The candidacy exam (CE) must be passed within 12 months from the date of enrollment. A second attempt is permitted but the retake must be passed within 15 months from the date of enrollment.
In the first year, students must successfully pass a candidacy exam. The exam consists of a short write-up (the Research plan), a presentation, and a question and answer session in front of a committee including the thesis advisor(s) and two other faculty members.
The goal of the exam is for the student to demonstrate the originality of the thesis subject, the objectives and methods envisaged, as well as the hypothesis and related scientific arguments. This includes a thorough understanding and critical evaluation of the existing research, exemplified by the three selected papers, as well as their plan and approach for the project and the timeframe for its completion. These elements constitute the basis of the write-up and the presentation.
General overview
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The Candidacy Exams are held in person on campus.
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Procedure and Timeline
Timeline indications are aligned with the enrollment in September, it shall be adapted in function of the actual starting date.
The exam jury is composed of:
- Exam president, chosen from the list of EDIC jury presidents
- Co-examiner/expert
- Thesis advisor
- Co-advisor (if applicable)
All must be professors or a senior scientists (MER) at EPFL.
Co-authors, former lab members, or other persons which have a potential conflict of interest with the thesis advisor(s) or the student, cannot be members of the candidacy exam jury. Mentor cannot be part of the exam committee; if it’s the case, EDIC will assign a new mentor.
As soon as the jury composition is defined, the student and the advisor(s) set the date. The room reservation is the responsibility of the student or of the lab. The meeting shall be scheduled for 2 hours. The exam should take place between May 15 and August 31. The last day to hold the exam is August 31.
At least 2 months before the exam, and at the latest by June 30, the student provides the program and the members of the jury with the following information:
- the composition of the jury
- the date, location and time of the exam
The jury proposal form is filled and downloaded from IS-Academia portal.
For fellowship students: the name of the advisor(s) can be written manually.
When complete, it is sent to EDIC who will collect all required signatures in esign tool.
If the co-direction is desired and not yet established, please contact EDIC for the pertinent follow-up.
Upon request and with the explicit (written) agreement of the student, the program Director may authorize remote participation (videoconference) for a single member of the jury. Videoconferencing is not allowed for the student.
EDIC announces the exam details (public part), along with the research plan abstract in the IC Memento.
EDIC approves the jury proposal by email to the jury members with a copy to the PhD student and the lab assistants.
The student, in agreement with the thesis advisor(s), prepares a research plan that explains the originality of the thesis subject, the objectives and methods envisaged, as well as the hypothesis and related scientific arguments, including the general context of the thesis subject. The write-up should discuss the state of the art of research in the area, position the doctoral candidate’s work within the research domain, describe already completed research work by the candidate, explain the plan and methodology for the research project, and outline a timeframe for its completion.
While the thesis director can and should be involved in the discussion about the research plan, we do ask the writing and preparation of the presentation to be independently done by the candidate. Dry runs are still possible and encouraged with other lab members.
The write-up format is IEEE conference standards, two-column format, with max. length of 8 pages (excluding references). It is shared 8 days before the exam to the exam committee and to EDIC. Failure to do so, risks cancellation of the exam by the jury president.
Research plan template [latex; zip file]
Paper selection guidelines
You select with advisor’s input:
- Conference/journal papers, thesis chapters, technical reports
- No paper with examinee as co-author
- Two papers maximum with authors from EPFL
- One paper maximum with a committee member as an author
- Total length of the 3 papers should not exceed 60 pages
The exam is chaired by the jury president. It includes an oral presentation of approximately 30 minutes about the research plan, which is open to the public audience, and is followed by up to 1 hour of questions from the jury members (private exam) about the write-up content, background papers and basic knowledge. The exam president is also an examiner for the purpose of the CE.
The presentation will cover the core aspects of the research plan as explained above.
The jury deliberates in the absence of the student. They formulate an evaluation based on the following principal criteria:
- writing and oral skills
- breadth and depth of knowledge
- quality of the research plan
- answers to the questions of the jury, including ability to interpret results, critical thinking and problem-solving skills
The jury president fills the evaluation form, which is generated by the program’s office and shared with the jury members and the student shortly before the exam day, including the following points:
- the assessment of the exam according to the criteria set out above and, if applicable, the rationale for failure
- the result (“Passed” or “Failed”) of the exam
- the signatures of the jury members
The record of the exam and the final version of the write-up/research plan must be submitted to EDIC within 5 days of the exam.
If the CE is successfully passed, the thesis director and co-director (if applicable) sign the “Research plan cover page” form which is generated by the candidate and includes the abstract uploaded in IS-Academia portal. The form is mandatory to finalize the exam result. EDIC will handle the signatures through the esign tool.
EDIC submits the final research plan, including the signed cover page and the write-up (updated version is acceptable, if corrections have been made on the version shared before the exam), with the exam evaluation form to the Doctoral Students’ Office who registers the exam result.
In case of first failure, the student may ask to be evaluated a second and last time. This second exam must take place within 15 months after the date of the enrolment.
The composition of the jury and the research plan may be changed. The procedure as detailed above must be repeated.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Consult with your advisor(s). Pick papers that provide a good foundation for your write-up and talk. Pick one “basic” paper that is a tutorial or survey of the main ideas in the area, and two papers that are closer to the specific work. Pick at least one recent paper.
Additional paper selection guidelines:
– No paper with the examinee as co-author
– Two papers maximum with authors from EPFL
– One paper maximum with a committee member as an author
– The total length of the 3 papers should not exceed 60 pages
Yes. Your write-up and presentation should point to what area and problems you are likely planning to pursue. Your actual PhD plan may change over time. The exam is on topics where you can demonstrate depth and breadth within the scope of the research plan and the background papers.
No. Your advisor(s) helps you with the selection of the committee members and the choice of papers. Your advisor(s) does not correct your slides or write-up before the exam and does not participate in dry runs with you.
You must schedule another exam at the latest 15 months from the program enrollment date. A second failure will result in an immediate exmatriculation from the program and the termination of your employment contract.