Home » Postgraduate Studies » PhD Programmes

The School of Law also offers programmes that lead to PhD degrees in all fields of law.

The registration process and the degree completion requirements for PhD candidates are governed by Article 9 of Law 3685/2008, replacing Article 13 of Law 2083/1992.

More Specifically (L.3685/2008, Article 9):

1. a) All candidates who are interested in writing a PhD thesis should submit an application to the Secretariat of the respective Department, providing a general outline of their subject. The General Assembly of Special Composition (GASC) considers whether the applicant meets the requirements for a PhD based on the criteria established in the Postgraduate Studies Regulation.

b) In order to apply for a PhD you must hold a M.Sc. degree. In exceptional cases covered by the Postgraduate Studies Regulation non M.Sc. holders may be accepted, after a justified ruling of the GASC. Graduates from Technological Educational Institutes, Higher School of Pedagogical and Technological Education or from equivalent schools can be accepted as PhD students only if they hold a M.Sc.

2. Each PhD student is appointed a three-member advisory committee  by the GASC to guide and oversee their progress, which includes one (1) faculty member of the relevant Department on the rank of professor, associate professor or assistant professor, as a supervisor, and two (2) members, which may be members of the teaching and research staff of any University, national or foreign, retired university professors, professors of Higher Education Military Institutes or faculty members of Technological Educational Institutes, faculty members of the Higher School of Pedagogical and Technological Education, or research staff of recognized research centres, national or foreign, who hold a PhD. The members of the committee should be specialised in the same or a related academic field to the PhD thesis subject. Each faculty member may supervise up to five (5) PhD students.

3. a) The three-member advisory committee in collaboration with the PhD student decide the topic of his PhD thesis. b) The duration of PhD programme cannot be less than three (3) full calendar years from the appointment date of the supervising committee.Parallel attendance and successful completion of other courses and other related activities may be allowed after ruling of the GASC. c) For PhD students admitted exceptionally without holding a M.Sc. in accordance with the second subparagraph of paragraph 1b 'of the relevant article, the minimum time of completion for the PhD programme is four (4) full calendar years from the appointment date of the supervising committee.In this case, the Ph.D. candidate is required to complete a number of modules set by the GASC on the postgraduate level.  The mandatory modules should be completed during the minimum duration of a PhD degree. d) The PhD student is obliged, upon request, to provide educational services to the Department he belongs to, under the Postgraduate Studies Regulation of the Faculty. e) With the proposal of the Department GASC and a joint decision of the Ministers of Education, Religion and Finance, the PhD students may be assigned to assist faculty members on undergraduate and graduate levels with hourly costs charged to the budget of the institution. f)  At the end of each year the three-member advisory committee in consultation with the PhD candidate shall submit a progress report to the GASC of the respected Department.

4. a) For the final evaluation and assessment of the PhD thesis, after the completion of the candidate's obligations, the GASC appoints a  seven-member examination committee, which includes the members of the advisory committee. Four (4) at least members of the examination committee must be members of the teaching and research staff, of which at least two (2) must belong to the respective Department. The other members of the committee may be members of the teaching and research staff of any University, national or foreign, retired university professors, professors of Higher Education Military Institutes or faculty members of Technological Educational Institutes, faculty members of the Higher School of Pedagogical and Technological Education, or research staff of recognized research centres, national or foreign, who hold a PhD. All members of the examination committee should be specialised in the same or a related academic field to the PhD thesis subject.  b) The PhD student shall present his thesis in public, before the examining committee, which then considers its originality and whether it constitutes a contribution to science. In order for a PhD thesis to be approved at least five (5) members of the examination committee need to agree. The PhD title is awarded to the student by the GASC, according to the Postgraduate Studies Regulation. c) The language of the dissertation or thesis is determined by the GASC

 

5. a) Postgraduate and PhD students that do not have health coverage may benefit from health and hospital care, as do the undergraduate students. b) The provisions of Article 13 of Law 2640/1998 (Government Gazette 206 A) shall apply accordingly to postgraduate and PhD students, during their internship according to their curriculum. c) The provisions of paragraph 8 of article 43 of Law 2413/1996 (Government Gazette 124 A) providing student loans, apply for postgraduate and PhD students.