Mid-term Evaluation Rules

Mid-term evaluation procedure:

  1. The realization of the doctoral candidate's Individual Research Plan (IRP) is subject to mid-term evaluation in the middle of the qualification cycle specified in the curriculum.
  2. The mid-term evaluation shall be carried out on the basis of:
    • a report on the implementation of the IRP submitted by the doctoral candidate, including documents confirming the implementation of the IRP;
    • an interview with the doctoral candidate concerning the individual research plan and its implementation, consisting of the following stages: the doctoral candidate's presentation and the doctoral candidate's answers to questions asked by the Examination Board.
  3. The doctoral candidate shall attach to the report on the implementation of the individual research plan the opinions of the supervisor(s) on the implementation of the individual research plan by the doctoral candidate.
  4. By the end of June of the year in which the mid-term evaluation is to be carried out, the doctoral candidate shall submit to the Secretary’s Office the documents referred to in sections 2 - 3. The documents referred to in the preceding sentence are also submitted by the doctoral candidate in the form of scans recorded on 3 copies of electronic media which are handed over to the members of the Committee.
  5. After reviewing the documents submitted by the doctoral candidate, each member of the Board prepares an evaluation of the doctoral candidate in the form of a written opinion on the doctoral candidate's implementation of the individual research plan. The signed opinion shall be delivered by the member of the Board to the Office of Doctoral School no later than two days before the scheduled date of the mid-term evaluation board meeting.
  6. The Chairperson of the Board shall convoke a meeting at which the Board shall conduct an interview with the doctoral candidate concerning the individual research plan and its implementation, consisting of the following stages:
    • the doctoral candidate's self-presentation;
    • the doctoral candidate's answers to questions asked by the Examination Board.
  7. The board meeting for the mid-term evaluation of a doctoral candidate shall take place no earlier than 30 days after receipt of the materials referred to in section 4 and no later than the end of the fourth semester of study.
  8. The Committee shall inform the doctoral candidate of the date and place of the meeting at least seven days in advance. In justified cases, at the request of the doctoral candidate, the date of the meeting may be changed.
  9. The board's meetings may be conducted remotely using technical equipment that allows the proceedings to be conducted with simultaneous live video and audio transmission.
  10. The midterm evaluation shall end with a positive or negative result recorded in the minutes of the Committee’s meeting. The result of the evaluation together with the justification are public.
  11. The board shall give a positive mark if the doctoral candidate implements the individual research plan without unjustified delays.
  12. If the condition for a positive mark referred to in section 11 is not fulfilled, the board shall give a negative mark.
  13. The doctoral candidate is deleted from the list of doctoral candidate if the midterm evaluation is negative.
  14. The justification for the evaluation may include an indication of the desired changes in the IRP.
  15. After receiving a positive result of the midterm evaluation, the doctoral candidate may apply for a change in the IRP. The change must be justified and allow for the submission of the doctoral dissertation within the statutory deadline.

Midterm Evaluation Committee:

  1. The mid-term evaluation is carried out by a committee consisting of three persons holding a postdoctoral degree or the title of professor in the discipline in which the doctoral dissertation is being prepared, of whom at least two persons are employed outside the University of Rzeszów or are persons referred to in art. 190 sec. 5 of the Law on Higher Education and Science. The members of the Committee are recommended by the council of the discipline appropriate for the doctoral candidate.
  2. The UR Rector, having consulted the Doctoral School Council, appoints a committee for the midterm evaluation.
  3. Doctoral School may appoint more than one mid-term evaluation committee..
  4. A member of the Committee must not be a person whose impartiality may be doubted.
  5. The supervisor and the assistant supervisor must not be members of the Committee.
  6. At the request of the Chairperson of the Committee, a representative of the UR Doctoral Candidates Government may participate in the meeting of the Committee as an observer.
  7. The Committee, with the consent of the doctoral candidate, may invite the doctoral candidate’s supervisor, supervisors or assistant supervisor to participate in the meeting of the Committee as an observer.
  8. A person who is a member of the Committee, employed outside of the University of Rzeszów, is entitled to a remuneration of 20% of a professor's remuneration.

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