Doctorate in Medical Sciences at the UFL
General information
Admission to the doctoral programme is open to anyone who has successfully completed a degree (diploma, master's degree) from a recognised university or college in one of the following fields of study:
- Human medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine
- Pharmacy
- Diploma or master's degree in natural sciences
- Nursing science
- Diploma or master's degree programme with a focus on health sciences
In special cases, admission with an equivalent non-specialist qualification is possible with proof of relevant additional qualifications and professional experience.
Suitability for the programme is assessed in an interview with the selection committee. The decision on admission is made by the head of faculty and the head of study programme based on the recommendations of the selection committee.
Foreign degrees must be checked for equivalence in accordance with the Lisbon Convention.
Duration
The structured doctoral program is designed for a standard period of study of four years. The minimum period of study is three years. The dissertation can be submitted at the earliest in the sixth semester.
Workload
The programme comprises a workload of 180 ECTS credits. 34 ECTS credits are allocated to curricular elements, which are generally completed in the first two years of the programme
Teaching periods
The program begins at the end of September/beginning of October.
The courses take place in blocks at the beginning and end of the semester in a 5- or 6-day block at the UFL. In addition, online courses are held on Wednesday evenings throughout the semester. We attach great importance to regular attendance at the courses.
Attendance of at least 80% of the courses and passing all examination-relevant courses is required for successful completion of the programme and admission to the final dissertation phase.
Degree
The program concludes with the award of the academic degree of Doctor of Medical Sciences (Dr. scient.med. /PhD [EN]).
The doctoral programme consists of carrying out and writing an independent research thesis as well as curricular components totalling 38 ECTS credits.
Module | ECTS |
Module 0: Introducation and orientation | 1 |
Module 1: Scientific Writing | 6 |
Module 2: Core competences of independent in-depth scientific work | 7 |
Module 3: Subject-specific competences of independent in-depth scientific work | 5 |
Module 4: Communication and Presentation | 3 |
Module 5: Biometrics and statistics | 5 |
Module 6: Ethics in science and research | 3 |
Module 7: Scientific forum / doctoral colloquia | 6 |
Module 8: Electives | 2 |
Total Module (inkl. Prüfungen) | 38 |
Oral examinations | 2 |
Doctoral thesis (classic of cumulative) | 140 |
Total ECTS for entire degree programme | 180 |
Performance records
Doctoral colloquia
At the end of each semester, as part of the curricular components, there is a compulsory doctoral colloquium. The doctoral colloquium serves as a forum for discussion among the students and with the lecturers. Every semester, each student must attend a doctoral colloquium. A presentation must be given and a written paper submitted. These are not graded, but marked as "attended" by the Head of Study Programme. An exposé of the planned dissertation must be presented at the first doctoral colloquium. Subsequent colloquia will focus on content-related aspects of the dissertation.
Semester examinations
The performance records for the examination-relevant courses are provided in the form of semester examinations. Semester examinations are written comprehensive examinations in which the teaching content of defined parts of study sections (examination-relevant courses) are examined. Students are informed of examination-relevant courses at the beginning of the study programme. The lecturers of the courses to be examined are responsible for selecting the type of written examination; the examinations are carried out at course level. All examination-relevant courses
The tuition fee for the doctoral programme in Medical Sciences «Dr. scient. med.» at the UFL for the minimum study period of 6 semesters is CHF 29,750 (CHF 1,250 enrolment fee and CHF 28,500 for eight semesters). Invoices are issued on a semester-by-semester basis. Please refer to the enrolment form for details.
A complete written application must be submitted within the publicised registration deadline. The registration includes
- the completed application form,
- a letter of motivation,
- a CV with passport photo,
- proof of academic qualifications,
- a copy of your passport or identity card.
If the applicant wishes to have credits already earned for the doctoral programme (in the case of a change of degree programme or university), an application for credit transfer of the credits earned must be enclosed with the application documents. This application contains a detailed description of the content and scope of the credits earned.
Selection procedure
The selection decision is made by a selection committee appointed by the dean of the faculty of Medical Sciences. The decision is made with regard to the applicant's suitability and motivation for the chosen degree programme. Aptitude is determined on the basis of previous education relevant to the subject, professional experience, any publications and presentations.
An initial pre-selection is based on the application documents. All applicants included in this pre-selection are invited to a selection interview with the selection committee. The interview can be conducted in German or English. The purpose of the selection interview is to determine the applicant's expectations and ambitions with regard to completing the doctoral programme and to enable a thorough assessment of the applicant's ability and motivation.
The decision on the selection is made by the head of the faculty based on the recommendations of the selection committee.
