervisor, the second advisor, the chair of the aptitude colloquium and any other members of this committee and to the D-PHYS doctoral administration ().

When has the doctoral plan to be submitted?
At the latest two weeks before the aptitude colloquium.

What are the duties of the second advisor?
The second advisor provides the doctoral candidate with additional, specialist support and task-​​related advice.

The second advisor is also significantly involved in the development of the doctoral plan and is part of the aptitude colloquium committee.

But also afterwards, this person plays an important role at the time of the annual progress report. This again is important for the part of the annual status conversation that focuses on the scientific progress of the research project.

Who nominates the second advisor?
The supervisor of the doctoral thesis designates - in agreement with the doctoral candidate - an academically qualified person as second advisor.

When does the second advisor have to be nominated?
The second advisor should preferably be appointed as early as possible, but at the latest four weeks before the aptitude colloquium.

How to nominate the second advisor?
Please notify the doctoral administration of ETH () by sending the corresponding Downloadform (PDF, 154 KB)vertical_align_bottom.

Who can act as second advisor?
Any academically qualified person with proven expertise in the research topic of the thesis. The second advisor does not need to be a professor, or affiliated with ETH Zurich. However, this person should be available for the entire duration of the doctorate.

May someone from the same group act as second advisor?
Yes. But keep in mind, that the second advisor should be available for the entire duration of the doctorate.

May second advisors act as co-examiners?
Yes, if they meet the co-examiner criteria.

Is there a deadline for the aptitude colloquium to take place?
Yes. All doctoral students have to take their aptitude colloquim within their first year. The deadline for taking the aptitude colloquium can be found in your admission letter. It can also be viewed in myStudies.

Why an aptitude colloquium?
Doctoral students defend their doctoral plan in the aptitude colloquium. In doing so, they prove they can assess the relevance of their research area and place it in the current context of scientific research. Passing the aptitude colloquium is a condition for definitive admission to the doctorate. The goal of the aptitude colloquium is to help the PhD students to progress in their studies.

Who organizes the aptitude colloquium?
The organisation of the aptitude colloquium is the doctoral student's own responsibility. Please select a free date for the aptitude colloquium from the calender no later than four weeks prior to your aptitude colloquium.
If all slots for all chairs are filled, please contact Prof. Senatore, Prof. Imamoglu or Prof. Chu directly to find a date and inform us accordingly.

The date and time must be arranged in consultation with the supervisor and the second advisor. Please note that no provisional reservations will be made for reasons of clarity.

Room reservations are made by the D-PHYS doctoral administration and published on the webpage.

Who are the members of the aptitude colloquium committee?
The chairperson (member of the doctoral committee or another person appointed by the doctoral committee), the doctoral thesis supervisor, and the second advisor.

An extension of the aptitude colloquium committee is possible upon request of the supervisor to the doctoral committee. This is limited to two persons and needs to be submitted latest six weeks before the colloquium.

What is the procedure of the aptitude colloquium?
1. 20 minutes presentation of the PhD candidate. Please note the presentation should not only focus on the past year, but at least 5 minutes should address the future research contents, and not as a detailed schedule of the project, but rather the open questions that will advance the state-of-the-art in the specific field.
2. 20 to 30 minutes of questions mainly from the supervisor and second advisor.
3. 5 minutes discussion without the PhD candidate and result.
4. 5 minutes discussion of the chair with the PhD candidate only.

Is the aptitude colloquium public?
No.

Are there any rules on physical presence?
The physical presence of the aptitude committee at the aptitude colloquium is not mandatory. This also applies to the doctoral student. If aptitude committee members and/or the doctoral student take part by video link, two-way communication – both video and audio – must be guaranteed for the entire duration of the aptitude colloquium.
If the aptitude colloquium is held online or in hybrid mode, it is the PhD candidate's responsibility to organise it and set up the zoom link for the invitation. Please send the zoom link to the D-PHYS doctoral administration at least two weeks before the aptitude colloquium.
If you need video conferencing equipment (e.g. Meeting Owl), you can rent it for free from the ID MMS Shop.  

What should I do if I can't meet the deadline for the aptitude colloquium?
If the aptitude colloquium cannot be completed within the first year, a Downloadrequest for extension of the deadline (PDF, 127 KB)vertical_align_bottom must be submitted in due time to:
The request must have a valid reason. Professors Sabbatical is not a valid reason.
 

Do students under the old regulation (enrolement before 1.1.2022) also have to complete the progress report and annual status conversation?
Yes.

Do doctoral students also have to complete the progress report and annual status conversation in their first year?
No, at the end of your first year you need to pass your aptitude colloquium. The first Progress report & Annual status conversation needs to take place around the end of your second year and also at the end of the following years of your PhD.

Who is responsible for organising the date for the progress report and annual status conversation?
The Phd candidate or supervisor can arrange or ask for a date.

What is a progress report and how does it look like?
Doctoral students who have been definitively admitted write an annual progress report on the status and planned progress of their research project, as well as on any significant deviations from the research project described in the doctoral plan. This is a possible Downloadtemplate for a progress report (PDF, 131 KB)vertical_align_bottom that can be used for orientation.

