General doctoral programme

According to Section 26 of Tampere University Regulations on Degrees, postgraduate students who fail to further their dissertation and other studies may be transferred from their doctoral programme to the faculty’s general doctoral programme. Students in the general doctoral programme may still complete study attainments and conduct research, but the progress of their studies and research is not monitored, they cannot graduate from the programme, receive supervision, or submit their dissertation or licentiate thesis to pre-examination.

Transferring a student to the general doctoral programme

When necessary, a postgraduate student in a faculty’s doctoral programme may be transferred to the general doctoral programme if

1. the postgraduate student requests the transfer
2. the postgraduate student enrols as absent for two consequtive semesters (absences related to national service or family leaves are not considered absences) or,
3. for the past two years, the progress of the students’ studies has significantly differed from the schedule detailed in the supervisory agreement, personal study plan or research plan.
4. if, despite repeated remarks, student does not follow the advice of the supervisors on the thesis or otherwise accept the guidance.

Before being transferred to the general doctoral programme, the postgraduate student is reserved the opportunity to draft a report on his/her studies. Dean/Vice Dean makes the decision on the transfer. The matter is prepared in the steering group of doctoral education or the planning group if there is no steering group. At the time of the decision, the postgraduate student may also renounce his/her right to study if he/she so wishes.

Transferring from the general doctoral programme to a doctoral programme

After starting to study actively again, students in the general doctoral programme may apply for being reinstituted in their previous doctoral programme when they:

1. have a supervisory discussion with the responsible supervisor(s) or follow-up group and draft a new supervisory agreement and
2. update the personal postgraduate study plan and research plan

If the responsible supervisor recommends that the postgraduate student be reinstated in the doctoral programme, the student submits a free-form application with enclosures (personal study plan, research plan and the responsible supervisor’s statement) to the faculty’s study administration. The matter is dealt with by the faculty’s steering group of doctoral education or, in the absence thereof, by the planning group of the doctoral programme. The transfer decision is made by the Dean/Vice Dean based on presentation.