According to current legislation, in the Third Cycle of Studies, holders of a Master’s Degree who meet the specific conditions outlined in the Internal Regulation of the Doctoral Studies Program of the Department of Psychology are accepted as doctoral candidates.

During the preparation of the Doctoral Thesis (D.T.) and prior to its defense, candidates have the following obligations:

  1. To collaborate with their supervisor and the members of the Three-Member Advisory Committee to support their Doctoral Thesis preparation.
  2. To submit a detailed written progress report of their Doctoral Thesis annually to the Three-Member Advisory Committee and to present the progress orally. The progress report and presentation will be considered in the progress report of the Three-Member Advisory Committee.
  3. To provide auxiliary teaching work according to the needs of the Undergraduate and Master’s Programs of the Department, upon the recommendation of the supervisor, as well as auxiliary administrative work within the Department, e.g., supervision duties.
  4. To consistently attend the cycle of courses and educational or research activities as defined by the Department of Psychology. The course cycle and the aforementioned activities must correspond to at least thirty (30) credit units (ECTS). In this case, specific titles of the courses, their content, weekly teaching hours, the correlation of the aforementioned courses, and the number of credit units assigned to each must be specified. A detailed description is also required to define the educational or research activities in which the doctoral candidates are expected to participate.
  5. To provide documented participation either in person or remotely (via teleconference) in at least one (1) international peer-reviewed conference.
  6. To present at least two (2) publications stemming from their Doctoral Thesis in a reputable international journal classified in one of the Q1, Q2, or Q3 categories of SCIMAGO (SCOPUS). The two (2) publications will only be accepted if:
    • The doctoral candidate is the first author.
    • The supervising professor is included in the publication.
    • The number of participants in the publication does not exceed five (5) individuals.
    • If the number of participants in the publication exceeds five (5) individuals, the doctoral candidate must be the first author in at least four (4) publications, in which the supervising professor is also included, on topics derived from the Doctoral Thesis in a reputable international journal classified in one of the Q1, Q2, or Q3 categories of SCIMAGO (SCOPUS).
  1. To submit to the Secretariat before the beginning of the defense procedure for the Doctoral Thesis a responsible declaration that the work has been conducted by themselves and does not contain any elements of plagiarism.
  2. To respect and adhere to the decisions of the bodies of the Department and the University of Western Macedonia.

Failure to comply with all of the above without serious and justified reasons, as well as a) any violation of the existing provisions regarding the handling of disciplinary offenses by the relevant disciplinary bodies and b) offenses that fall under the law of intellectual property (Law 2121/1993) during the writing of the Doctoral Thesis will constitute grounds for the candidate’s expulsion from the Third Cycle of Studies.

During the preparation of the Doctoral Thesis and before its defense, doctoral candidates have the rights of students enrolled in the Master’s Degree programs and any other rights stipulated by the Doctoral Studies Regulation. Doctoral candidates may participate in research projects/programs of the Higher Education Institution and receive scholarships under co-financed, self-financed, or other projects/programs for financial support of their doctoral research.