PhD in a Nutshell
Additional info? Management (PMA) / pma.unisg.ch pma@unisg.ch Economics and Finance (PEF) / pef.unisg.ch pef@unisg.ch International Affairs and Political Economy (DIA) / dia.unisg.ch dia@unisg.ch Organizational Studies and Cultural Theory (DOK) / dok.unisg.ch dok@unisg.ch Law (DLS) / dls.unisg.ch dls@unisg.ch Finance (PiF) / pif.unisg.ch pif@unisg.ch Computer Science (DCS) / dcs.unisg.ch dcs@unisg.ch
Table of contents Application and admission..................................................................................4 Planning your PhD studies................................................................................10 The coursework phase......................................................................................13 The research phase...................................................................................20www
Most important contacts: PhD Office ¦ unisg.ch/phd ¦ phd@unsg.ch Admission ¦ unisg.ch/admission ¦ admission@unisg.ch Study Funding ¦ unisg.ch/studyfunding ¦ studyfunding@unisg.ch Research Committee ¦ unisg.ch/research ¦ research@unisg.ch Grants Office ¦ unisg.ch/grantsoffice ¦ research@unisg.ch Young Investigator Programme ¦ unisg.ch/yip ¦ yip@unisg.ch General information ¦ unisg.ch
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Application and admission HSG students who are studying for a Master’s degree and later want to obtain a PhD have to register through Compass during their enrolment for the semester. Former HSG students who completed their Master‘s degree a maximum of 12 months ago fill in the rematriculation form online. All other applicants and extramural applicants have to apply through the online application process. To initiate the admission process for PhD studies at the University of St.Gallen, you will have to submit a complete application through the online application portal in the internet under the heading of «Studying/Admission». For us to be able to check whether you satisfy the formal requirements for studying a PhD, we will be pleased to conduct a non-binding preliminary assessment. For this purpose, please e-mail all the grade transcripts and degree certificates, along with a CV, to phd@ unisg.ch. Graduates of the University of St.Gallen are deemed to have produced this evidence if they achieved the required grade average in their Licentiate’s or Master’s degree.
Admission with a non-HSG Master’s degree If you do not hold a HSG degree and have not received a diploma supplement, you will have to prove in an official letter that you would be admitted to phd studies at your home university. If you are unable to provide such proof – as a consequence of different admission procedures for phd studies – you will have to submit at least 4 www.unisg.ch/phd - PhD in a Nutshelll
two letters of recommendation from professors of your previous university. In addition, these letters of recommendation will have to provide information about what you have done so far and why you are particularly qualified for PhD studies. The HSG will also compare your educational background with the HSG curriculum and have a particular look at the criteria of the regular degree course period, the quality of the courses and the university degrees. Ultimately, the crucial factor is whether you hold a recognised university Master’s degree in the same or a similar field to that of the PhD programme. The decision will be based on the «Award Regulations for a Doctor’s Degree of the University of St.Gallen of 7 November 2016», as well as on the «Programme Regulations of November 2016» of the relevant programme. After you have completed your application, we will check it according to formal criteria. If the result is positive, you can start looking for a supervisor, depending on the programme. Please note that certain degrees do not meet the requirements
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for PhD studies at the HSG. They include degrees from a university of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschule; university without the right to confer PhD degrees), as well as MBAs. Admission to PhD studies will be granted «sur dossier» by the relevant programme committee.
Admission with a degree in a similar major In such cases, admission to phd studies can be made contingent on additional entry requirements. These include fundamental courses and courses in the core discipline. The additional entry requirements depend on the educational background and are jointly determined by the supervisors and the programme committee. These additional entry requirements cause an additional workload, with which you will have to cope above and beyond your regular courses and any other commitments and which must have been completed before the submission of the research proposal. You can apply for a one-off extension for the satisfaction of these additional entry requirements, the maximum period granted being a semester. Please note that this extension of the deadline for submitting the research proposal does not
extend the total study period of 10 semesters.
