Doctoral Programs
at the Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology

Welcome at the home page of the George Oláh PhD School

 

The George Oláh PhD School is eligible to issue PhD degrees from:

1. Chemistry
2. Chemical- bio- and environmental engineering

We are proudly having the allowance of Nobel Laurate George Oláh, a former student and faculty member (http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1994/olah-bio.html), to use his name. „Nomen est Omen”, in accordance with the high expectations our PhD School has strong requirements at an internationally highly competitive level (see also PhD minimum requirements).  The PhD program lasts for 2+2 years. After the first two years, the prerequisite for the continuation is a successful completion of a “complex examination”.  During this evaluation the examining board investigates if the PhD candidate has made an appropriate progress in the PhD work within the time frame of the first two years, and whether the continuation will predictably result in the successful completion of the PhD work within the next two years. 

Enrollment:  The basic requirement for the enrollment is an MSc (or equivalent) degree from chemistry, chemical engineering or a related topic. For the enrollment the previous results during the BSc and MSc studies, documents about any scientific activities (papers, scientific presentations etc.) should be presented, an online test and an interview (personally, or via skype, or by any other possible means) should be carried out in the presence of the prospective supervisor and two other members of the examining committee. The decision about the enrollment of a PhD candidate will then be made by the Council of the Doctoral School upon the suggestion given by the examining committee.

PhD projects: The list of the approved PhD research projects to be offered are renewed twice a year (next update is in May 2020). The research projects offered can be modified with the agreement of the supervisor.  All projects are subject to approval by the Council of the Doctoral School to ensure that they are likely to result in a successful completion with the expectedly devoted work of the applicant.

PhD curriculum: The most important part of the PhD curriculum is the research work carried out by the guidance of the supervisor. The supervisor is a key person during the PhD process, and a thorough cooperation between the PhD candidate and the supervisor is of utmost importance. The research project must be worked out by the supervisor, since the necessary background (laboratory facilities, specific instruments etc.) determines the success of the entire PhD project. To obtain information on the supervisor it is advised to study the approved PhD research projects offered, the personal home page, as well as the scientific publications in the Web of Science database if available, or alternatively in Google Scholar, which is free of charge.

Additionally to the research work itself, which is the core of the PhD studies, some PhD courses from the basic disciplines of chemistry, as well as from highly specialized topics should be completed. The „directed teaching” is an integral part of the curriculum as well, aimed at broadening the knowledge of the  PhD student by teaching undergraduates. This teaching activity is maximized in four hours per week during a semester.

PhD minimum requirements: The PhD degree can be awarded upon the decision of the Doctoral Council of the University, provided that certain „minimum requirements” among others of a (i) completion of the “complex examination” (ii) publication of at least three peer reviewed scientific papers in journals with SCI impact factors with dominating (more than 50%) contribution of the applicant (iii) successful defence of the thesis are fulfilled. In spite of these strict minimum requirements more than 70% of our enrolled PhD students obtain the degree.  A detailed description of the PhD requirements is available upon request.  

Stipendia: The tuition fee in the George Oláh PhD School is 4500 EUR for one semester. Scholarships covering the tuition fee and providing a monthly allowance can be granted by the STIPENDIUM HUNGARICUM program. It is strongly advised, however, that before applying a scholarship the research project should be approved by the prospective supervisor.

More information on Stipendium Hungaricum program at George Olah Doctoral School program can be found HERE.