What is a annual status conversation and how does it work?
The annual status conversation consists of two separate parts:
1. Academic progress (basis: progress report)
2. Assessment, career and personal development

The first part deals with the doctorate and the research work. The previously written progress report forms the basis for this conversation where all points recorded in the doctoral plan, the next steps and, if necessary, significant changes to the research project are discussed. It is recommended to involve the second advisor in the first part. Other persons may also participate.

The second part is a development discussion that includes mutual feedback and the further development of competences. This part is conducted confidentially between the supervisor of the doctoral thesis and the doctoral candidate.
This is a possible Downloadtemplate for a annual status conversation (PDF, 463 KB)vertical_align_bottom that can be used for orientation.

In any case both parts - the progress report and the result of the annual status conversation - are sent to the second advisor for information.

Who is responsible for keeping the documents?
It is the responsibility of the conversation participants to keep this document until the completion of the doctorate.
 

How do doctoral students with enrolement before 1.1.2022 obtain credit points?

• You need to acquire 12 credit points during your doctoral studies, 4 of them from outside of your field of research.
• You register the courses in your myStudies, but not summer schools, conferences, and other activities. These shall be listed and confirmed on the Downloadcourse confirmation sheet. (PDF, 25 KB)vertical_align_bottom
• If you do take the examination of a course, then ECTS are counted.
• If you do not take the examination, you have to attend the course regularly and participate in the exercises. The lecturer needs to confirm your attendance. In this case, the amount of the weekly hours (V+U) is being counted as doctoral credit points. These doctoral credit points may not exceed the amount of ECTS allocated to a course unit.
  
• A one-week conference with poster or talk counts for 2 doctoral credit points.
  
• A one-week summer school counts for 1 doctoral credit point.
• Once you have all credit points acquired, send an extract of your myStudies and the signed confirmation sheet to to get them confirmed.
• Appendix 1 of the detailed stipulations applies to you.
  
  

How do I obtain credit points for doctoral studies?
Please refer to this Downloadguideline (PDF, 444 KB)vertical_align_bottom.

Do I have to take the examination to receive ECTS from courses?
Yes.

Which courses can I register for as a doctoral student in D-PHYS?
As a rule, only credit points are awarded for work which has been performed within the university environment or at academic events. Please see the Detailed Stipulation Art. 11.2 for more information.

How can I claim ECTS for summer schools or conferences?
You can find them in the course catalogue under "doctorate/physics/doctoral department of physics/integration into scientific community". Please select your supervisor when registering.

Is it correct that I need to acquire ECTS in "Good Scientific Practice and Ethics"?
That is correct. At least 1 ECTS needs to be acquired by attending a course in this field. This will be recognised in the "transferable skills" category.

Can ECTS from teaching diploma or teaching certificate courses also be recognised for regular doctoral studies?
Yes. But only courses, for which you have registered after the start of your doctoral studies.

Are ECTS awarded for participation in teaching?
No. Doctoral students are not only students, but also employees of ETH Zurich. Teaching is considered as part of their duties as employees.

Co-​examiners issue a written report on the doctoral thesis, submit it to the Department and participate in the doctoral examination.

From 1.1.2024, at least one co-​examiner must come from outside ETH Zurich and be a proven expert in the area of the doctoral thesis. See details here in article 11.3 para. c.

Deadline for the nomination of co-​examiners
No later than ten weeks before their doctoral examination, the doctoral students nominate one or several co-examiners with the consent of their supervisor.

Procedure for the nomination and approval of co-​examiners
The supervisor or the doctoral student hands in requests for approval of co-​examiners to the D-PHYS doctoral administration (). Please include family name, first name, title, university with department, and email address of each co-​examiner. The D-PHYS doctoral administration then submits the requests to the Doctoral Committee for approval. Upon approval, ETH Zurich Academic Services are informed.

If there is a dependence relationship between the supervisor and the co-​examiner, an additional independent co-​examiner is required.

Approval is required for:

• ETH Zurich adjunct professors (Titularprofessor:in)
  
• ETH Zurich PDs (Privatdozent:in)
• ETH Zurich Emeriti professors (> 1 year at time of examination)
• Other internal ETH Zurich scientific staff
• EPFL professors
• All external examiners and co-​examiners

No approval is needed for:

• ETH Zurich full professors
• ETH Zurich associate and assistant professors
  
• NF-​sponsored professors

Duties of the co-​examiners
The examination committee comprises a chairperson, the thesis supervisor as examiner, and the co-​examiner(s). The examiner and the co-​examiners evaluate the written doctoral thesis. The written reports on the thesis have to be submitted to the D-PHYS doctoral administration at the latest 5 working days before the oral examination.

Aptitude Colloquium:
Prof. Yiwen Chu
Prof. Atac Imamoglu
Prof. Leonardo Senatore
If all aptitude colloquium chairs are not available, please contact the D-PHYS doctoral administration ()

Doctoral Examination:
Prof. Leonardo Degiorgi
Prof. Eugene Demler
Prof. Alexandre Refregier
Prof. Andrey Zheludev
If all doctoral examination chairs are not available, please contact the D-PHYS doctoral administration ()

At least four weeks before the doctoral examination, the doctoral student send the examination copy of their doctoral thesis, usually in electronic form, to the members of the examination committee. Printed versions may also be requested and provided by the doctoral student at least four weeks prior to their examination.

No later than 12 working days prior to the doctoral examination, a PDF-version of the thesis has to be submitted to the .