Award of PhD degree and diploma

Immediately after the defence, the assessment committee must make their recommendation as to whether the PhD degree should be awarded. This is the responsibility of the committee chair. The recommendation must be justified and if there is disagreement, the recommendation must be based on majority of votes. The recommendation is submitted in the interface used by the assessment committee.

Final recommendation

The final joint recommendation of the committee of examiners serves several purposes:  

• It provides a basis upon which the relevant committees handling the recommendation can make their decision as to whether all requirements for award of a PhD degree have been met.
• By its description of the results achieved, it must illustrate and evaluate the level and novelty of the scientific work.
• It must contribute to making the content and results of the PhD study known and comprehensible to a wider circle of people.

The assessment committee makes a written recommendation stating whether the PhD student by his/her thesis and the public defence proceedings has documented fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the PhD degree.
 
The recommendation of the assessment committee must be given on a ready printed form, supplemented with an explanation stating the grounds for the recommendation (approximately one page). The form as well as the detailed grounds for the recommendation must be signed by the committee.
 
The recommendation of the assessment committee must be composed in a suitable objective style, and the assessment committee must make an effort to explain the reasons for their recommendation, be it positive or negative, so that people who are not specialists in the field in question are able to relate to the recommendation.
 
The recommendation may be written in a Scandinavian language and/or English. The PhD committee may, however, at the request of the examiners authorise the use of a different language. The PhD committee must in such a case see to it that the recommendation is translated into Danish or English.
 
Immediately after the defence, the assessment committee submits the joint recommendation to the administration at the PhD school.

DTU’s Academic Council awards the PhD degree based on the recommendation by the assessment committee and comments from the PhD committee.

Diploma

DTU issues a diploma to persons who have acquired the PhD degree. The diploma states the title of the thesis and the PhD school/ department where the studies took place. The diploma is issued in a combined Danish/English version. An amendment to the diploma is prepared stating the ECTS activities completed during the PhD studies. The diploma is issued when all elements of the PhD study have been completed

After the defence, it may take up to three months, until the PhD graduate receives his/ her diploma. The length of this period depends on the date of the final recommendation being submitted to HR/PhD , as well as the date of the first succeeding meeting in the relevant PhD committee.

PhD's under the Industrial PhD programme must see to it that their diploma is uploaded to Innovation Fund Denmark through e-grant.

The PhD diploma is sent in a digital version. For information about a physical PhD Diploma, please go through HR.