The DPS applies the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) and it consists of five components. To graduate, a student must accumulate a minimum of 240 ECTS, as follows:
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1st Component: Taught Courses 60 ECTS
2nd Component: Comprehensive Exam 30 ECTS
3rd Component: Teaching n/a
4th Component: Dissertation: 150 ECTS
(i) Preparation and presentation of dissertation proposal (5 ECTS)
(ii) Research and dissertation writing (135 ECTS)
(iii) Seminars and presentations (5 ECTS)
(iv) Dissertation defense (5 ECTS)
5th Component: Article Publication n/a
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TOTAL 240 ECTS
Component: Taught Courses (60 ECTS)
All students must enroll in four courses (7.5 ECTS each, 30 ECTS total), as follows:
(a) The following introductory course on social research methodology, typically in the first or second semester of study:
• CIS 541 Social Research Methodology
(b) The following introductory course to the DPS, typically in the first or second semester of study:
• CIS 814 Internet Studies
(c) Two of the following advanced methodology courses:
• CIS 811 Quantitative Data Analysis
• CIS 812 Qualitative Data Analysis
• CIS 817 Special Issues in Data Collection and Analysis
Holding a Master's degree or equivalent exempts the student from the remaining 30 ECTS. Students enrolled in the DPS without a Master's degree or equivalent are required to complete a further 30 ECTS (60 in total) in graduate level courses.
Exemption from a course can be granted if the student has successfully completed an equivalent course in the graduate programs of the CIS Department or in another recently completed graduate program.
CIS 817 is offered based on students' needs and its content is decided based on these needs.
Student training can be enhanced by attending additional graduate level elective courses offered by the CIS Department or by other Departments at CUT or by other accredited graduate programs in Cyprus or abroad. Courses are selected in consultation with the student's Supervisor.
Component: Comprehensive Examination (30 ECTS)
The comprehensive examination aims to help students familiarize themselves with their field of study through the study of the literature that defines it. This ensures that every graduate of the program will have achieved a sufficient (doctoral level) knowledge base in one field. The list of fields is open and students can be examined in any field they wish, provided that the field is academic. Fields combining two or more disciplines can also be defined. The comprehensive examination is not intended to examine students on the literature of their dissertation, as that literature moves in narrower paths and specific subjects.
The Supervisor, in collaboration with the other members of the Supervisory Committee and the student, defines the field of examination and the test material (in the form of a reading list), so that the basic bibliography in the field is covered. The list should include classic field-defining textbooks, important books that have established directions in the filed over the last 2-3 decades, important books or textbooks of the last 10-15 years and a significant number of articles or chapters in collective volumes that constitute major contributions in the filed in the last 10-15 years. The test material is submitted by the Supervisor to the CIS Department Council for approval.
Students may take the comprehensive examination after completing the second semester of study and not later than the end of the sixth semester. The comprehensive examination precedes the presentation of the dissertation research proposal.
The responsibility for compiling the test material (reading list), for designing the examination and for evaluating the student's answers lies with the Supervisor and another member of the Supervisory Committee. The examination is written, it takes place on campus and it lasts up to six hours. During the examination, the examinee may consult bibliography and notes.
The final grade of the comprehensive examination is recorded as Success or Failure. If the student fails, s/he is given the opportunity to repeat the test one more time.
The CIS Department Council validates the result of the examination which is then submitted to the Academic Affairs & Student Welfare Service of the University.
Component: Teaching
Teaching at a university level is an important dimension of doctoral education. For this reason, the DPS requires each student to teach, under the Supervisor's or another CIS Department Teaching and Research Faculty member's supervision, at least two undergraduate courses during their studies, one as teaching assistant and one as independent instructor. This contribution to the CIS undergraduate program of study is also required for the CIS Department's financial assistance to all doctoral students.
The first course (as teaching assistant) can be taught at any semester of study. The second course (independent instruction) can be taught only after the student has achieved the status of Doctoral Candidate. The instruction is independent, but still under supervision by a CIS Department Teaching and Research Faculty member, who is responsible for the smooth operation and conclusion of the course.
Component: Doctoral Dissertation (150 ECTS)
(i) Preparation and presentation of dissertation proposal (5 ECTS)
The dissertation proposal is a complete proposal for an original research project that satisfies the requirements of the PhD degree. The proposal must be submitted by the student within four academic semesters after passing the comprehensive exam. The proposal should be between 5-10 thousand words in length and it should include the following:
• Thorough review of the relevant literature
• Elaborate theoretical framework
• Detailed description of the methodology to be used
• Detailed outline of the final dissertation
• Time schedule for the completion of the parts of the project
• Information about the student's past research activity.
The proposal is submitted to the three-member Advisory Committee at least two weeks prior to the scheduled date of the presentation.
The proposal is orally presented to the Advisory Committee and the presentation is followed by discussion. After the conclusion of the discussion, the Advisory Committee meets to decide whether the proposal will be accepted or not. The minutes of the meeting are presented to the CIS Department Council by the Supervisor. The proposal is marked as Pass or Fail. In case of failure, the student is given a second and final chance to present a research proposal.