Enrolment process If you are studying at the HSG and want to start your phd studies directly after obtaining your Master’s degree, you can simply enrol for the PhD programme of your choice through Compass during the semester enrolment window. If you obtained your Master’s degree from the HSG and are exmatriculatet for a maximum of two semesters, you can fill in the rematriculation form in the internet and upload, if necessary, a residence certificate. If you hold a Master’s degree from a university other than the HSG, you can open a user account in the online application portal in the internet. Subsequently, you will be guided through the online application in four steps. Please fill in the pages from the top to the bottom since there may be dependencies between the input fields. The online application also instructs you to pay a fee of CHF 250. Please note that you can only make this payment online. You will only be able to submit your application after you have made this payment.
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What documents you will have to submit depends on the PhD programme in which you want to enrol. Please make sure, however, that all the documents required are available in digital form. If you are uncertain about the completeness of your application, you can obtain the necessary information online at www.unisg.ch/admission or by contacting the PhD Office (phd@unisg.ch). Besides numerous other documents, you must in any case upload all the academic degrees, that you have been awarded, in a file. After your definitive admission, we will call upon you to present the original of your Master’s degree certificate in the PhD Office. If your certificates and other documents are not written in German, English, French or Italian, you will additionally have to submit an officially certified German or English translation of such 6 www.unisg.ch/phd - PhD in a Nutshelll
documents. In the case of degrees from foreign universities, an official description of the relevant grading scales will have to be included. You can help to simplify the application process by ensuring that your documents are clear and unmistakable. If, for instance, the title of a certain course that is relevant to your application is not unequivocally comprehensible or is even misleading, then please enclose an official course description. On the basis of examination rulebooks or official ordinances which provide information about grading scales, we will be able to appraise substantially more quickly whether you are sufficiently qualified for the PhD programme of your choice. Do not miss the deadline for the submission of important documents; it will be impossible for us to refer to them in the decision-making process later on.
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Only applications can be considered that have been submitted in due time
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Please note that only applications can be considered that have been submitted in due time. Whenever you log into your application portal, you will find information about the completeness of your documents and the progress of the procedure. We will look at your documents and notify you of whether you have satisfied the formal criteria.
If your assessment proves to be positive, you will now have to contact a supervisor, with the exception of the PhD programmes in «Economics and Finance (PEF)» and «Finance (PiF)». Definitive admission will depend on the decision made by the programme committee and the supervisor’s letter of recommendation. For this purpose, he or she will have to submit the «Support PhD students» form, which can be found in the FacultyWeb, to the PhD Office in due time. «In due time» means by 30 April for studies beginning in the Autumn Semester and by 30 November for studies beginning in the Spring Semester. Other deadlines are applicable to Assistants and rematriculated students: 15 August for an Autumn Semester start and 15 January for a Spring Semester start.
Supervising your PhD thesis It is your personal responsibility to find a supervisor. Unfortunately, the University Management and the PhD Office are
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unable to help you there. Please consider that the search might take a fair amount of time. A prospective supervisor will ask for a rough project sketch with explanations about your research question and will possibly want to conduct interviews with you. Please bear in mind that you will be cooperating with this supervisor for several years. You will experience the supervisor in the role of a mentor and teacher throughout your PhD studies. Many alumni remain in professional and personal contact with their former thesis committee for many years. The quality of this relationship largely depends on what you invest in it yourself and who takes over the supervision. Besides the obvious search for an expert in your field, you should also consider other criteria in your choice. These depend on your own background or are determined by your decision to pursue an academic or a practice-oriented career. In this respect, you should have a clear picture of where you want to see yourself once your PhD thesis has been accepted. Disclose your long-term goals and expectations in your meeting with a potential supervisor and explain what your PhD studies mean to you. Which professor is interested in which www.unisg.ch/phd- PhD in a Nutshell 7
fields of research and thesis topics can be learnt from the websites of the various institutes, schools, research institutes and PhD programmes. The «Alexandria» research platform also contains a list of the institutes’ projects and publications. Weigh up your options, compare thesis projects existing at the chairs with topics that you have in mind and ask your fellow students about the nature of the relationship between phd students and the thesis committee. Only the candidates for PhD studies in «Economics and Finance (PEF)» are exempt from the search for a supervisor. They have to apply online with all the documents. After the examination of the formal admission conditions, the programme committee decides whether the applicant will be admitted definitively.
