A Doctorate at D-BAUG

Applicable to doctoral students matriculated before 1 January 2022.

(This highly important topic is dealt with outside the above graph; it formed part of a previous tab on the research plan.)

What exactly are the parameters for a cumulative thesis?

There are different sources to consult, but start out with the D-BAUG infos, especially with regard to the number of publications needed:

Detailed Stipulations D-BAUG, Art. 10
Please note that these requirements need to be fulfilled at the time when you submit your exam version, i.e. 8 weeks prior to your doctoral examination.

"DownloadGuidelines (PDF, 468 KB) on the Structure of a Cumulative Doctoral Thesis for D-BAUG Doctoral-Students"
"How to make Downloadchanges (PDF, 142 KB) to papers that from part of a cumulative thesis"

Additionally: Make sure you also consult the website of the Central Doctoral Administration of ETH.

Last but not least, the overarching legal framework:
Rector's Implementation Provisions for the ETH Ordinance on the Doctorate, section 11.2

As you might have heard, you no longer need to nominate your 1st co-examiner after your 3rd year.
This element was deleted in the new Doctoral Ordinance (from 01.01.2022). -- The diagramm, however, remains unchanged so people with a very early matriculation don't get confused, and "the new ones" realise they're on the wrong website.

In other words, you can now nominate all your co-examiners at a later stage, ideally, all at once. -- Even more so, once you know for sure who will be independent and who won't.

Careful! The Transitional Provisions on the examination committee end on 31.12.23.

As of 01.01.2024, the following new rules are in effect:

Detailed Stipulations D-BAUG, Art. 11.

Consequently, if you need an additional external co-examiner, please get her/him confirmed at one of the four annual meetings of the Doctoral Committee.
To do that, please use the new online form. -- Other formats of requests are no longer accepted!

Note:
Your 2nd Advisor is not automatically a co-examiner.
However, if you and your professor would like him/her to review your thesis and to be on the committee, you need the online form for him/her if she/he is a person outside ETH. If your 2nd Advisor is an internal person, an email nomination is sufficient.

To make sure all the necessary info is in one spot, simply forward one of the confirmations after submitting the online form and add that internal person.

Legal Basis: for your 2nd advisor

1st Element: the new ETH Zurich Ordinance on the Doctorate
2nd Element: the Implementation Provisions

Further information on co-examiners:

The requirement "external university professor" does not have to be fulfilled until the final assessment of the examination committee, but in good time before taking the doctoral examination. Therefore, your first co-examiner could easily be an internal specialist at ETH.
Regarding 4.2, c) "completely independent person":
Over the course of your doctoral thesis, it may well happen that you publish with someone who was initially supposed to serve as an independent co-examiner.

For this reason:
You will have to mark your fully independent co-examiner once you fill in the online form with all the relevant information for your doctoral examination. See examination chapter.

This chapter is one of a few that also include Transitional Provisions.

In other words: If you did not opt for the credit point regulations under the new Doctoral Ordinance (in effect since 01.01.22), the Detailed Provisions hereunder are applicable to you. Please note that the opportunity to switch expired mid 2022.

Over the course of your doctoral studies, you have the right and the obligation to develop your knowledge in the field of your doctoral thesis. General information about this is available on the Student portal.

Regarding additional D-BAUG requirements, please consult our DownloadDetailed Provisions (PDF, 45 KB) as of 1 July 2016. (If you need to refer to the previous version, you will still find it under Documents.)

Please note:

Discuss your individual study programme with your doctoral thesis supervisor
Credits of qualifying exams (additional requirements) do not count towards the 12 credit points of your doctoral studies. See DownloadDetailed Provisions D-BAUG (PDF, 45 KB), Art. 5.
At least one-third of your credits must be gained outside your discipline.
All lectures taken from the ETH Zurich course catalogue are shown in myStudies.
Performance assessments from other universities as well as any other achievements need to be accounted for separately (through diplomas, course confirmations etc.). These credits will not appear in myStudies but will be added up towards the end of your doctorate.

For final proof of all 12 credit points required, please drop by the Doctoral Administration D-BAUG, with your course confirmations, diplomas etc.

4-6 months before your desired examination date
with the Downloadregistration form (PDF, 886 KB) for the doctoral examination filled out (upper section).

Comprehensive information surrounding the preparation of your doctoral examination is available on our separate website Doctoral Examination.

The maximum duration of a doctorate at ETH is 6 years. See Ordinance on Doctoral Studies ETH Zurich, art. 27, section 4, as well as the corresponding Implementation Provisions.