Duration
4 Years
Number of ECTS
240
Professional title of graduate
doktor znanosti
abbreviated to dr. in front of the name
The Fundamental Program Objectives and General Competencies
The ultimate objective of doctoral study program is to educate exceptionally successful post graduate students of Master programs in engineering and natural sciences and to educate them for independent scientific and research work in mechanical engineering sciences. The program is entirely based by the principle of choosing options where the students, with the assistance of their research mentor, create their own research path. Therefore they can follow the needs of future employers to be integrated later, when finishing the program.
The structure of the Study Program
Basic fields of studies:
- Machine Design and Mechanics Engineering Science,
- Energetical, Process and Environmental Engineering Sciences,
- Production Engineering Sciences, Cybernetics and Mechatronics
Forms of Study
The programme of study consists of organised forms of study amounting to 60 ECTS, with the remaining forms of study amounting to 180 ECTS devoted to research work for doctoral dissertation. Each year comprises 60 ECTS, and the semester 30 ECTS. The curriculum of the doctoral studies of each candidate in the doctoral study programme in ENGINEERING consists of requirements that fall into two groups:
Organised forms of study (60 ECTS):
a) Theoretical and methodological set
- Four (4) optional courses (40 ECTS) (or courses syllabus (227 pages !!))
- One (1) Seminar (5 ECTS).
b) Presentation of doctoral dissertation thesis, Presentation of the results of the research work before defending the doctoral dissertation and Doctoral dissertation defence (15 ECTS).
The organised forms of study comprise the presentation of the dissertation topic, the presentation of the research results and the drafting and defence of the dissertation. The presentation of the dissertation topic with the elaborated scientific hypothesis and its approval by the UL Senate must be completed before enrolment in the third year. The presentation of the results of the research work and the elaboration and defence of the dissertation may the student if he/she has fulfilled the condition of two scientific publications in the field of the dissertation topic and within the validity period of the dissertation topic.
Enrolment requirements and selection criteria in case of limited enrolment
Doctoral study programme of MECHANICAL ENGINEERING is open to applicants who have completed:
- Level 2 study programme,
- study programme to obtain a university education, accepted before 11 June 2004,
- study programme to obtain a specialisation in science and technology, who have previously completed a higher professional study programme. To equalise the entry knowledge of candidates before enrolment in doctoral studies, the UL FME Committee for doctoral Studies determines additional obligations amounting to 30 ECTS depending on the intended area of doctoral study programme. Applicants must complete additional obligations before enrolling in the programme (Table 1.6.1).
- study programme to obtain a Master of science degree. Graduates of previous Master’s degree programmes are awarded study obligations amounting to 60 ECTS in the doctoral study programme,
- a degree programme educating for professions regulated by EU directives, or another standardised Master’s degree programme worth 300 ECTS.
Graduates of foreign universities can also enrol to doctoral study programmes. The equivalence of the education previously acquired abroad is established in the procedure of recognition of foreign education for further education under the UL Statute.
Number of places for citizens of the Republic of Slovenia and EU members: 45 places.
Enrolment places for Slovenians without Slovenian citizenship and foreigners: 5 places.
If admission restriction occurs, the applicants will be selected based on these criteria:
Success in previous studies, knowledge test in the optional written examination and possible achievements in the academic and professional fields, considering these proportions:
- average study grade (15%),
- diploma or Master’s thesis grades (5%), and
- overall achievement in the elective written exam (80%).
Note: Applicants who wish to enter doctoral studies after having enrolled in a specialised programme following completion of higher professional education are advised that they must meet the additional requirement of 30 ECTS credits before enrolling in the programme. The candidate shall apply to the Committee of Doctoral Studies, UL, FME, to request fulfilment of these obligations.
Requirements for progression through the programme
In the case when the student does not fulfil the study obligations due to legitimate reasons, he can file an application for the suspension status. The request has to be accompanied by documented proof of the reasons.
Advancement from year 1 to year 2 is the fulfilment of study obligations amounting to at least 50 ECTS credits.
Advancement from year 2 to year 3: Students who have completed all study requirements in the 1st and 2nd year organised forms of study and have a positive evaluation from the doctoral Supervisory Committee on the appropriateness of the dissertation topic by a member of the UL Senate may be matriculated.