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Such an admission will guarantee a place in the programme and you must find a supervisor within one year of admission or the programme committee designates a supervisor. The candidates for the PhD programme in «Finance (PiF)» apply directly to the programme. Each year, the programme offers positions for PhD students with professors who will then also be supervisors. Applicants will be assigned to appropriate positions based on their research interest.
Admission When you have been notified of your admission to PhD studies, you will automatically be enrolled as PhD student at the HSG. If necessary, you can also use this notification to apply for a visa.
The fields of research of our professors can be learnt from the websites of the various institutes, schools, research institutes and PhD programmes
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Planning your PhD studies All the PhD programmes are structured into a coursework phase and a research phase. However, many decisions should be made at the very beginning, among them that concerning the question of the specialisation in the programme in «Management (PMA)» and in the programme in «Economics and Finance (PEF)», as well as the question of whether you want to write a monograph or a cumulative thesis. Not least, you will also have to be able to cover your living costs. PhD studies at the HSG are divided up into a coursework phase and a research phase. In the coursework phase, you will attend courses, draw up your research proposal and present it to the thesis committee. The subsequent research phase is that stage at which you write your thesis. During the research phase, you will attend thesis-related seminars. Finally, you will have to defend your thesis in public and to have it published. Most PhD students require about three to four years for their PhD studies. If you make use of the maximum periods available, however, the process, excluding the application process, can extend up to five years. How long you will actually take will depend on what priorities you set, what personal responsibilities you have and what individual decisions you will make.
(2) Would you like to write your thesis as a monograph or in the form of several papers? (3) How do I fund my living costs?
Before you start your first courses, however, you should have dealt with three questions already: (1) What specialisation are you going to choose in the PhD programme in Management (PMA) or in the PhD programme in Economics and Finance (PEF)?
Besides the intended content of your thesis, you should also decide at the onset whether you want to write it in the form of several essays or as a monograph.
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PMA/PEF specialisation If you have enrolled for the PhD programme in «Management (PMA)», you will have to decide here which specialisation you would like to choose. The programme offers four specialisations: accounting, business innovation, general management and marketing. In the PhD programme in «Economics and Finance (PEF)», you can choose between economics, econometrics and finance.
Monograph or cumulative thesis
The form is determined within the scope of the programme regulations together
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with the supervisor. When you clarify this question, you ideally take your bearings from your specific research topic to begin with. Secondly, and less importantly, you should then also base your decision on the research plan derived from the topic, and the methods and the nature of the results you are aiming for. Some PhD students opt for the classic monograph for their thesis, others choose the cumulative thesis. In the PEF and the PiF, this form is even prescribed. A cumulative thesis consists of at least three papers which are intended for publication in renowned national and international specialist journals, in anthologies, commentaries or similar academic publications. At least one paper must be written by the PhD student alone and must account for a substantial part of the thesis. However, the general rule is applicable whereby any papers that were already published before you start your PhD studies cannot be used for your thesis. Depending on the PhD programme, different precepts for the cumulative thesis must be taken into account. A cumulative thesis provides you both with a possibility of working on research questions which for reasons of budget, capacity or complexity are not accessible to an individual researcher and with the opportunity to present your results ext-
ramurally with your research partners. In addition, you are part of a group that is dedicated to a topic and the question related to it. However, the downside is the fact that this requires substantially more coordination effort. Whatever you decide: writing your thesis will require a similar amount of effort regardless of whether you opt for a monograph or a cumulative thesis.
