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PhD Studies

Structure

Program’s purpose and objectives

The Doctoral Program of ABF Department provides specialized knowledge and research skills in areas of interest within the broader field of Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology and Food Science. The primary purpose of the program is to ensure scientific competence, specialization and the cultivation of high-level skills and knowledge in research in a range of research areas. Emphasis is given in promoting research in the fields of study that the Academic Staff are specialized.

Doctoral studies aim at achieving high quality scientific research, as well as developing the candidate’s potential to work in science. The educational program aims at developing in students the skillset required for a successful career in research. The doctoral program trains researchers in being able to work on their own or in groups to carry out research, from the design to the execution and publication of the results.

The philosophy and content of ABF Department’s doctoral program of study reflects the latest trends in the field of Agricultural Sciences in Cyprus and abroad. Modern scientific and technological developments as well as all the corresponding teaching methods are constantly integrated in the implementation of the program.

The PhD programme of the Department provides the opportunity to undergraduate and postgraduate students from a range of disciplines (such as, Agricultural Sciences, Biology, Ecology, Animal Production, Chemistry, Veterinary Science, Food Technology, Biotechnology and Microbiology) to acquire specific knowledge and research skills in one of the following scientific fields which are currently addressed by the academic staff of the Department:

 

  •  Molecular Genetics and Crop Plant breeding
  •  Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
  • Plant Physiology and Abiotic Stresses
  • Agricultural Microbiology
  • Microbial Biotechnology
  • Postharvest Physiology
  • Technology of fruit and vegetable products
  • Arboriculture/ Pomology
  • Vegetable Science
  • Aromatic and Medicinal Plants
  • Entomology and Acarology
  • Epidemiology and Integrated Management of Phytopathogens
  • Soil Science and Plant Nutrition
  • Sustainable Agriculture and Livestock
  • Impacts of Climate Change in Agriculture
  • Molecular Genetics and Livestock Breeding
  • Ruminant  Nutrition and Feeding
  • Biodiversity and Plant or Animal Genetic Resources
  • Dairy Science and Technology
  • Meat Products Science and Technology
  • Plant-origin Food Science and Technology
  • Food Biotechnology and Microbiology
  • Food Chemistry
  • Food Analysis
  •  Oenology

 

In conclusion, the aim of the curriculum is to develop in students the ability to produce original and innovative scientific research in their field of expertise. By the end of their studies, PhD graduates will be suitably prepared to pursue an academic and/ or research career. As a result, the graduates of the Program can pursue careers in Universities, research centers, businesses and organizations in the private and public sector, both in Cyprus and internationally.

Intended learning outcomes

Upon completion of their studies, students are expected to:

  1. have acquired the necessary knowledge and skills in order to meet the requirements in their working environment of the broader field of agricultural biotechnology.
  2. have developed a broad view of agricultural science, biotechnology and food science, and in-depth knowledge of their field of expertise.
  3. be able to communicate their results to their peers and the lay public both orally and in written form
  4. to be able to continue independently their research and delve into new research areas
  5. to be able to improve research methods and protocols
  6. to be able to design, write and manage research grants / projects
  7. combine background information with technical skills in problem solving
  8. be able to solve real-world problems and demonstrate appropriate decision-making processes
  9. become effective and inspiring teachers and mentors to undergraduate and graduate students

 

Program’s language of instruction

Greek language. The doctoral dissertation and the oral presentation (for the defense) may be in English, which is the usual practice in the Department.

 

 

ADMISSION

The opening of positions for PhD studies at CUT is decided by each Department and advertised by the University’s Student Services, every academic semester. Interested students can apply to the program by completing an application form and providing all supporting documents according to the regulations of the university.

The following documents are required to be submitted with the application:

  • Photocopy of ID card or passport.
  • Photocopies of a recognized Master's and Undergraduate Degrees. The former should be fully completed, or a statement must be provided confirming its completion prior to commencing the doctoral program.
  • Certificate of proficiency in Greek and English (note: for Greek-speaking programs, it is only required to prove English language proficiency) *
  • Transcript for Bachelor's and Master's Degrees.
  • Curriculum vitae
  • A short report (500 words) with the reasons for selecting the program, the research objectives and the candidate's interests.

 

* Accepted evidence of English language proficiency is: G.C.E /O-Level with a minimum score of C or ELTS / IELTS of at least 6.5 or TOEFL of at least 580 (paper-based test) / 82 (internet-based test). Graduates of an English-taught university curriculum are exempted from this requirement. For the Greek language, a certificate of aptitude is a bachelor's degree from a Greek-speaking secondary school or a diploma from a higher education institution. 