Advancement to year 4: Students with a confirmed doctoral dissertation topic at the UL Senate can enrol.
Completing the study programme and the award of the title of Doctor of Science depend on the successful completion of all study requirements set out in the programme totalling 240 ECTS credits and the successful defence of doctoral dissertation
During the study programme, before submitting the doctoral thesis, the candidate must have published or accepted for publication at least two scientific papers in the doctoral thesis in internationally recognised journals with an impact factor in the SCI (Science Citation Index) system. At least one of these two papers must appear in the journal from the upper half of the journals in the field and at most one in the journal Strojniški vestnik, with six or fewer authors. For at least one paper, the candidate must be the first author. A single paper with several authors can be considered only for one doctoral candidate.
There is no possibility to complete individual parts of the doctoral study programme. The programme is implemented and considered as a whole.
“Transition between programmes shall be deemed to be the completion of studies in the programme in which the student has enrolled and the continuation of studies in the third-level doctoral study programme ENGINEERING, in which part or all of the study requirements already completed by the student in the first study programme shall be recognised as completed. It should be borne in mind that transitions are only possible between study programmes, which ensure the acquisition of comparable competences at the end. The applications of candidates for transfer to the Doctoral Study Programme of Level 3 in MECHANICAL ENGINEERING and the scope of the recognised study requirements in the study programme shall be considered individually by the doctoral Studies Committee in accordance with Articles 181 to 189 of the UL Statute and the provisions of FME on the conditions for transfer between study programmes. According to the criteria for transition between study programmes, a candidate may enrol in Level 3 of the doctoral programme in MECHANICAL ENGINEERING if he/she fulfils at least half of the ECTS requirements of the first study programme that relate to the compulsory subjects of the third cycle of the Doctoral study programme in MECHANICAL ENGINEERING. If, as a result of the transfer procedure, the candidate obtains at least the same number of credits as those required for enrolment in a higher year of Doctoral Study Programme of Level 3 of the Doctoral Study Programme in MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, the candidate will be allowed to enrol in the upper year of the Doctoral Study Programme of Level 3 of the Doctoral Study Programme in MECHANICAL ENGINEERING”.
UL FME Doctoral Study Procedures
The doctoral study programme encompasses six procedures:
- Exam registration
- Doctoral dissertation topic registration
- Research work result presentation
- Doctoral dissertation submission
- Doctoral dissertation assessment
- Doctoral dissertation defence
A Detailed Description of the 4-year UL FME Doctoral Studies Procedures
A Detailed Description of the 3-year UL FME Doctoral Studies Procedures
Exam registration
The candidate and proposed mentor shall together prepare the suggested research hypotheses and explain the objective and purpose of the anticipated research programme on the ‘Proposed Topic Registration Form’ in accord with the co-mentor, if proposed by the mentor, Examinations and Committee for Doctoral Study Seminar Defence. The mentor shall submit the exam registration proposal to the Student Affairs Office for discussion by the Committee for Doctoral Study (CDS = KDŠ)
Description of procedure – see above “A Detailed Description of the 4-year UL FME Doctoral Studies Procedures”
Appendices:
- Proposal for the registration – submitted by the mentor to the Student Affairs Office for discussion by the KDŠ
- Time schedule of FME bodies for the current study year (see KDŠ)
- Application for the fulfilment of requirements in advance
- Application for faster progress
- Application for early completion of studies – see above “Doctoral dissertation topic registration”
Additional explanations for conducting doctoral studies at UL FME
Important:
Mentors shall check the number of credits achieved from external subjects in advance; if the number of credits is too low, mentors shall add a supplementary external subject.
If a non-faculty subject is selected, the Exam Registration Application Form shall additionally include:
- Confirmed learning programme; and
- Exam fee.
The learning programme must include:
- study programme name;
- subject name (mandatory SLO and ENG name);
- subject content;
- number of ECTS;
- lecturer(s) and
- literature.
Exam notice (application form)
Pursuant to Article 138 of the Statutes of the UL, exams are evaluated with grades 1-10, whereby grades 6-10 are deemed passing grades. Details about exam methods are provided in the Rules on student knowledge examination and assessment at the UL FMS.
The doctoral study does not provide the option of electronic exam application. The lecturer enters the grade into the VIS information system’s menu option ‘Final Grades’. The ordinary application form is still used for Research Work and Seminars.
