The selection of courses is decided upon at a meeting between the candidate, the supervisor and the GCB representative (mentor), after admission to the GCB, and is recorded in the GCB PhD Doctoral Agreement.docx for PhD Candidates and in the GCB MD-PhD Doctoral Agreement.docx for MD-Phd Doctoral Candidates. This signed and dated document is then submitted electronically to the GCB info.gcb@unibe.ch for final approval.
Minimum Mandatory Curriculum Requirements
6 (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) ECTS:
- Earn - 6.0 ECTS comprised of exclusively obtained with scientifically oriented topics.
- Pass Exam with number grade* - 3.0 ECTS are acquired with lecture courses or book clubs which include a graded exam with marks, and that provide the candidate with new knowledge relevant to the individual research project.
- Participate in the lecture - “Scientific Integrity” (List this course in Mandatory requirement in your doctoral agreement)
- Attend and participate in – the GCB Symposium starting the 2nd year of the PhD studies (e.g., students registered in 2020 will participate in the 2022 symposium)
*Mandatory Course exams must be passed after a maximum of two attempts. This is an obligatory prerequisite to continue with the PhD program (see «Promotionsreglement», Art. 92 and Art. 191).
Additional Optional Achievements
Transferable skills courses - (academic writing, presentation skills, etc.) are considered as optional courses and cannot be acknowledged as part of the required minimum of 6.0 ECTS.
ECTS are awarded for courses, workshops, summer schools etc. which include some type of performance assessment, i.e. an exam, a talk, a poster presentation or a written report. Requests for ECTS reviews must be submitted to info.gcb@unibe.ch and include:
- Course listed on Doctoral Agreement (see Training: Courses and Examinations for more information on ECTS)
- Signed and Dated Certificate of Achievement - pdf format (not jpeg or smartphone photo)
- Course content (course dates, effort in terms of days/hours, exams, presentations, etc.) - in the situation when the course has not been previously approved
For more information on European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), please follow this link.
Any changes to the planned courses listed as «Mandatory Requirements» in the relevant doctoral agreement are subject to the approval of the supervisor and the mentor of the PhD candidate, and must be communicated to the coordinator of the GCB for final approval. Additionally, the written agreement of the mentor (e-mail) must be submitted to the GCB.
Major changes (mandatory requirements) to the Doctoral Agreement must be recorded in a revised Doctoral Agreement, which must again be dated, signed, and submitted to the GCB for approval.