Scholarship, assistantship or private industry? In connection with your application, you should simultaneously look into how you are going to fund your PhD studies. The financial leeway often has a crucial impact on the organisational part of your PhD studies. Just under 80% of PhD students work as an assistant with a workload of 30-70% at a chair or in an institute, others receive a scholarship from an academic community or foundation (particularly for the funding of a stay abroad), and many of them find a part-time job or some project work outside the University, usually in firms or organisations. Unfortunately, there is no representative survey about PhD students’ living costs. In 2017, the Federal Statistical Office calculated that students at the Bachelor’s and Master’s Levels who do not live with www.unisg.ch/phd- PhD in a Nutshell 11
their parents spend an average of approximately CHF 2,300 per semester. It makes sense for various reasons to take this amount as the lower limit of your monthly living costs. It is likely that your personal expenses on food, clothing, mobility, travelling and leisure activities will be higher while at the same time, you will no longer benefit from premium reductions and other perks.
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For the cover of the expenses you have to expect at lease 2300 CHF per month.
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Coursework phase In the first four months of your PhD studies, the coursework phase, you will satisfy the requirements of your specialist programme, draw up your research proposal and defend it. If the research proposal is accepted, the coursework phase will be concluded and you will enter into the research phase.
The coursework phase serves to extend methodological skills and acquire new ones. A maximum of four semesters, i.e. two years, is scheduled for this phase. Each PhD programme has its own provisions regarding the selection of courses to be attended and the credits to be earned for them. When you choose your courses, you should also consider the aspect of language, for depending on the PhD programme, there are different conventions.
Selection of courses Irrespective of the PhD programme, you will have to have successfully completed the courses by the end of the four-semester coursework phase. Even if you pursue your programme as an extramural PhD student, no exception will be granted. If you have important reasons such as illness, pregnancy, accident or death, you can apply for an extension of the deadline. To satisfy admission conditions, a maximum of one additional semester can be granted on request. According to today’s regulations, however, professional acti-
vity is not an important reason for an extension. If an extension is granted in the coursework phase, the research phase will be shortened accordingly since the overall programme time of 10 semesters must not be exceeded. Registration for all PhD courses is binding; students who fail to attend their course will be deemed to have failed them. Students who fail two or more courses will be unable to continue their PhD studies at the HSG.
Compass You should in any case familiarise yourself with the various functions of Compass since you will use most of them regularly in order to deal with administrative matters such as semester enrolment, the process of bidding for courses, access to the confirmation of your matriculation, changes to your correspondence address, as well as your personal mailbox to which, after your consent, all documents will be sent as PDF files. You will be sent the password to access Compass after you have www.unisg.ch/phd- PhD in a Nutshell 13
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definitively been admitted to your PhD studies by the PhD Office.
to a different specialisation within a PhD programme, however, conditions will concentrate on the compulsory courses.
Change of programmes In the course of your PhD studies, circumstances may occur which will make it necessary for you to switch to another PhD programme or another specialisation. Reasons for such a change include a reorientation of your thesis, the objective impossibility of continuing to work on the original topic or similar serious scenarios. If you are considering a change of programmes, you should coordinate the point in time and the way to proceed with the executive director of your programme and the PhD Office. Factually, a change is possible until the end of the coursework phase – but prior to the submission of the research proposal. If you effect that change at the earliest possible time, you will save yourself a great deal of work and costs. In any case, your admission will again be checked according to the guidelines applicable to the new programme. This means that you may have to attend and complete additional courses. If you switch to a completely different programme, it may happen that admission conditions will be imposed on you and only a small amount of your previous work will be credited to you. If you switch 14 www.unisg.ch/phd - PhD in a Nutshelll
Composition of your thesis committee A thesis committee consists of at least two people: the supervisor and the co-supervisor. The programme committee may designate additional members; these, however, will only have an advisory vote. As a rule, you determine with your supervisor who should act as a co-supervisor. The Award Regulations stipulate in Articles 11 and 12 who is able to be a supervisor or co-supervisor. The choice of co-supervisor is subject to different provisions from those that apply to the choice of supervisor; for instance, professors from other universities can also be appointed since their expertise may be meaningful in some cases. However, this will increase coordination and administration work, which means that you may have to draw up your time schedule more carefully. The thesis committee must be complete at the latest when you submit your research proposal.
