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Last update:
10.07.2014

Application talk to present your Ph.D. project

• What is the application talk and what do I need to consider? What is the application talk and what do I need to consider??

  Your application for the CSN Ph.D. program will be reviewed by the CSN board. If your proposed Ph.D. project fits the formal and scientifc requirements for the systems neuroscience program, you will be invited to present yourself to the CSN board and Ph.D. students. Your oral presention should outline your Ph.D project in terms of scientific rationale, working hypothesis, methods of choice and study design. It may not exceed 15 minutes.

  After your presentation the audience will use the opportunity for a discussion before the board members will discuss and decide on your admittance to the CSN Ph.D. program in a closed circle.

  Please make sure to invite all members of your thesis committee (TC).

  The presence of your supervisor is obligatory.

  In case all members of your TC are present and all other criteria are fulfilled this meeting would be regarded as your first thesis committee meeting, if you were admitted to the CSN Ph.D. program. These criteria are as follows:

  1. Your Ph.D. project has started already several months ago and you present it's progress
  2. An additional meeting of the TC members with you but without your supervisor after your talk
  3. An additional meeting of all TC members without you after the meeting described under 2.
  4. Complete and signed documentation: download the current forms at materials

CSN Ph.D. seminars

• What are the CSN Ph.D. seminars? What are the CSN Ph.D. seminars?

  The Ph.D. seminars are the core regular event of the CSN Ph.D. program. In each seminar, one student of the CSN first outlines her/his research field comprehensibly for their fellow students. This introduction is followed by a personal progress report on the specific Ph.D project.

  Attendance of the seminars is mandatory for all students of the program.

  Furthermore, the meetings are supposed to avoid / clear possible problems with your main advisor. For this reason, after each seminar a meeting with your TC members WITHOUT your main advisor is designated. Similarly, your TC members will meet without you after your presentation.

  Cave: Frequently missing Ph.D. seminars on regular dates (Wednesdays, ~ 5 pm) without excuse can cause your exclusion from the CSN Ph.D. program.

• Where do I find the schedule for the CSN Ph.D. seminars? Where do I find the schedule for the CSN Ph.D. seminars?

  The CSN Ph.D. program offers an online schedule under the link "Events". Attending all here listed seminars and mini symposia is obligatory! And, of course, your fellow students would highly appreciate if you could find the time to attend at their defences.

• What do I have to do if I cannot attend? What do I have to do if I cannot attend?

  If the seminar is not scheduled on a Wednesday afternoon and thus hindering your laboratory duties, you do not have to attend.

  For regular dates, either a copy of the medical certificate or a written excuse by your main advisor explaining the reason for your absence has to be sent to the CSN office (mail is sufficient).

• How many credits do I earn for attending the CSN Ph.D. seminars? How many credits do I earn for attending the CSN Ph.D. seminars?

  For attendance you receive 0.5 credits per semester.

Ph.D. committee meetings (progress reports)

• At which time points do I have to organize my seminars? At which time points do I have to organize my seminars?

  Your first seminar has to take place within the first 6 months after starting your project (independently from the date of your admission to the CSN Ph.D. program) and subsequently in intervals of no more than 12 months.

  Please see the GGNB guidelines for thesis committee meetings as well.

• What about a desired deviance from the prescribed schedule for my first progress report? What about a desired deviance from the prescribed schedule for my first progress report?

  The date for your 1st progress report (or Ph.D. seminar, respectively), is determined by the GGNB.

  Anyhow, it might happen, that you for personal reasons want to postpone this obligatory date, for example because of having started your project just a few months before your admission to the CSN and you just recently had a meeting with your TC members in the context of your application / initial seminar.

  In this case a deviance from the prescribed schedule is possible and you can informally apply for an exeption (e-mail to the program speaker is sufficient).

  But: Should one of your additional TC members not have been present at your application seminar, you should consider arranging an individual date with the respective person. This should be done in time to make sure, that there there are no early detectable problems with your project, your main advisor, or visits of GGNB courses etc.

  Cave: A postponed first seminar / progress report does NOT influence the schedule of the following progress reports - these have to take place according to the GGNB rules!!

• Scheduling seminar dates Scheduling seminar dates

  Please always take care to organize your Ph.D. seminars on a Wednesday at 5.15 p.m. Since this is an obligatory date for your fellow students, this regulation should be strictly followed. Exceptions are only accepted by the CSN in case of colliding lecture dates of one member of your thesis committee or a sabbatical. So please make sure to organize your meetings precociously!

  Please take care to send your written progress report to the members of your thesis committee, the GGNB, and the CSN office in advance of your Ph.D. seminar.

• Whom do I have to inform about my seminar dates? Whom do I have to inform about my seminar dates?

  After having found a date with the members of your thesis committee, please inform the CSN office for updating the website as an important information pool for all CSN students. Additionally, please send a mail to your fellow students (csnstudents[at]gwdg.de) to remind them of this obligatory event. Please also send a final reminder to the members of your thesis committee.

• Booking the room for my seminar Booking the room for my seminar

  The seminars are supposed to take place in the lecture hall at the MPI for Experimental Medicine (1st floor). Responsible for the booking is Svea Viola Dettmer (dettmer[at]em.mpg.de, Fon: 3899 231), she will help you with technical problems, as well. Please provide her with your mail adress or phone number in case she has to find another seminar room at the MPI for you.

