EDIC End of thesis

These are the administrative deadlines which PhD students must meet during their PhD studies. Please do not send any forms directly to the Doctoral School (EDOC). All documents must first be approved by the EDIC program director.


Total Credit Requirement: 30 Credits


Enrollment of the PhD student

+ 1 week max.

Contact the doctoral program in order to get the enrollment form which is completed and duly signed by:

  • the PhD student;
  • the thesis director (unaffiliated students have up to 1 year to identify an advisor);
  • the doctoral program director.

Please note that a request for a co-direction must be submitted separately.

Contact: Cecilia Chapuis

+ 3 months after your enrollment

More information: EDIC Mentor 

Each doctoral program has a pool of professors who are willing to serve as student mentors. These professors are interested in mediation, offering advice and supporting PhD students in the context of their training. They are the first person of reference for the PhD student in case of problems with the thesis director or the laboratory.

As part of the annual report, mentors meet with the PhD students to discuss the progress of their work and their well-being in the laboratory.

Each pool of mentors meets regularly with the program director who, only with the agreement of the PhD student, takes the necessary measures in case of reported problems.

Contact: Cecilia Chapuis

+ 12 months max.

  • Pass a depth course (6 or 7 credits) with a grade of 5
  • Pass the candidacy exam

The minimum credit requirement at the end of the 1st year is:

  • 4 credits with courses
  • 12 credits with projects (one 6-credit project per semester)

Contact: Annalisa Ginocchio

+ 12 months max. (1st attempt)

+ 15 months max. (2nd attempt)

The deadlines for the candidacy exam cannot be extended.

Contact: Cecilia Chapuis

Each year by October 15

After passing the candidacy exam, the PhD student must meet their thesis director once a year to fill out the annual report form.

Contact: Annalisa Ginocchio

+ 4 years max. (3 years max. from admission date)

A minimum of 2 years after the enrollment is required for the presentation of a thesis work.

If a PhD student cannot finish working on their thesis within 4 years after their enrollment, the thesis director should submit a request for an extension. The form should be sent to the EDIC doctoral program.

Note: Extension requests that are made 5 years after enrollment (=already 12 months of extension have been granted before):

  • Should not be of a duration longer than 6 months
  • Must explain clearly the reasons for the delay
  • Must include several intermediary objectives and deadlines, resulting in an oral exam date before the end of the extension.

More information: EDOC Doctoral School Internal Regulations

Contact: Annalisa Ginocchio

– 8 weeks before the oral exam at the latest

For the oral exam, a Jury Proposal Form is required by the Registrar’s Office (SAC), 7 weeks prior to the scheduled date. Therefore, this form must be handed to EDIC 8 weeks before the date of the oral examination, together with the Statement of Results, signed by the thesis director.

To download the forms, log in to your IS-Academia portal. Organize the oral exam (including the Jury Proposal Form). The list of EDIC Jury Presidents is available here.

More information: EDOC FAQ – End of thesis

Contact: Annalisa Ginocchio

+ 4 weeks min. (max. 6 months) after the oral exam

Public defense if the oral exam is passed without reserve.