FAQ Doctoral courses

• The study rules and regulations require a minimum of 12 credits and a maximum of 30 credits.
• In order to attend and successfully complete a doctoral study program, doctoral students must acquire the number of credits required by the rules and regulations of their doctoral program.
• 4 credits – but not those required for the first year – out of the total required amount (12 or 30) can be chosen by the doctoral student without the approval of neither the program committee nor the thesis director.
• These 4 credits – free of approval – can be chosen from all EPFL doctoral program’s course lists as well as from the course for transversal skills, open to all doctoral programs.

• Each course will offer an exam, which, once passed, leads to official recognition that you have taken the course and acquired the knowledge that it aims to transmit. Passing this exam is of course a prerequisite for acquisition of the course credits for EPFL doctoral students.
• These exams are governed by the same rules as for all other exams at EPFL, except for the result which will be a pass/fail decision.

Registration is open once the syllabus is approved by the doctoral program and is done through your IS-Academia student portal if not specified otherwise.

The deadline to register for a doctoral course is up until the exam day. Once the exam is done it is not possible to register for the course anymore (if you followed the whole course and passed the exam but did not register, you will not be able to receive a grade/mention afterwards).

Registration is available only if the doctoral program has approved the syllabus. All relevant information about the course schedule is available in the “Course remark” field.

Be aware that registration for some Transversal skills courses is to be made directly with the course provider. Registration via IS-Academia is, as a consequence, not available. In such case, the Doctoral Students’ Office will validate the obtained credits once the exam results will be sent by the course provider.

Registration for summer schools is to be made directly with the course provider.

It is possible, under conditions. If you don’t want to take the exam for the course you are attending, please notify the lecturer and withdraw from the exam before the end of the course through your IS-Academia student portal.

It is absolutely forbidden to withdraw from an exam

• after the exam’s date is passed
• if you have taken the exam
• if you do not take the exam, with a valid reason (Grade M: the missed attempt will not count as a failure)
• if you do not take the exam, without a valid reason (Grade N/A: the missed attempt will count as a failure)

You can register for Master or Bachelor courses through your IS-Academia student portal

• for subjects taught in the autumn semester → from August to the Friday of the second week of the autumn semester
• for subjects taught in the spring semester → from January to the Friday of the second week of the spring semester

Registration for exams (whether these take place during the semester or in the exam session) is automatic for all the subjects you are registered for.

• If you are not yet affiliated to a doctoral program during the regular registration period, please contact the administrative assistant of your hosting doctoral program
• If you are affiliated to a doctoral program during the regular registration period and you miss the deadline for registration (the Friday of the second week of the semester), you will no longer be able to register through IS-Academia. You will then need to come in person to the Student Services Desk and pay a fee for late registration. No exception will be made to this rule. The final deadline for late registration is the tenth Friday of the semester.

You can send an email to the Student services Desk to ask for a withdrawal from the exam within those deadlines:

• for subjects taught in the autumn semester → from October to the Friday of the tenth week of the semester
• for subjects taught in the spring semester → from March to the Friday of the tenth week of the semester

Once that deadline has passed, you may no longer ask for a  withdrawal from the exams.

Please visit the Timetables for courses and exams webpage of the Registrar’s Office.

Credits obtained before your official registration cannot be validated for your PhD study plan.

Yes you can take up to 12 credits from doctoral courses during your master cycle.

You will need the approval from the professor of the doctoral course first and then you can submit your registration to the Student services Desk.