• What about problems in finding a shared date with all members of my thesis committee? What about problems in finding a shared date with all members of my thesis committee?

  The attendance of your 3 main supervisors at your meetings is obligatory. Should not all of these be present, the meeting will not be regarded as valid and has to be repeated in the prescribed time frame! Should you have more than three TC members, GGNB and the CSN regard the meeting without the additional advisors as appropriately arranged.

• Seminar materials Seminar materials

  You find all necessary documents in the file "Protocol Ph.D. Seminar" following the link "Materials". Make sure that all members of your thesis committee sign the "Confirmation of thesis committee meeting".

  The "Short protocol" should be filled out and signed by your main advisor and serves as a statement how the members of your thesis committee judge your progress made so far.

  All materials have to be sent to the CSN office which forwards a copy to GGNB.

  Please take care to send your written progress report to the members of your thesis committee, GGNB, and the CSN office in advance of your Ph.D. seminar.

• Whom do I have to send the diverse seminar materials? Whom do I have to send the diverse seminar materials?

  ALL materials (attendance list, signature of minutes of your TC and signatures etc., and written report (PLEASE the respective Word file - we have an electronic archive!) are to be sent to the CSN office.

  Additionally, the written report has to be sent to GGNB according to amendment 5, paragraph 6 of the GGNB doctoral degree regulations.

• How many credits do I earn for my own CSN Ph.D. seminar? How many credits do I earn for my own CSN Ph.D. seminar?

  For each of your own (active) seminars you receive 1 credit.

Credits

• How many credits do I have to collect and how? How many credits do I have to collect and how?

  You find all respective information in the GGNB handout.

• How many credits do I earn for attending the CSN Ph.D. Seminars? How many credits do I earn for attending the CSN Ph.D. Seminars?

  For attendance you receive 0.5 credits per semester.
  For each of your own (active) seminar presentations you receive 1 credit.

• How many credits do I earn for the organization of scientific meetings, symposia etc.? How many credits do I earn for the organization of scientific meetings, symposia etc.?

  Between 1 and 3 credits depending on your personal effort. The GGNB office decides each case individually. So carefully document your own contribution to these events.

• Who is responsible for confirming my credit points? Who is responsible for confirming my credit points?

  The GGNB office. This receives all documents concerning the CSN seminars. For the submission of all other collected credits to the GGNB office you are responsible yourself.

Thesis extension

• How often can I apply for an extension? How often can I apply for an extension?

  Two times by a period of six months each.
  A further extension can be applied for in exceptional cases, this will not only be discussed by the members of your thesis committee but by the GGNB speakers as well. So please take care to outline the reasons for this request very thoroughly. You find the GGNB handout on thesis extensions following the link "Materials".

• To whom do I have to send the application for the thesis extension? To whom do I have to send the application for the thesis extension?

  To the CSN office for the matter ultimately has to be decided by the program committee. After a decision has been made this will be communicated to the GGNB.

  GGNB then sends back to you your original application with a note of approval or decline.

• When do I have to apply for an extension? When do I have to apply for an extension?

  The latest three months in advance of your originally planned finalization. Please take care to apply for your extension 3 months AND 1 day in advance. You find the application form here on our site " Materials" or on the respective GGNB site.

• How do I apply for an extension? How do I apply for an extension?

  You find the application form on our Materials site. Here you also can take a look at the GGNB handout on extension regulations. Please also check the respective GGNB site for possible updates.

• What about thesis committee meetings during extension periods? What about thesis committee meetings during extension periods?

  In case that you can foresee to finalize your project in the first extension period there is no need of another meeting. But should a second extension get necessary, your TC will have to meet again -this would be the fourth TC meeting- to discuss the issue and thorough reasons for the extension at a time point respecting the GGNB 3-months requirements.

  A final seminar shortly before your defence is not necessary, but please send a report to the members of your thesis committee confirming that you have finalized your experimental work and will submit your thesis in time.

  You find the GGNB handout on thesis extensions on the CSN "Materials" page.

  Please see the GGNB guidelines for TC meetings as well.

Thesis Committees

• How must my thesis committee be composed? How must my thesis committee be composed?

  Each doctoral candidate will be advised and guided in her/his dissertation by a main advisor and at least two additional instructors familiar with the candidate's field of research. Two advisors have to be faculty members of the CSN, the third advisor should be a faculty member or an associate examiner in the CSN. Exceptions apply to advisors from outside of Göttingen.

  At least one of the members of your Thesis Committee must be a professor employed by the University of Göttingen, all other members must hold at least a doctoral degree.

  Cave: The three first advisors must not belong to the same department.

  Additional scientists can be members of the doctoral committee in line with GAUSS and GGNB rules.

Examination board

• How must the examination board be composed? How must the examination board be composed?

  The Examination Board has to be composed of at least six members including three CSN faculty members with authorization as examiners. These have to act as the referees of your dissertation.

  The other three reviewers need to be authorized examiners in any other GAUSS program.

  Should one of your examiners does not provide of a regular GAUSS authorization, he/she can apply for an exceptional authorization with respect to a single doctorate. You find the respective form under this link in the left column.

  Cave: GAUSS does not accept more than one exceptional examiner in one examination board. And we repeatedly faced great difficulties with permissions for members of the Medical Faculty.