Preparation of the research phase Many theses require empirical data to be gathered. Please discuss this point with your supervisor in great detail and as early as possible. Start with the search for possible data sources and possible funding options for data gathering sufficiently early, ideally as early as your work on the research proposal. Please bear in mind that it is not only the actual data gathering and evaluation process that takes several months. If often takes months before you even have access to data sources in the field (companies, institutions, databases), which will enable you to conduct your empirical studies in the first place. As soon as you depend on more sensitive data, it makes sense to conclude a research agreement with the institution in question. In this way, you will reduce the risk of failing to gain access after you have done your preliminary theoretical work. Furthermore – and this is what your research proposal feedback will amount to in many cases – you should draw up a thorough, realistic and pragmatic research strategy. In other words: the research question should be researchable, the methodology should be controllable and expectations should be realistic.
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Research promotion at the HSG The HSG supports researchers – and young researchers in particular – through personal advice and through events about the various options of research funding, but also through its own funding instruments. The team of the Grants Office St.Gallen consists of the office of the Research Committee (for questions concerning funding instruments at the HSG and in Switzerland), the office of the Ethics Committee (for questions concerning the ethical soundness of research projects) and Euresearch St.Gallen (for questions concerning research funding by the EU). This contact point will provide you with various support options for your research and your own academic career.
SNSF research grants If you are interested in a research grant from the SNSF, we recommend that you consult the Grants Office St.Gallen (research@unisg.ch) early on.
Excellence scholarships of the SNF (Doc. CH) PhD students at the early stage of their studies have the opportunity to apply for an excellence scholarship of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). The scholarship is provided for a period of 2-4 years and serves to cover the cost of living and further costs of the research project. Upon a reasoned request, part of the thesis work may be done abroad. 16 www.unisg.ch/phd - PhD in a Nutshelll
Mobility scholarships of the SNSF (Doc.Mobility, Early Postdoc.Mobility) SNSF scholarships provide researchers at the start of their academic careers with the possibility of a relatively long stay at a foreign research institute. Funding amounts to a contribution towards the cost of living, as well as lump sums for travelling, research expenses and attendance at congresses. The Doc.Mobility programme will be replaced by an internal HSG mobility programme in 2021. You can find further information at https://www.unisg.ch/en/forschung/ grantsoffice/foerderung.
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The HSG supports researchers through different funding instruments
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Research proposal
Colloquium on the research proposal
The research proposal for the thesis describes the general thesis project and the methodological procedure. In addition, you will already have to provide evidence of initial research results. As a consequence of these precepts, research proposals vary from individual to individual. Some develop a detailed model of the theory they want to review and describe the research approach they want to pursue for this purpose; others write the first chapter or the first paper of their thesis.
Once submitted, the research proposal will be assessed by the thesis committee. Subsequently, the colloquium will be conducted. It will take place within eight weeks after the submission of the research proposal.
Make use of the opportunity to clarify in the context of your research proposal precisely what you are going to research (research question) and how you want to proceed (research plan). Compare expectations and determine the scope and content of your research proposal together with your supervisor. You will have to submit the research proposal before the end of the fourth semester. A fee of CHF 300 will be charged for this submission. Please bear in mind that a research proposal that has not been submitted in due time can be submitted during an extended time window of 6 months. In this case, however, it can only be either accepted or rejected, i.e. no rework can be done on it any longer.
In the colloquium, you will present your research proposal to the thesis committee. The colloquium is not open to the public and takes at least 30 minutes. After the colloquium, the thesis committee will make a decision concerning the whole of your research proposal. The aim of the colloquium is to give you a reliable sense of what your thesis committee specifically expects from you and your thesis. It is meant to show you how you can structure your further research work and what changes may be required.
