Faculty of Behavioural Sciences and Psychology
Doctoral programme in Psychology
The doctoral 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. This person must be chosen from among the professors of the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences and Psychology.
In order to register for the doctoral programme, you need a written supervision agreement, which is co-authored and signed by the main supervisor. In the supervision agreement, you specify a desired second supervisor. The second supervisor may come from another faculty or university.
You may further involve a mentor. If applicable, this name must also be stated in the supervision agreement.
Registration for the doctoral programme takes place via Uniportal.
The documents required for registration are listed on the registration page. The signed supervision agreement must also be attached.
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 PhD regulations. The admission decision will be communicated by e-mail. Following a positive admission decision, you will have to matriculate for the doctoral programme. Matriculation is mandatory for the entire duration of the doctoral programme.
The doctoral programme usually takes three to four years. The maximum duration is five years. The period begins with the first semester of matriculation and ends with the date of registration for the doctoral procedure. This also applies if the doctorate is completed part-time.
The requirements to be achieved consist of the:
- academic achievements (at least 18 ECTS points)
- thesis
- defense
- publication
Details can be found in the relevant regulations.
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
- 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 doctoral project within the first two years of the doctoral programme are mandatory. These can take place in different formats and can also be credited towards the academic achievements to be achieved.
The main supervisor meets with the PhD student at least once a year to evaluate the progress. 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-form (annual meeting template) serves as the basis for the evaluation meeting. The supervision agreement also needs to be considered and updated as 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-form and supervision agreement) to the HR department (personaldienst@unilu.ch).
For PhD students matriculated in the Spring Semester, the first report is due on April 1 of the following year.
For PhD students matriculated in the Fall Semester, the first report is due on October 1 of the following year.
Application for the opening of the doctoral procedure
Once all academic achievements has been completed and the thesis has been finalised, the doctoral candidate 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 by email (phd-vpf@unilu.ch).
The following documents (as pdf-files) must be enclosed:
- Thesis with corresponding cover sheet 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
- A declaration by the PhD student that he or she has independently written the submitted thesis (incl. a statement as to whether the thesis has already been submitted to a university in the current or another version)
- Proof of academic achievements of at least 18 ECTS points
- Proof of fulfilment of any conditions
- Proof of matriculation for the duration of the doctoral studies (can be requested from the Study Services)
The Dean's office will inform you of the decision to open the doctoral procedure.
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 cover sheet and submit it to the Dean's office by e-mail. The Dean’s office thereafter submits the thesis, including the cover sheet, to the Central and University Library of Lucerne (ZHB) for publication. PhD students also send the ZHB (lory@zhbluzern.ch) their consent form.
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.
- PhD regulations (in German)
- Guide to the PhD regulations (in German
- Supervision agreement (in German)
- AAA-form (probationary period meeting template / annual meeting template) (in German)
- Cover sheets (in German)
- Declaration by the PhD student that he or she has independently written the submitted thesis (incl. statement as to whether the thesis has already been submitted to a university in the current or another version) (in German)
