Faculty of Behavioural Sciences and Psychology
PhD Programme in Psychology
The PhD programme is open to psychologists who have completed a Master’s degree. After successful completion the academic degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Dr. phil. / PhD) is awarded.
The main supervisor is responsible for the academic supervision of your doctoral studies. The main supervisor must be chosen from among the professors of the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences and Psychology.
As part of the application process (see next section), a supervision agreement is required. The agreement should be co-authored and signed by you and the main supervisor. In the document you should also suggest a suitable second supervisor. The second supervisor may come from another faculty or university.
You may further involve a mentor. If applicable, the name of the mentor also needs to be stated in the supervision agreement.
Application for the PhD programme takes place via Uniportal.
The documents required for application are listed on the registration page. The signed supervision agreement (see previous section on supervision) also needs to be enclosed.
The following deadlines apply:
- August 31 for the coming Fall Semester.
- January 31 for the coming Spring Semester.
The admission requirements can be found in the regulations (PhD Regulations and Guidelines).
The admission decision will be communicated by e-mail. Following a positive admission decision, you may officially enroll for the PhD programme. Enrollment is mandatory for the entire duration of the PhD programme.
The PhD programme usually takes three to four years. The maximum duration is five years. This also applies if the doctorate is completed part-time. The period begins with the first semester of enrollment and ends with the date of submission of the thesis.
The requirements to be achieved consist of:
- Academic achievements (at least 18 ECTS points)
- Thesis
- Defense
- Publication of the thesis
Details can be found in the regulations (PhD Regulations and Guidelines).
The selection and determination of academic achievements (at least 18 ECTS points) takes place in consultation with the main supervisor and is documented in the supervision agreement.
Course offer:
- Workshops Hochschuldidaktik (in German)
- Course programme Campus Luzern (in German)
- Course programme Graduate Academy
In consultation with the main supervisor, attendance of other courses and conferences with active participation can also be credited. The Faculty of Behavioural Sciences and Psychology also plans to offer a small course programme in the future.
Teaching work carried out at the faculty can also be credited towards academic achievements. Taking on two semester hours per week in teaching corresponds to 3 ECTS points. A maximum of 3 ECTS points can be credited for teaching achievements.
At least two presentations of the PhD project within the first two years of the PhD programme are mandatory. These can take place in different formats and can also be credited towards the academic achievements to be achieved.
At least once a year, the PhD student and the main supervisor will hold an evaluation meeting on the progress of the thesis. In particular, the development of the research work and the academic achievements are evaluated based on the goals set for the current year. Further, goals for the following year(s) are agreed on. The other supervisors take part in the meetings or should otherwise at least be informed of the content.
The AAA-document serves as the basis for the evaluation meeting (templates are available on UNETEntry). The supervision agreement is reviewed at the same time and updated if necessary. Together, these documents form the evaluation report. The supervision agreement is submitted by e-mail to phd-vpf@unilu.ch. PhD students employed at the University of Lucerne also submit the entire evaluation report (AAA-document and supervision agreement) to the HR department (personaldienst@unilu.ch).
For PhD students enrolled in Spring Semester, the first report is due on April 1 of the following year.
For PhD students enrolled in the Fall Semester, the first report is due on October 1 of the following year.
Submission of the thesis (Application for the opening of the doctoral procedure)
Once all academic achievements have been completed and the thesis has been finalised, the PhD student can submit an application for the opening of the doctoral procedure. The application must be addressed to the Dean of the faculty and submitted to the Dean’s office (phd-vpf@unilu.ch).
The following documents (as pdf-files) must be enclosed:
- Thesis with corresponding title page in two versions:
- The framework publication and all associated articles in one pdf-file
- The framework publication and all individual articles as separate pdf-files
- Declaration of Authenticity
- Proof of academic achievements of at least 18 ECTS points
- Proof of fulfilment of any conditions (if applicable)
- Proof of enrollment for the whole duration of the PhD programme (can be requested from the Study Services)
Defense
The date of the defence is determined by agreement between all participants and organised by the Dean's office. The defence lasts a total of 60 minutes and consists of a presentation (20 minutes) followed by a discussion (40 minutes). The defence is open to the public and will be announced on the faculty website.
Publication
PhD students apply for a DOI at the Dean's office (phd-vpf@unilu.ch), finalise the title page for publication and submit it to the Dean's office by e-mail. The Dean’s office thereafter forwards the thesis, including the cover sheet, to the Central and University Library of Lucerne (ZHB) for publication. The PhD student additionally need to send a consent form to the ZHB (lory@zhbluzern.ch) .
The ZHB will notify the PhD student and the Dean's office as soon as the publication has taken place. The exact procedure for the submission is described in the instructions cumuluative dissertation of the ZHB.
Title
After the successfully contested defense, a temporary certificate is issued. After publication of the thesis, the PhD student is awarded as Doctor of Philosophy (Dr. phil / PhD). A certificate and diploma will be issued.
Romina Theiler
Coordinator PhD Programme
phd-vpf@unilu.ch
