Admission

Application at a glance

1. The research proposal is the most important part of your application, so first you must find a prospective supervisor. Start preparing the proposal early because the research plan must be discussed with the supervisor(s). You should prepare a preliminary plan for your doctoral dissertation, indicating the primary discipline. Precisely describe the topic of your proposed doctoral research, how it would connect with existing research, and the sources or materials and methods that will be used. This research plan must be approved by your prospective research supervisors. The study plan should be planned so that you can complete your studies in four years of study.
2. Obtain positive opinion of a person holding the academic title of professor or the degree of doctor habilitated (it could be prepared by your future supervisor).
3. Prepare your application documents and make sure that you have read all the instructions on applying well in advance.
4. Start the documents preparation as early as possible. Your application must be submitted before deadline, that will be in the early September.
5. The final decision will be based on the total number of points, corresponding to grade point average of results obtained in the second degree studies and the result of the qualification examination in the leading discipline. The exam is planned to early September.

Detailed description

To apply to be admitted to the doctoral programme, a candidate is required to have or perform the following: 

• hold second degree qualifications or be a beneficiary of the “Diamond Grant” programme ,
• submit a positive recommendation from a person holding the academic title of professor or the degree of doctor habilitated,
• prepare a preliminary plan for his or her doctoral dissertation that indicates the primary discipline and is approved by the prospective research supervisors.

The admission procedure for the candidate for the first year of the doctoral programme is conducted on the basis of the following criteria: grade point average based on the student’s results obtained in a higher education programme (second degree studies, uniform Master's studies, or equivalent), and the candidate's level of knowledge in the primary discipline.

The enrolment process consists of the following stages:

• Stage I - formal evaluation of the submitted application and evaluation of achievements presented by the candidate;
• Stage II - an examination covering knowledge in the primary discipline;
• Stage III - ranking of the candidates and announcement of results.

The admission procedure is based on the total number of points, which include:

1. grade point average obtained in second degree studies, uniform Master's studies or equivalent.
2. the result of the qualification examination in the leading discipline.
3. priority criteria:
   - research achievements (including authorship or co-authorship of research or popular science publications),
   - participation in research conferences of international scope;
   - achievements in implementing technology (documented implementation, working models or patents);
   - participation in international exchange programmes;
   - participation in internship or traineeship related to the primary discipline of the candidate's projected PhD studies;
   - participation in research projects financed by an institution of at least national level;
   - resuming research work after a break for family or health reasons.

To determine the total number of points that a candidate achieves in the enrolment procedure, the following weighting is used:

The final total of points in the enrolment procedure is made on the  basis of the following procedure: the number of points from the qualification examination accounts for 40% of the final score, the grade point average for higher studies accounts for 40% of the final score, and the priority criteria account for 20% of the final score. For beneficiaries of the “Diamond Grant” programme, the grade point average is calculated on the basis of results obtained in first degree studies. A result on the qualification examination that is below 3.0 disqualifies the candidate from the enrolment procedure.

Candidates for the first year of studies must submit the following documents:

• an application (using the form available on the website);
• a copy of a higher education diploma proving completion of second degree studies or uniform Master's degree studies; candidates who are beneficiaries of the “Diamond Grant” programme must provide a copy of their diploma from first degree studies
• a transcript or other official document giving the marks that the candidate obtained during their second degree studies or uniform Master's degree studies (candidates who are beneficiaries of the "Diamond Grant" programme should provide a document with the marks from their first degree studies); these documents should not round off marks to a full grade, but instead instead, these documents should follow the formula specified by the UWM, which is available on the website;
• a document proving the current results of conducted studies;
• beneficiaries of a "Diamond Grant" should provide an original document or a certified copy that proves their status as beneficiaries of this grant;
• a photograph of the candidate in digital form (.jpg format on a CD-ROM);
• two 35 × 45 mm photographs taken against a light background that comply to the requirements specified for issuing identity cards; these photographs should have the given name (names) and surname of the candidate on the back;
• a photocopy of an identity card or another document proving the identity of the candidate;
• a notarized diploma or a diploma with a legal certificate that makes it valid in another country (an apostille) that proves the completion of studies in a country other than Poland; these studies must be recognized as equivalent to a Polish diploma from second degree studies or uniform Master's studies, pursuant to the regulations on recognition of higher education diplomas obtained abroad, unless the candidate completing studies outside of Poland is exempted, on the basis of these regulations, from the diploma recognition procedure, or has a diploma recognized on the basis of an international agreement as equivalent to a Polish diploma of second degree studies or uniform Master's degree studies or as entitling its holder to start doctoral studies in the Republic of Poland (applies to candidates holding a higher education diploma issued outside of Poland).

The final rules and principles for candidates applying for admission to Interdisciplinary Doctoral Programme in Bioeconomy in academic year 2018/2019 will be specified in the Rules and Regulations, which will be announced after their approval by the Rector of the UWM in Olsztyn.