Exam notice (application form) – for Research Work and Seminar
Doctoral dissertation topic registration
Students who have successfully met all organised study’s requirements for Years 1 and 2 with positive grades from the UL Member Senate’s committee to monitor doctoral candidates on the suitability of their doctoral dissertation topic may enrol in Year 3.
Organised study includes the doctoral dissertation topic in Year 2’s curriculum. To enrol in Year 3, a student must submit the Doctoral Dissertation Topic Application Form to the Student Affairs Office by the fourth semester of Year 3 at the latest, preferably in the first semester of Year 3 as the procedure is lengthy. The candidate who has been appointed a professor from abroad by the Committee to monitor doctoral candidates shall prepare an English version of documentation submitted in Slovenian for said professor.
The UL Senate may exceptionally approve an electronic version of a doctoral dissertation in English when the candidate is not Slovenian and when the candidate’s mentor or co-mentor is not Slovenian or if a committee member is not Slovenian. In cases when the doctoral dissertation is prepared in English or another foreign language, the introduction, conclusions and extensive abstract must also be prepared in Slovenian as well as all documentation submitted for doctoral dissertation topic registration.
IMPORTANT: If doctoral study research involves children, patients, handicapped people, animal testing and the like, doctoral topic appropriateness assessment must be submitted together with ethics team consent.
Description of procedure – see above “A Detailed Description of the 4-year UL FME Doctoral Studies Procedures”
Appendix 1: Doctoral dissertation registration to the UL FME
Appendix 2: An example of CV
Appendix 3: The structure of the doctoral dissertation disposition
Appendix 4: Application for study continuation and completion (if more than two years have passed since last enrolment in a year)
Appendix 5: Mentor’s consent with proposed doctoral dissertation topic
Appendix 6: Co-mentor’s consent with proposed doctoral dissertation topic_SLO
Appendix 7: Co-mentor’s consent with proposed doctoral dissertation topic_ENG
Appendix 8: form for the mentor – Committee to monitor doctoral candidate’s proposal
Time schedule of FME bodies for the current study year (see KDŠ)
Cc: Ethics committee consent (Cc for the mentor)
Instructions for distance seminar paper, doctoral thesis defence and doctoral topic presentation
Appendix 9: a draft of the research data management plan in accordance with Article 50 of the Rules and Regulations for Doctoral Studies at the University of Ljubljana (applicable to the generation of doctoral students enrolled from the academic year 2021/2022 onwards)
Research data management
Article 50 of the Rules and Regulations for Doctoral Studies at the University of Ljubljana
Research data generated and collected for the needs of a doctoral dissertation must be published or otherwise accessible in such a way that allows their visibility, access, interoperability and the possibility of renewed evaluation and use. The doctoral candidate shall submit research data to a data repository, data centre or research data archive, which shall satisfy the principle of verifiability, transparency and open science. As a priority the research data shall be sent to the sectoral national or international data centres intended for specific types of data, or to the UL Repository.
The doctoral dissertation shall state where the data are accessible and how they can be accessed. Exceptions in the sharing of data shall be justified where they involve personal or sensitive data, or where there are reasons for protecting intellectual property or for non-disclosure of vulnerable areas, groups or species. In the case of implementing justified exceptions to data sharing, the doctoral candidate shall ensure an appropriate method of protecting the data and limiting access to such data in agreement with the data centre. In this case at least freely available metadata must be generated for the catalogue of the data centre, so as to indicate clearly where and under what conditions the research data are accessible.
a draft of the research data management plan (applicable to the generation of doctoral students enrolled from the academic year 2021/2022 onwards)
RECORD OF WORKSHOPS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnuUA-awtYI
Research work result presentation
The doctoral dissertation shall be prepared in accordance with the Instructions for doctoral thesis preparation and formatting. The dissertation can be written in English when previously approved by the UL. A doctoral dissertation prepared in English must include its introduction, extensive abstract (5−10 pages) and conclusions in Slovenian. The Slovenian introduction, extensive abstract and conclusions shall be included after the Appendix.
Prior to submitting the doctoral dissertation for evaluation, a student shall submit the doctoral dissertation draft to the Student Affairs Office, who will then enable the student to present the research work results in front of the committee to monitor the doctoral candidate. After successfully completing their presentation and all other study requirements during the validity period of the doctoral thesis, the candidate shall submit the prepared doctoral dissertation for evaluation to the Student Affairs Office.