 

The Student Services run a preliminary check on the applications and forward to the Department all applications that meet the minimum criteria. A three-person committee consisting of members of the academic staff of the Department (chaired by the academic staff who opened the position) evaluates the applications for each position. The committee forwards their decision to the Studies Committee of the Department, which then forwards the decision to the Departmental Council for approval.

Applicants are evaluated based on the quality of their previous studies, the relevance of their studies to the PhD position, and their overall academic and work qualifications.

The Department uses the following criterial for the evaluation of PhD applications.

Prior education and relevance to the position.

Content of the two reference letters.

Personal interview if deemed necessary.

CV of the applicant

Quality of the personal statement in support of the application.

English language competency.

 

Transfer of PhD students from other universities

CUT accepts the transfer of PhD students from other universities to its doctoral programs if they satisfy the minimum requirements as outlined in Annex 3 of the current application.

 

Courses

The doctoral programme consists of 242 ECTS where at least 62 ECTS concern the teaching part of the programme and at least 120 ECTS concern the purely research part of the programme. The rest of the workload concerns the comprehensive examination, the elaboration and presentation of the research proposal and the drafting of the Doctoral Dissertation as follows:

  1. Compulsory courses at postgraduate level    62 ECTS
  2. Comprehensive examination and Submission of Research Proposal          30 ECTS
  3. Research / Dissertation preparation   120 ECTS
  4. Submission of PhD dissertation and public dissertation defense            30 ECTS

A doctoral student who has completed their coursework and carries out research / writes up their thesis is assigned a workload equivalent to 30 ECTS for that particular academic semester.

The coursework for the PhD program is the same as that for the MSc in Agricultural Biotechnology offered by the ABF Department (Tables 1-4). The full application for evaluation of the MSc in Agricultural Biotechnology is attached as Annex 1 of the current application, and details about the coursework can be found in the MSc application.

Applicants with a Master’s degree are exempted from the coursework of the PhD program, with the exception of the course “Experimental Design and Biostatistics” ABF 509 – 7 ECTS, and the course ABF 512 “Post-graduate seminars” – 2 ECTS. Students who took an equivalent Master’s level course can be exempted from taking the “Experimental Design and Biostatistics” course - ABF 509.

Students can be accepted into the PhD program without a Master’s degree, only if they have obtained a BSc with a grade of “Excellent”. Students entering the PhD program without a Master’s must take the coursework of the MSc in Agricultural Biotechnology (Tables 1-4 and Annex 1). The full application for evaluation of the MSc in Agricultural Biotechnology is attached as Annex 1 of the current application.

 

The structure of the PhD program at CUT follows the postgraduate study rules of the Cyprus University of Technology (https://www.cut.ac.cy/digitalAssets/79/79220_100III_Rules_Postgraduate.pdf and Annex 2 for a brief English translation). The procedures for quality assurance (https://www.cut.ac.cy/studies/phd/Quality+assurance+for+PhD+/) are outlined in section 9 of the current application.

Upon entering the program students are assigned a three-person Supervisory Committee. The 3-member Supervisory Committee is appointed by the Council of the Department upon recommendation of the Studies Committee of the Department and the Research Advisor of the student, who chairs the Committee and consists of:  

a) The student's Research Advisor (Chair of the Committee). It is understood that in the case of two research advisors, this provision concerns the principal supervisor. It is further understood that the second research advisor is allowed to participate in the Supervisory Committee as a member.

b) Two members from the academic staff of the Department or from another Department of the University in a related field of study or from another University or Research Center. It is understood that members from another University or Research Center are invited if, at the discretion of the Department, there are no members from the academic staff of the Department or from another Department of the University who are relevant to the subject matter.

Doctoral students need to be successful in their comprehensive examination from the third to the sixth academic semester of study. The nature and process of conducting and evaluating as well as the nature and content of the comprehensive examination are decided by the Supervisory Committee of the Student. The subject matter of the comprehensive examination covers topics in the general area of the student’s specialization, but not necessarily directly relevant to his PhD research.

The Department is responsible for planning its comprehensive examinations.

It is understood that the Department should offer the possibility of a comprehensive examination at least once in the academic year so that each student has at least two opportunities to take the exam up to the sixth academic semester of his/her studies. In the case of an oral examination, the examination board should be the three-member Supervisory Committee and a record should be kept and submitted to the Council of the Department and registered in the Student Register kept by the Academic Affairs and Student Welfare Service. The comprehensive examination is marked with Success or Failure. Each doctoral student has two opportunities to take the comprehensive examination, provided that they take place up to the sixth academic semester of study. It is understood that in the case of a second failure in a comprehensive examination or not taking a comprehensive examination within the specified time period, the doctoral student cannot continue his PhD studies. An incomplete mark is not applicable for a comprehensive examination.

