Candidacy examination for PhD

Appointment of Examining Committee

Before submitting the PhD Research Proposal to the school, one must submit for approval by the Dean of the Graduate School a proposal for an examining committee comprised of five members, at least, as follows:

  • The advisor
  • The partner advisor, if one has been appointed.
  • At least four additional examiners from amongst the senior staff members ranked associate professor or higher, or equivalent ranking from the research staff, or other experts on an appropriate level from the field of research. The advisor may be requested to present an updated CV of the proposed examiner.
    • At least one of them will be ranked on the same level as the advisor or higher.
    • At least one of the examiners (an external examiner) will not belong to the same department.
  • The head of the committee will be appointed from amongst the members of the examining committee by the chairperson of the Graduate Studies Committee.

The proposal for the examining committee will be submitted using the Proposal for Examiners for Candidacy Examinations Form. Approval for the committee by the Dean of the Graduate School will be sent with the Examination Report Form. The department will send appointments to the examiners and will see to the coordination of examination dates and to inviting examiners.

The PhD Research Proposal (Pre-Doctorate)

The PhD Research Proposal will serve as the basis for candidacy examination and will be submitted to the committee via the advisor, within eleven months of beginning the program (within 18 months for students on a special study track).

If the PhD Research Proposal is not submitted on time, without prior approval, it will be considered as though the student failed his candidacy examination.

The school’s instructions for submitting PhD Research Proposal:

  • The title will appear in English and Hebrew
  • Scope of proposal: approx. 25 pages
  • Proposal content:
    • A review of the background for the research thesis (including a literary survey)
    • Research objectives