Planning and completing doctoral studies

When completing a doctoral curriculum, it is necessary to monitor the completion of compulsory courses and earn the required credits for the modules and the curriculum.

Recognition of courses completed during studies outside of the university

• A doctoral student studying at another university as a visiting doctoral student can transfer the courses based on a study plan. The study plan is made before going to study at the other university and approved by the programme director. The study plan and documents certifying the completion of studies are attached to the progress review report after the mobility. To apply for credit transfer of a course that has not been previously approved in the study plan, the programme director’s consent is required. The studies are entered in SIS after the decision of the progress review committee.
• In other cases, the studies attended outside of the university must be included in the individual plan or period plan, and the completed course credits can be transferred based on the progress review report (forms). When compiling the plan, it is advisable to previously consult the supervisor and the programme director to determine whether the courses are suitable for the curriculum. Documents certifying the completion of studies are attached to the progress review report. If the completed courses differ from what was agreed in the approved individual or period plan, or are not reflected in the plan in sufficient detail, the programme director’s consent must be obtained before submitting the progress review report. The studies are entered in SIS after the decision of the progress review committee.

Recognition of prior learning and professional experience towards completing the curriculum

A doctoral student submits the RPL application approved by the programme director to the progress review committee with other progress review documents. If the courses on the application were not completed at the University of Tartu, the documents certifying the completion of studies must be filed with the application. The courses will be entered based on the decision of the progress review committee.

RPL application forms

When completing a doctoral programme, it is necessary to monitor the acquisition of the learning outcomes and completion of the compulsory activities described in the programme. The doctoral students’ self-analysis form is a valuable tool that helps you assess your skills and development needs to make the choices.

Recognition of courses completed during studies outside of the university

Courses, continuing education courses and other learning events can only be transferred within the study module.

• A doctoral student studying at another university as a visiting doctoral student can transfer the courses based on the study plan. The study plan is made before going to study at the other university, and it is approved by the head of the specialisation of the doctoral programme. The study plan and documents certifying the completion of studies are attached to the progress review report in TEEK. To apply for credit transfer of a course that has not been previously approved in the study plan, the consent of the head of the specialisation is required. The studies are entered in SIS after the decision of the progress review committee.
• In other cases, the studies completed outside of the university must be added to the individual plan or period plan, and the completed courses, training sessions and other learning events are transferred based on the progress review report (TEEK). When compiling the plan, it is advisable to previously consult the supervisor and the head of the specialisation to determine whether the courses are suitable for completing the programme. Documents certifying the completion of studies are attached to the progress review report in TEEK. If the completed courses differ from what was agreed in the approved individual or period plan, or are not reflected in the plan in sufficient detail, the consent of the head of the specialisation must be obtained before submitting the progress review report. The studies are entered in SIS after the decision of the progress review committee.
• A junior research fellow is required to complete a secondment for international travel.

Note: TEEK does not allow uploading of digitally signed documents, and at the moment, it is not yet possible for the head of the specialisation to approve documents related to the recognition of studies in TEEK. Please email the head of the specialisation with the request to consent to recognise a learning event in the programme context and attach it to the report with other documents.

Note: The transferred courses are displayed in SIS under the doctoral student’s academic results, but for technical reasons, these entries are not shown as completion of the programme in the curriculum options view. This does not affect in any way the assessment of the doctoral student’s progress

Recognition of continuing education programmes, in-service training, professional and other learning events completed at the university during the studies

The studies must be added to the individual plan or period plan, and the completed training sessions and other learning events are transferred based on the progress review report (TEEK). When compiling the plan, it is advisable to previously consult the supervisor and also the head of the specialisation to determine whether the courses are suitable for completing the programme. Documents certifying the completion of studies are attached to the progress review report in TEEK. The studies are entered in SIS after the decision of the progress review committee.

Note: The transferred courses are displayed in SIS under the doctoral student’s academic results, but for technical reasons, these entries are not shown as completion of the programme in the curriculum options view. This does not affect in any way the assessment of the doctoral student’s progress.

Recognition of prior learning and professional experience towards completion of the programme

For the recognition of prior learning and professional experience completed and gained before matriculation, an RPL application must be submitted to the progress review committee with other progress review documents in TEEK. The application must be coordinated with the head of the specialisation of the programme and submitted for the first progress review, preferably with the doctoral student’s self-analysis form.

• Previously completed courses can be recognised within the study module. If the courses on the application were completed outside of the University of Tartu, the documents certifying the completion of studies must be filed with the application. The courses will be entered in SIS based on the decision of the progress review committee (counted towards completion of the module).
• Prior professional and practical experience (including teaching, supervising, and other work experience) can be recognised towards completing the learning outcomes in the research, development and creative module (not counted towards completion of the module).

Note: When compiling the progress review report in TEEK, give the sub-activity a title “RPL application: [title of activity]” under the learning activity or research, development and creative activity and attach all the RPL-related documents to this activity. It is advisable to distinguish activities related to different learning outcomes.

Note: TEEK does not allow the uploading of digitally signed documents, and at the moment, it is not yet possible for the head of the specialisation to approve RPL-related documents in TEEK. Please email the head of the specialisation with the request to approve the RPL application and attach the approval to the report with other documents. Please include the academic affairs specialist of your specialisation in the cc line of the email sent to the head of the specialisation and inform them of the decision of the head of the specialisation.

Note: The courses transferred with RPL are displayed in SIS under the doctoral student’s academic results, but for technical reasons, these entries are not shown as completion of the programme in the curriculum options view. This does not affect in any way the assessment of the doctoral student’s progress.

RPL application form