Regulations on Ensuring the Right of PhD Students to Choose Academic Disciplines and the Procedure for Forming an Individual Study Plan for a PhD Student of the National Aerospace University "Kharkiv Aviation Institute"
Approved by:
The Academic Council of the National Aerospace University
"Kharkiv Aviation Institute"
Protocol No. 8 of March 24, 2021
Put into effect by Order No. 135 of March 25, 2021
SUYA KhAI-NMV-P/002:2021
Date of introduction: March 25, 2021
Revision No. 1
1. General Provisions
1.1 The Regulations on Ensuring the Right of PhD Students to Choose Academic Disciplines and the Procedure for Forming an Individual Study Plan for a PhD Student (hereinafter – the Regulations) at the National Aerospace University "Kharkiv Aviation Institute" (hereinafter – the University) have been developed in accordance with the Laws of Ukraine "On Education" and "On Higher Education," the Regulations on the Organization of the Educational Process at the National Aerospace University "Kharkiv Aviation Institute," and Resolution No. 261 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of March 23, 2016, "Procedure for Training Higher Education Seekers for the Degrees of Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Science." It contains the basic requirements for the realization of PhD students' right to choose academic disciplines and the procedure for forming a PhD student's individual study plan.
1.2 These Regulations define the procedure for forming the list, choosing, and subsequently studying elective academic disciplines by third-cycle higher education seekers of the University within the limits provided by the corresponding educational-scientific program and curriculum, the procedure for forming a PhD student's individual study plan (hereinafter – ISP), as well as monitoring learning outcomes and the fulfillment of the PhD student's ISP.
1.3 The Regulations are based on the principles of a student-centered approach and free creative learning, which guarantees seekers the ability to build an individual learning trajectory taking into account their own potential, personal growth, and their scientific and professional interests.
1.4 The educational-scientific program (hereinafter – ESP) for training third-cycle higher education seekers consists of mandatory and elective components. Seekers make their choice of academic disciplines during the process of forming their individual study plan within the limits provided by the corresponding ESP and semester curriculum, observing the sequence of their study according to the structural-logical scheme of specialist training.
1.5 Third-cycle higher education seekers also have the right to choose academic disciplines from lists offered to seekers of other levels of higher education and/or other educational-scientific programs for Doctor of Philosophy degree seekers that are related to the topic of the dissertation research, subject to the approval of their scientific supervisor and the head of the Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies Department.
1.6 The choice of academic disciplines by a Doctor of Philosophy degree seeker creates conditions for achieving the following goals:
- deepening general and professional competencies within the chosen specialty;
- studying academic disciplines that provide the competencies necessary for carrying out dissertation research;
- acquiring competencies to broaden one's scientific worldview.
1.7 The volume of elective academic disciplines must constitute at least 25% of the total volume of ECTS credits.
1.8 Elective academic disciplines are added to the PhD student's ISP and are mandatory for the seeker to study.
1.9 The volume of each elective discipline must be at least three ECTS credits.
1.10 The heads of the respective departments that offer elective disciplines ensure the preparation of work programs (syllabi) for academic disciplines, as well as the methodological and organizational materials necessary for studying these elective disciplines.
2. Implementation of PhD Students' Right to Choose Academic Disciplines
2.1 A PhD student is invited to achieve their goals, as formulated in clause 1.6, by choosing disciplines from the proposed lists, which provide the knowledge necessary for deepening professional competencies, as well as for carrying out dissertation research.
2.2 Elective components of the curriculum for third-cycle higher education seekers are divided into three tentative lists, formed into corresponding catalogs and published on the University's website:
- List 1. Elective components for in-depth knowledge of the specialty;
- List 2. Elective components on the topic of the dissertation;
- List 3. Elective components of free choice.
2.2.1 Elective components for in-depth knowledge of the specialty. Disciplines in this block ensure the deepening of general and professional competencies within the chosen specialty.
2.2.2 Elective components based on the topic of the dissertation research. This block includes disciplines whose study is necessary for acquiring the competencies required to carry out the dissertation research.
2.2.3 Elective components of free choice. A university-wide block in which disciplines for selection are offered by University departments or other divisions in accordance with their areas of activity or scientific directions/schools.
2.3 The semester in which specific disciplines from the relevant lists are offered is determined by the Educational-Scientific Program (ESP) and the corresponding curriculum template developed by the guarantors of the third (educational-scientific) level higher education programs.
2.4 As a result of exercising the PhD student's right to freely choose academic disciplines, all selected disciplines must be included in their Individual Study Plan (ISP). The cumulative volume of mandatory and elective components of the Individual Study Plan must correspond to the number of ECTS credits specified in the ESP, which aligns with the mandatory annual workload volume.