Description of procedure – see above “A Detailed Description of the 3- or 4-year UL FME Doctoral Studies Procedures”
Submission of doctoral dissertation for evaluation
After successfully completing their presentation and all other study requirements during the validity period of the doctoral thesis, the candidate shall submit the prepared doctoral dissertation for evaluation to the Student Affairs Office. One spiral-bound copy of the doctoral dissertation shall be submitted for review at the first next meeting of the Committee for Doctoral Study (CDS) together with the Doctoral dissertation submission statement.
The candidate shall then deliver the remaining copies, one for each committee member, before the FME Senate. The doctoral dissertation shall be submitted to each committee member via the Student Affairs Office with the decision on appointment to the committee.
Each reporter must provide their grade for the submitted doctoral dissertation within the determined deadline; mentors and co-mentors are associated members and do not assess the doctoral dissertation.
When all reporters have submitted their grades and provided said grades are positive, the candidate shall deliver a spiral-bound clean copy of the doctoral dissertation to the Student Affairs Office, which shall be submitted for public view for 14 days with grades affixed. The clean copy of the doctoral dissertation determines that the candidate has taken note of all of the comments provided by the assessors.
Grades shall be confirmed at the first available CDS meeting and by the FME Senate. If all grades are positive, the FME Senate shall also confirm the defence committee. Candidates generally defend their doctoral dissertations within one month of defence committee confirmation by the FME Senate.
In the case of negative grades or grades with comments, the defence procedure is halted and said grades are discussed at the first available CDS meeting and by the FME Senate. If comments are substantiated, a deadline is determined for the candidate to resolve said comments.
Description of procedure – see above “A Detailed Description of the 3- or 4-year UL FME Doctoral Studies Procedures”
Procedure to verify similarity of contents
When the doctoral dissertation is complete, positively graded and proofread, the candidate shall submit an identical version of the hard-bound copy in electronic form to the VIS student information system to implement the procedure to verify similarity of contents; the mentor shall decide within ten days if the doctoral dissertation is ready for defence based on this content similarity analysis.
If the mentor finds that the student has improperly marked similar parts of the text and that similar content is too high, the mentor shall request content correction that the student must resolve within ten working days, observing mutatis mutandis the Rules on verifying content similarity of the electronic form of the final work of study and conditions for temporary unavailability of the content of written final work of study and Guidelines for the submission of electronic forms of written final work of study and verification of content similarity at the UL (attached in VIS – Student information system)
The share of final work content similarity is determined in terms of FME Senate resolution.
According to the FME Senate’s resolution of 15 June 2017, the share of doctoral dissertation similarities can be 20% to 30% as decided by the mentor, with a maximum of 5% from one source.
The content similarity verification procedure shall be completed prior to announcing the defence date: the period between the announcement and defence is eight days.
Table to record seminar, doctoral dissertation topic presentation and defence presence
During doctoral study, the candidate must be present at public defences of seminars, or public presentations of doctoral dissertation disposition topics, or public defences of doctoral dissertations of other FME doctoral study programme candidates. The candidate must keep a record of presence at public presentations of other doctoral study programme students on a special form, which is valid if it contains the relevant signatures for the candidate’s presence at each such event. The candidate must submit the fully completed form with relevant signatures to the Student Affairs Office prior to submitting his or her doctoral dissertation in written form. Table (FME Senate, 20 June 2019)
Template for defence of final and seminar papers
The FME Senate adopted resolution 5.5.1 at its 4th session on 28 November 2011:
“Expert departments shall prepare a single template for presentations and defences of seminar and final work for all study programmes implemented at the FME to further enhance the FME’s visual identity. Candidates shall use the template at their public presentations at the FME. In the case of contractual obligations arising from the co-financing of work, contractually determined labels may be used. Sponsor acknowledgments are included on the last page.” Template for defence of final and seminar papers at FME.
Doctoral thesis preparation instructions
Once candidates have met all of their determined requirements and completed their doctoral thesis, their doctoral thesis shall be written and designed in accordance with the faculty’s doctoral thesis preparation instructions. Candidates can only submit their doctoral thesis in written form after their mentor has confirmed that the thesis is suitable for submission for review and both of their determined scientific contributions have been published.