Acceptance of the research proposal After the colloquium, the thesis committee will decide whether the research proposal will be • accepted, • sent back for revision • or rejected. If your research proposal is accepted at the first attempt and if you have successfully completed all the courses of the courwww.unisg.ch/phd- PhD in a Nutshell 17
sework phase and satisfied any possible additional conditions, your coursework phase is over and the research phase begins. If the committee still regards part of the research proposal as unclear (for instance because of imprecise research questions or indeterminate research design), the research proposal will be sent back for reworking, for which a time window of 12 months will be available. As soon as you have submitted the reworked version, you will have to present it again orally in a second colloquium. At the second attempt, your research proposal can only be either accepted or rejected.
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If it is rejected, you will be unable to continue your PhD studies. Admission to another PhD programme at the University of St.Gallen will also be ruled out.
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The GSERM offers methodological courses for PhD students and postdocs from all over the world.
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Grading In the PhD programme in «Finance (PiF)», course results are graded with the grading scale that is customary at the HSG (6.0 = excellent, 4.0 = marginal, 1.0 = useless). A student has passed the courses if the average of all the grades amounts to a minimum of 4.0. In the other programmes, («Law (DLS», «Management (PMA)», «Organizational Studies and Cultural Theory (DOK)», «International Affairs and Political Economy (DIA)», «Computer Science (DCS)» and in «Economics and Finance (PEF)»), students are awarded either «passed» grade or «not passed» grade. All the course grades like this must be successfully completed; they cannot be offset against each other. Each unsatisfactory course or seminar can be repeated once. Students will be notified of the results in the inter-term break of the semester in question. Students who fail two or more courses/seminars will no longer be able to continue their PhD studies at the HSG.
enrolled at the HSG, you will be able to attend one or several courses in the GSERM, which will be credited to your curriculum.
Young Investigator Programme (YIP) The YIP has been designed for young researchers who are looking for solutions to their personal challenges on the way towards acquiring academic qualifications. Empower Yourself! The programme offers help to gain relevant competencies that empower you to find your topic, organise and finalize your dissertation or your work at the institute. After having finished your thesis, the YIP supports you with planning your future as well with acquiring skills that will help diving into your next job. Funding for Peer Projects can also be applied for. Or you may join a writing group guided by a writing facilitator. If you want build a mentoring relationship, the programme management will be happy to support you. Peer Projects
GSERM The GSERM Global School in Empirical Research Methods is a programme integrated in the HSG which offers methodological courses for PhD students and postdocs from all over the world. As a student
In addition, the YIP grants funds that enable young researchers to realise joint projects.
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Research phase The research phase is that stage of PhD studies in which you write your thesis. If your thesis is accepted and all the formal requirements are satisfied, the certificate will be presented to you at the award ceremony, after which you will be entitled to use the PhD title. Attendance at the award ceremony is compulsory. schedule. In the research phase of your PhD studies, the focus is on translating your academic and methodological knowledge and skills into practice. You will immerse yourself in your topic and implement the research plan which you drew up in your research proposal. During this stage, many PhD students go abroad for research purposes or quit gainful employment in order to be able to fully concentrate on their thesis.
Submission process Even though you will have done most of the work on your thesis by the time you submit it, some important tasks will still remain which you should not underestimate. Both the submission and the defence are contingent on the satisfaction of some administrative requirements. Information about this can be found in the StudentWeb.
Seminars Submission process The literature and essay seminars, thesis colloquia and similar courses which are compulsory in most PhD programmes will increase your workload. In these seminars, you will be provided with particular support, which includes presenting and discussing the current state of your research in a plenary seminar session. Depending on the chair and the programme, you will also participate in academic conferences or organise workshops with project partners. A judicious calculation of the theoretical and empirical parts of your work will help you adhere to your 20 www.unisg.ch/phd - PhD in a Nutshelll
You will have to submit your thesis ten semesters after you started your PhD studies at the latest. You will be notified of the exact date on conclusion of the coursework phase. A thesis that is not submitted on time is deemed to be rejected. Extensions are only granted if important reasons can be asserted. In any case, apply for a possible extension of the deadline as early as possible. Make sure that the Dean of Studies will have sufficient time before the origi-
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nal submission deadline to review your request. An examination fee of CHF 600 will be charged for the submission of the thesis. Formal requirements For the purposes of grading and the plagiarism assessment, the thesis must be uploaded electronically in EDIS, on the one hand, and submitted in printed form, on the other hand. In this respect, the University of St.Gallen imposes formal requirements, which are described in the StudentWeb. Please note that the number of the printed copies depends on the members of your thesis committee.