When a student succeeds in their Comprehensive Examination, they can present their PhD Dissertation Proposal to the 3-member Supervisory Committee. The presentation of the proposal must take place within four semesters of succeeding in the comprehensive exam. The PhD dissertation proposal is marked with Success or Failure. Each student has two opportunities to present their proposal. An incomplete mark is not applicable for a proposal.  

After passing their PhD Dissertation Presentation, students start working on researching and writing up the topic of their Dissertation. Submission of a Doctoral Dissertation and then public presentation of the student's dissertation can be completed at the earliest during the 6th academic semester from the student's enrollment in the Doctoral Programme.

The defense of the dissertation takes place before an Examination Board, consisting of 3 members. This Committee is appointed by the Council of the Department upon recommendation of the Studies Committee of the Department and the Research Advisor and consists of:

a) The student's Research Advisor. It is understood that in the case of two research advisors, this provision concerns the principal supervisor. It is also understood that the second Research Advisor cannot be a member of the Examination Board.

b) A member of the academic staff of the University from a related field of study at the academic rank of Professor or Associate Professor. In case there is no academic staff from a related field, a member can be an Associate Professor or Professor from another University or a University Research Center.

c) A member from another University or University Research Center of relevant field at any academic level.

The Chair of the Examination Board (Committee) is appointed by the Research Advisor. The external members of the Committees must have specializations relevant to the subject of the student's dissertation. There cannot be any conflict of interest as defined in the postgraduate study rules addendum between the student and the Examination Committee members.

The PhD dissertation defense process consists of three stages:

1. Presentation of the PhD dissertation in an open lecture.

2. Discussion and clarification of the dissertation at a face-to-face meeting with the members of the Committee.

3. Committee meeting and formulation of the final decision on the dissertation’s quality and adequacy.

Upon the end of the dissertation defense, the Committee submits a written proposal to the Chair of the Department with possible suggestions to the PhD candidate. The Chair promotes the Commission's suggestions to the Senate for approval through the Dean of the relevant School.

In case the decision of the Examination Committee is not unanimous, the Senate may refer it back to the Department and ask the Council of the Department to appoint two other external judges who will be asked to provide their views on the dissertation. The suggestions of the two new external judges are submitted to the Chair of the Department. The Chair forwards their suggestions to the Council of the Department and then to the Senate for final approval. 

In case the Examination Committee recommends changes or improvements, the Senate's final approval for the awarding of the title is given after the Research Advisor assures in writing that the recommendations of the Committee have been implemented. It is understood that improvements and written assurances will be submitted to the Senate within eight (8) academic years (sixteen semesters), which is the maximum attendance period of a PhD student.

If the Doctoral Dissertation is rejected, the Examination Committee may ask the repetition of the process once more. The conditions for re-submission are determined in writing by the Examination Committee. It is understood that the re-submission of the dissertation should take place within eight academic years (sixteen semesters), which is the maximum attendance period of a PhD student.   

The Chair of the Department sends to the Dean of the School the Examination Committee report together with the other supporting documents, the Document for supporting documentation submission for PhD title award, the Doctoral Dissertation Receipt from the University Library and a copy of the dissertation. A summary of the dissertation is presented in the Chamber of the Senate during the discussion of the Committee report. The Dean of the School, having verified that all the required documents have been submitted and that the correct procedure has been followed, submits to the Senate a summary proposal for final approval on the PhD title award, including the suggestion of the Examination Committee.

The ABF Department has additional prerequisites for the award of a PhD title, namely:

1. The candidate publishes as a first author at least one paper relevant to his dissertation in a referred journal with impact factor.

2. The candidate presents results from their dissertation in an international conference.

3. The candidate teaches as a teaching assistant at least one course from the ABF curriculum.

It is possible to award a Master’s Title to PhD programme students, who for special reasons, either interrupt their studies in the PhD programme or do not meet the requirements of the doctoral degree programme, provided that a relevant request has been submitted by the student and all Department’s requirements for the award of the Master’s title are met.  

The PhD requirements and the postgraduate rules of study are available on the CUT website at  https://www.cut.ac.cy/studies/phd/phd-prereq/?languageId=1 and https://www.cut.ac.cy/digitalAssets/79/79220_100III_Rules_Postgraduate.pdf, respectively (see Annex 2 for a brief translation of the postgraduate study rules). A guide to PhD studies is available at https://www.cut.ac.cy/digitalAssets/135/135154_1Odigos-PHD.pdf  (in Greek).

Additional information for the Department are available in the Application for Departmental Evaluation electronically in the CD that has been submitted with the current application (Folder “Supplement Departmental Evaluation ABF”).