Appendix no. 3
to the Rules of the Collegium
of Business Administration
Terms and conditions as well as detailed activities related to commencing PhD studies
in the Collegium of Business Administration
In the Collegium of Business Administration of the Warsaw School of Economics, the
following terms and conditions as well as detailed activities apply to the PhD studies in compliance
with the relevant acts and regulations of the proper minister of higher education and
recommendations of the Central Committee for Academic Degrees and Titles:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
The candidate for the PhD student presents for discussion the extended concept, including the
title of the PhD thesis, research methods and outline, at the department or institute, in which
(s)he works. If the candidate for the PhD student is employed in a unit other than department or
institute or works outside the Warsaw School of Economics or pursues a PhD course, the
discussion must be held in the department or institute, in which the academic advisor works.
The candidate must enclose evaluation of the final concept of the PhD thesis along with the
course of the discussion of the subject matter signed by the head of the department or
institution with the application to commence PhD studies.
The prerequisite to commence PhD studies is to have at least two academic publications in
accordance with the subject matter of the PhD thesis, out of which at least one has been
published or accepted for publication as a book or has been published in the reviewed scientific
magazine having at least national scope and defined by the proper minister of science or
reviewed in the review of the international scientific conference.
The candidate for the PhD student who completed studies other than in the field of economics
or management and is not a PhD student or has not finished a PhD course before pursuing a
doctoral dissertation is obliged to pass the tests in economics or management or finance and
research methodology. The candidate for the PhD student who completed studies in the field of
economics or management and is not a PhD student or has not finished a PhD course before
pursuing a doctoral dissertation is obliged to pass the tests in research methodology.
The candidate who is a researcher or faculty staff member in the Warsaw School of Economics is
not obliged to pass the test in research methodology subject to point 6. The department or
institute, in which the candidate works, is responsible for preparing the candidate in the field of
methodology.
In the event mentioned in point 5, only written evaluation of the head of department or
institution is required. Refusal to issue a positive evaluation means the necessity to pass the test
on the terms and conditions applicable to candidates in line with point 4.
The fragments of the paper which the candidate for the PhD student is planning to incorporate
in the PhD thesis must be presented and discussed at the meetings of the department or
institute, in which the extended concept of the thesis was discussed. The institutes and
departments should also exercise all their efforts to allow experts in a given field not being the
employees of the department to participate in the discussions supporting the candidate for
the PhD student.
The prerequisite to commence PhD studies is the progress of at least 60% in writing the thesis.
The assessment of progress in writing the PhD thesis is made by the academic advisor - the
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
candidate for the thesis supervisor or head of the department or institute providing opinion
about the thesis concept.
The candidate for the PhD student submits the application to commence PhD studies with the
extended thesis concept, including: the title, theses, research method and outline, along with
the assessment by the department or institute regarding the applied thesis concept as well as
the list of publications with the Collegium Office.
The Dean sends the submitted application together with the complete documentation to the
Collegiate Commission for PhD Theses in order to have such application examined and to
prepare draft resolution of the Collegium Board concerning the commencement of PhD studies.
The candidate for the PhD student as well as the candidate for the thesis supervisors must be
present during the meeting of the Commission.
The Collegium Board in plenary session reads the opinion of the Commission and adopts the
resolution on the commencement of PhD studies and appointment of the thesis supervisor (it is
possible to appoint the additional supervisor indicated by the candidate. The additional
supervisor may be a person with a PhD degree in the given or familiar academic field, who plays
an important role in supervising the PhD student, in particular with respect to the research
planning, implementation and result analysis).
In case of PhD studies organised within the framework of international collaboration based on
the executed agreement, the Collegium Board appoints a co-supervisor.
The PhD student submits with the Dean of the Collegium the PhD thesis in 5 copies with abstract
in Polish and English along with its electronic version containing the written opinion of the thesis
supervisor. The PhD thesis may be in the form of:
 book typescript,
 published book,
 thematically coherent collection of chapters in the published books,
 thematically coherent collection of articles published or accepted for publication in
scientific magazines.
In the event when the PhD thesis constitutes a part of the joint work, the PhD student is
obliged to submit representations of all co-authors defining the individual contribution of
each of them in the creation of the PhD thesis.
The Dean presents the case during the meeting of the Board, which acting on the basis of
relevant provisions performs further actions related to the PhD thesis:
 adopts the resolution on appointing two reviewers,
 appoints the commission to hold the PhD examinations with the examiners as defined
by a resolution of the proper minister of science
 appoints the Collegiate Commission for PhD Theses, which will adopt a resolution on
accepting the PhD thesis and allowing its public defence after the review has been
received and the PhD student passed all PhD examinations (in case of two positive
reviews and passed PhD examinations, the resolution in that respect is adopted
directly by the Board); and then a resolution on public defence of the PhD thesis and
prepares the draft resolution of the Collegium Board on granting the PhD degree.
The following examinations are organised in the Collegium of Business Administration:
a) basic discipline corresponding to the subject of the PhD thesis - economics,
management or finance (the discipline must correspond to the discipline in which the
PhD degree is to be granted),
b) additional discipline - economics, management, finance or philosophy (to be selected
by the PhD student from the available disciplines, except for the basic discipline),
c) modern foreign language (to be selected by the PhD student). The PhD student is
exempt from the examination if (s)he provides the certificate confirming the
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
knowledge of the modern foreign language included in the list attached to the
regulation of the proper minister of science.
Examinations in economics, management and finance are organised on the basis of the
harmonised set of reading and topics available to the PhD students and prepared upon
request by the Dean by the team of experts in a given academic field.
The PhD student is allowed to take the PhD examination after receiving at least one positive
review.
The abstract of the PhD thesis along with the reviews are published on the website of the
Collegium and sent to the Central Commission immediately after adoption of the resolution
by the Collegium Board on accepting the PhD thesis and allowing its public defence.
10 days before the announced deadline of the public defence of the PhD thesis at the least,
the PhD student presents the Dean the summary of professional accomplishments with
positive opinion of the thesis supervisor.
In the Collegium of Business Administration, all public defences of PhD theses of employees
and PhD students in the Warsaw School of Economics and persons outside the Warsaw
School of Economics are accepted by the Collegiate Commission for PhD Theses.
The chairperson of the Commission is appointed by the Dean who is entitled to change the
composition of the Commission, about which the chairperson informs the Board.
Three permanent Collegiate Commissions for PhD Theses are established according to the
authorised disciplines: economics, management, finance. The Dean of the Collegium may
appoint PhD commissions ad hoc in case of PhD theses written in a foreign language (full
members of a relevant commissions are also: thesis supervisor, co-supervisor and reviewers
of the PhD thesis)/
The composition of the permanent Collegiate Commissions for PhD Theses:
Collegiate Commission for PhD Theses in the field of Economics no. 1
Collegiate Commission for PhD Theses in the field of Management no. 2
Collegiate Commission for PhD Theses in the field of Finance no. 3