(ii) Research and dissertation writing (135 ECTS)
The doctoral dissertation is the most important task a student must complete in order to obtain the doctoral degree. The dissertation reflects the research work of the student, from research questions to conclusions. The dissertation must include:
• Comprehensive review of the theoretical and empirical literature in the relevant field
• Explicit reference to the contribution of the work to the relevant field
• Clearly stated research questions
• Detailed definitions of the elements under investigation
• Comprehensive conceptualization and operationalization of the elements under investigation
• Detailed presentation of the measurement methods used
• Detailed presentation of data analysis and results
• Final conclusions with explicit reference to the research questions
• Reference to the limitations of the research and suggestions for future research
• complete list of references.
The quality of the dissertation is assured by the close cooperation of the student with the Supervisor at all stages of the research process and is confirmed by the dissertation defense.
The dissertation can be written in Greek or English, in accordance with the relevant rules of the University. The text formatting instructions are found in the Theses and Dissertations Writing Guide issued by the CUT Library (http://libguides.cut.ac.cy/etds).
The length of the dissertation should be between 90 and 110 thousand words (excluding appendices and references). In exceptional cases, research that results in the production of other types of work (e.g., audiovisual material, software) can be allowed, provided that the final version of the dissertation contains text of at least 50 thousand words. Approval for such dissertations must be obtained from the CIS Department Council.
(iii) Seminars and presentations (5 ECTS)
The CIS Department offers a series of seminars in support of the doctoral students' research and dissertation writing. These seminars are offered once a month from October to April and are mandatory for all doctoral students. In each seminar, one student (in order or seniority) presents her/his work and the presentation is followed by discussion which is expected to help both the presenting student as well as the rest of the students in their research. At least two CIS Department Teaching and Research Faculty members, including the Supervisor of the student who is presenting, must be present in each seminar. The presentations are delivered in English.
(iv) Dissertation defense (5 ECTS)
The dissertation defense is organized based on rules set by the University. The student presents and defends his/her work before a Dissertation Examination Committee. The composition of the Committee is proposed by the Supervisor and approved by the CIS Department Council.
The Dissertation Examination Committee has three members: (a) The Supervisor, (b) a CIS Department Teaching and Research Faculty member or a Teaching and Research Faculty member from another CUT Department or from another university or research center, specializing in the relevant field (this member must not be a member of the Supervisory Committee and must be at the rank of associate or full professor with experience in examining doctoral dissertations) and (c) a Teaching and Research Faculty member from another university or research center, specializing in the relevant field (this member must be at the rank of full professor and must have experience in examining doctoral dissertations).
The member of the Dissertation Examination Committee with the highest rank (excluding the Supervisor) chairs the committee. In case of equivalent ranks, the appointment is decided based on seniority.
The Supervisor is responsible for all relevant procedures before and after the meeting.
The doctoral candidate must submit a print or electronic copy of the final version of the dissertation at least one month prior to the dissertation defense meeting.
Each member of the Dissertation Examination Committee, except the Supervisor, prepares a written initial report with comments on the dissertation. The report is shared between all members of the Committee before the defense meeting and it is attached to the final report. The Supervisor may or may not submit an initial report.
The dissertation defense procedure is coordinated by the chair of the Dissertation Examination Committee and it includes four stages:
1. The candidate presents the dissertation in an open lecture
2. The candidate answers questions by the members of the Dissertation Examination Committee
3. The candidate answers questions by the public
4. The Dissertation Examination Committee meets and prepares a report with its final decision (the candidate can be invited to the meeting for further clarifications if necessary). The decision of the Committee is announced to the candidate within 48 hours.
After the conclusion of the defense procedure, the Dissertation Examination Committee submits the final report, which could include comments and instructions to the candidate, to the Head of the CIS Department. The report must contain a suggestion as to whether the dissertation should be accepted as is, accepted with revisions, or rejected. The suggestion must be supported by the necessary argumentation. The report must also discuss whether parts of the dissertation are publishable. If parts of the dissertation are already published, this should be noted in the report and the publications must be attached.
The Head of the CIS Department presents the report to the CIS Department Council and then s/he submits it (with a copy of the dissertation) via the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies to the Senate for approval.
If the final report suggests acceptance of the dissertation with revisions, a revised dissertation must be resubmitted by the candidate to the Dissertation Examination Committee. Every member of the Committee must confirm in writing that the requested revisions have been made, before the final version of the dissertation is forwarded to the Senate. The maximum time allowed for revising the dissertation is one year.
In case the dissertation is rejected, the candidate is entitled to request one repetition of the examination procedure. The terms and conditions of the second defense are specified in writing by the Dissertation Examination Committee.
At the conclusion of the whole procedure, the candidate submits two hard copies of the dissertation (one to the CUT Library and one to the CIS Department) and an electronic copy to the CIS Department.
Component: Article Publication
The publication of at least one article in a peer-reviewed journal is a necessary condition for the award of the doctoral degree. This requirement is not credited separately in ECTS units. It is applied as a form of external recognition of the quality of the dissertation work.
This condition is met if:
- The article is part of the dissertation or springs from and is largely based on it
- The student is either the single author or the first of two or more authors, including the Supervisor
- The journal is of recognized quality in its field, according to the unanimous judgment of the Advisory Committee
- The article has either been formally accepted for publication or has received a "revise and resubmit" letter from the editor of the journal.
This requirement can also be fulfilled with a publication or co-publication of an authored (not edited) book with a well-respected publisher (according to the unanimous judgment of the Advisory Committee).
This condition must be fulfilled before the dissertation defense.