The dissertation can be written in English when previously approved by the UL. A doctoral dissertation prepared in English must include its:
- introduction,
- extensive abstract (5−10 pages) and
- conclusions in Slovenian.
The Slovenian introduction, extensive abstract and conclusions shall be included after the Appendix.
Instructions for doctoral thesis preparation and formatting at FME_03.05.2018
Use one of following templates to prepare the doctoral thesis (Word or LaTeX):
Doctoral thesis template at FME_19.09.2016.doc – Word
Doctoral thesis template – LaTeX
DOCTORAL DISSERTATION SUBMISSION STATEMENT
A doctoral dissertation made of original scientific papers
A doctoral dissertation made of original scientific papers
A doctoral dissertation may be composed of at least three research articles by the doctoral candidate, published or accepted for publication, if the nature of the research and the method of publication in the specific field permit this.
Research data management
Article 50
Research data generated and collected for the needs of a doctoral dissertation must be published or otherwise accessible in such a way that allows their visibility, access, interoperability and the possibility of renewed evaluation and use. The doctoral candidate shall submit research data to a data repository, data centre or research data archive, which shall satisfy the principle of verifiability, transparency and open science. As a priority the research data shall be sent to the sectoral national or international data centres intended for specific types of data, or to the UL Repository.
The doctoral dissertation shall state where the data are accessible and how they can be accessed. Exceptions in the sharing of data shall be justified where they involve personal or sensitive data, or where there are reasons for protecting intellectual property or for non-disclosure of vulnerable areas, groups or species. In the case of implementing justified exceptions to data sharing, the doctoral candidate shall ensure an appropriate method of protecting the data and limiting access to such data in agreement with the data centre. In this case at least freely available metadata must be generated for the catalogue of the data centre, so as to indicate clearly where and under what conditions the research data are accessible.
Content similarity verification procedure
Candidates must also upload an identical electronic copy of their hard copy doctoral thesis to the VIS – Student information system, where the content similarity verification procedure* is performed, when they submit their doctoral thesis to the Student Affairs Office for public viewing. Based on said content similarity verification analysis, the mentors decide within ten (10) days if the doctoral thesis is ready for defence.
If mentors find that students have improperly marked similar parts of the text and that the share of similar contents is too high, they ask for content corrections that students must resolve within ten working days.
and Guidelines for the submission of electronic forms of written final works of study and verification of content similarity at the UL (attached in VIS – Student information system)
The share of final work content similarity is determined in terms of FME Senate resolution
FME Senate resolution dated 15 June 2017 states that the share of doctoral dissertation similarities can be 20% to 30% as decided by the mentor, with a maximum of 5% from one source.
* The Repository of the University of Ljubljana enables the collecting and saving of electronic versions of written final works of study (Article 127 of the UL Statutes) as well as University employee publications and research data. Content similarity verification is conducted for each work to be saved in the Repository of the University’s national portal as part of the submission process.
Instructions for doctoral thesis defence
Candidates shall prepare their public defence using audio-visual techniques in accord with the unified template determined by the FME. In the case of contractual obligation arising from the co-financing of work, contractually determined labels may be used; sponsor acknowledgment is to be included on the last page. Candidates shall have 20-25 minutes to present their work at their doctoral thesis defence.
The presentation for the oral thesis defence must be created using PowerPoint and conform to the template: Template for final and seminar paper defence
Instructions for distance seminar paper, doctoral thesis defence and doctoral topic presentation
Additional instructions and documentation for doctoral dissertation defence
Candidates must also deliver the following completed documents on the day of their doctoral dissertation defence:
Candidates shall send their Curriculum Vitae as a Word document by email to the Student Affairs Office at least eight days before their doctoral dissertation defence.
Rules on Doctoral Study adopted at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FME) University of Ljubljana (till 30.9.2022)
Rules on Doctoral Study adopted at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FME) University of Ljubljana (from 1.10.2022)
Rules on Doctoral Study adopted at the University of Ljubljana
Rules on Doctoral Study of the UL – in force from 1 October 2021
Additional information about the doctoral program on Faculty of Mechanical Engineering:
Tjaša Sterle Polak
room no.: I-3
telephone: 01 4771 169
e-mail: doktorski@fs.uni-lj.si