Assessment and defence Your thesis will be assessed by the thesis committee. A total of four months is available for this, with three months being earmarked for the assessment stage and a further month for the defence if your thesis has been accepted. During the assessment stage, your thesis committee will come to an agreement and work out a shared position as to whether to invite you to a defence. The committee may propose that the thesis be • accepted, • sent back for revision
• or rejected. Acceptance may be made contingent on some minor changes being made. If the thesis is recommended for acceptance, the defence must be conducted within a month. In this defence, you will have to prove that you satisfy the standards required for the thesis. The defence will be conducted by the thesis committee; it takes place on the promises of the University of St.Gallen, lasts at least one hour and is open to the public. After the defence, the thesis committee will forward its assessments together with the recommended grade and the grade of the defence to the programme committee for final approval. If the programme committee follows the thesis committee’s recommendation, your thesis will be deemed to be definitively accepted and the final grade will be determined. No defence will be conducted if the thesis is either sent back for revision or completely rejected. In such cases, the assessments go directly to the programme committee, which will also approve them. If a thesis is sent back for revision, a deadline of 12 months will apply. You will be duly notified in either case. As is the case with the research proposal, a second return for revision is ruled out. If a thesis is rejected, the PhD programme www.unisg.ch/phd- PhD in a Nutshell 21
cannot be continued, and admission to another PhD programme at the University of St.Gallen is no longer possible, either.
Overall grade The two PhD programmes in «Finance (PiF)» and «International Affairs and Political Economy (DIA)» weight the grades of the courses 20%, of the thesis 70% and of the defence 10%. In the programmes in «Management (PMA)», «Economics and Finance (PEF)», «Law (DLS)» and «Organizational Studies and Cultural Theory (DOK)», the thesis will account for 80% and the defence for 20% of the overall grade. On the basis of the overall grade, the following distinctions are awarded: • with a grade average of 5.75 to 6.00: with the highest distinction (summa cum laude); • with a grade average of 5.50 to 5.74: very good (magna cum lau de); • with a grade average of 5.00 to 5.49: good (cum laude); • with a grade average below 5.00, no level of distinction shall be awarded. When you have submitted your thesis, this is not the end of the procedure. As soon as you have been notified of your overall grade in writing, you have no more than a period of 1 year to have 7 compulsory copies of your thesis printed and to have it published electronically in EDIS. The elec22 www.unisg.ch/phd - PhD in a Nutshelll
tronic publication of your thesis in EDIS is subject to a fee of CHF 450 plus value added tax. The PhD certificate in A3 format costs CHF 210 and can be ordered on request via our payment portal (https://zahlungsportal.unisg.ch/). The 7 compulsory copies (in accordance with printing regulations) have to be submitted to the Library. Consequently, you should allow for a sufficient period of time (proofreading, formatting, administration) and financial resources (production costs). Experience shows that most PhD students have to spend more time on this than originally planned. The last step on your way to the PhD degree will as always be made on the first day of the new semester: attendance at the award ceremony. The HSG ceremony draws on an old academic tradition, according to which the PhD degree is conferred by the President in person. Attendance at the award ceremony is compulsory. Please note that your PhD studies will only have been concluded once you are handed the degree certificate. Prior to that, you will not be allowed to use the PhD title.
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The last step on your way to the phd degree will be with the attendance at the award ceremony
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Pictures: University of St. Gallen/Hannes Thalmann Fotolia exaphon/Kara
University of St.Gallen (HSG) PhD Office Tellstrasse 2 CH-9000 St.Gallen Phone +41 (0)71 224 22 20 phd@unisg.ch www.unisg.ch/phd
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