2.5 The cumulative volume of the mandatory and elective components of a PhD student's ISP, regardless of the methods used to exercise the right to free choice of disciplines, must correspond to that specified in the educational-scientific program under which the seeker is studying.
3. Procedure for PhD Students' Selection of Academic Disciplines
3.1 The timelines for conducting the procedures for selecting academic disciplines by PhD students are determined by the need for timely formation (for planning and organizing the educational process, as well as its methodological and staffing support) of the contingent of PhD students in groups and streams.
3.1.1 PhD students usually exercise their right to choose academic disciplines no later than the beginning of the spring semester preceding the academic year in which their study is planned. PhD students are invited to make their choice of academic disciplines for the next academic year and thus form their individual study plan.
3.1.2 For PhD students studying under educational-scientific programs where the elective component is planned for the first year of study, the selection of disciplines is organized within the first two weeks of the academic year.
3.2 Departments that provide teaching for elective disciplines submit to the Educational-Methodological Department and the University's sectoral scientific-methodological commissions a list of disciplines offered to PhD students for selection, along with work programs (syllabi) and brief annotations of the elective academic disciplines.
3.3 The lists of elective disciplines for each elective list, in accordance with clause 2.2 of these Regulations, are approved at the meetings of the University's sectoral scientific-methodological commissions.
3.4 Approved lists of elective academic disciplines and annotations for the specified disciplines are posted on the University's official website.
3.5 The procedure for PhD students' selection of academic disciplines consists of the following stages:
3.5.1 First stage — familiarizing PhD students with the procedure, timelines, and specific features of enrollment and group formation for studying elective components of the curriculum at the University.
3.5.2 Second stage — familiarizing PhD students with the lists of elective disciplines offered both under the Educational-Scientific Program (ESP) they are studying and under other programs. Annotations of elective disciplines, as well as the portfolios of the instructors for these disciplines, can be viewed on the University's official website.
3.5.3 Third stage — enrolling PhD students in academic disciplines. The selection of academic disciplines is carried out through personal voting in the "Pilot" electronic educational process support system or by submitting an application (see Appendix A) to the Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies Department.
The disciplines selected by the PhD student are entered into their Individual Study Plan, which is recorded in the seeker's personal account in the "Pilot" system.
3.5.4 In the event that a PhD student chooses to study academic disciplines offered for other levels of higher education, they must submit an application to the Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies Department, approved by their scientific supervisor, in which they justify the need to study the selected disciplines taught at other levels of higher education, taking into account the subject of their dissertation research.
The head of the Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies Department determines the practical feasibility of organizing the study of the chosen discipline and makes a corresponding decision. In case of a positive decision, the information is transmitted to the Educational-Analytical Department and the Dispatch Service for processing.
Upon completion of the PhD student's study of an elective discipline offered for other levels of higher education at the University, the responsible instructor, after the end of the semester, submits a group attendance record to the Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies Department and completes a separate grade sheet.
3.5.5 Fourth stage — processing the choices made by PhD students, forming groups for elective disciplines, and finalizing the PhD students' Individual Study Plans (carried out by employees of the Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies Department, who are responsible for the documentation support of the process of forming PhD students' ISPs and monitoring their fulfillment).
3.5.6 Fifth stage — scheduling of classes by the University's Dispatch Service.
3.5.7 In the event of reinstatement, transfer of a PhD student, or admission to classes after the completion of an academic leave, it is possible to re-credit elective disciplines based on those actually studied from the elective component of the ESP, subject to a written application by the seeker and the consent of the University's Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies Department.
4. Calculation of Departmental Teaching Workload and Its Distribution
After the results of enrollment in elective disciplines are approved, the volumes of total teaching workload and planned teaching workload for instructors are calculated, and the staffing schedule of departments is adjusted using the "Pilot" electronic educational process support system.
4.1 Employees of the Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies Department form groups according to the PhD students' choices and enter them into the database of the "Pilot" system.
4.2 Employees of the Educational-Analytical Department calculate the volume of teaching workload required to ensure the organization of the educational process for each selected discipline.
4.3 Based on the calculation specified in clause 4.2, the Head of the Department and/or the person responsible for the department makes the corresponding changes to the planned workload of the instructors and the staffing schedule of the department.
4.4 The department submits all calculations to the Educational-Analytical and Educational-Methodological Departments to adjust the staffing schedule of the University's teaching staff and the class schedule.
4.5 The Educational-Analytical Department summarizes the staffing schedule of the University's teaching staff and transfers the prepared documents to the Planning and Finance Department.
5. Final Provisions
5.1 These Regulations are approved by the Academic Council of the University and put into effect by an order of the University Rector.
5.2 Control over the implementation of these Regulations is exercised by University officials within the limits of their authority established by job descriptions.
5.3 Amendments and additions to these Regulations are considered and approved by the Academic Council of the University and put into effect by an order of the University Rector.