Recruitment rules 2024/2025

1.    The terms used in this Resolution shall mean:

1)    Office for Persons with Disabilities – hereinafter referred to as the BON;

2)    Office of the Interdisciplinary Doctoral School - hereinafter referred to as the IDS Office;

3)   Interdisciplinary Doctoral School of Lodz University of Technology - hereinafter referred to as IDS TUL;

4)    Applicant for IDS TUL – applicant for the Interdisciplinary Doctoral School of Lodz University of Technology;

5)    National Agency for Academic Exchange - hereinafter referred to as NAWA;

6)    Lodz University of Technology - hereinafter referred to as TUL;

7)   The Scientific Council of the Interdisciplinary Doctoral School of Lodz University of Technology - hereinafter referred to as the Scientific Council of IDS TUL;

8)    Senate of Lodz University of Technology - hereinafter referred to as the Senate;

9)   University Council of the Government of Doctoral Students of Lodz University of Technology - hereinafter referred to as URSD TUL.

2.    Doctoral studies at Lodz University of Technology are conducted at IDS TUL.

3.    Admissions to IDS TUL are competition-based.

4.    Admission to the IDS TUL for the academic year 2024/2025 will begin in August 2024. A detailed schedule of the admission procedure, determined by the Head of the IDS TUL, will be posted on the website of the IDS TUL no later than 6 weeks before the planned date of the start of admissions.

5.    The applicant is required to meet the deadlines and complete the steps outlined in the admission schedule.

6.    It is permissible to start admissions for a project financed from external sources in a situation when there is an additional demand to start admissions by the Project Manager. In this case, it is allowed to accept Applicants at a date other than that indicated in the admission schedule referred to in section 4.

7.    In the case described in paragraph 6, the Project Manager submits an application to the Rector through the ISD Office to initiate recruitment for the project. The application includes an indication of the financing of the doctoral scholarship for the student (including the amount, period of financing), the expected profile of the Applicant, the proposed supervisor and a positive opinion of the Head of the relevant Discipline Council. The decision to start the admissions is made by the Rector. A set of documents must be forwarded to the Head of IDS TUL.

8.  An Applicant admitted to the IDS TUL pursuant to (6) shall begin training from the beginning of the next semester following the completion of these proceedings, unless the Head the IDS TUL in justified cases determines an earlier start date.

9.  Only applicants recommended by the Project Manager, for which the admission is conducted, can take part in the project admissions. The Project Manager expresses his/her recommendation by signing the declaration, the specimen of which is defined in Appendix No. 1 to this Resolution.

10. Applicants to the IDS TUL who are beneficiaries of the "Diamond Grant" programme and those who, pursuant to the decision of the Discipline Council, have been directed to the IDS TUL shall be admitted to IDS TUL after completing an admission procedure based on the following criteria: the grade entered on the diploma of completion of first-cycle studies, or the weighted average of the grades earned by the applicant during his/her studies (if the Applicant is pursuing a dual master degree), as well as the grade from the interview. The Applicant shall submit an application to the Head of the Discipline Council for permission to take part in the qualification procedure for the IDS TUL, the specimen of which is given in Appendix No. 2 to this Resolution.

11.  Detailed classification rules are specified in Appendix No. 3 to this Resolution.

12.  The applicant enters the qualifying process by indicating the lead discipline in which they will complete a dissertation and a learning pathway within the core curriculum.

1.   The limits of admissions to IDS TUL for particular disciplines of science in which doctoral training is conducted are determined by the Senate. The admission limits apply to education financed by the subsidy referred to in Article 365, point 2, letter c of the Act of 20 July 2018. - Law on Higher Education and Science.

2.   In the event that the admission limit specified for a given scientific discipline is not fulfilled, the Rector, at the request of the Head of the Discipline or the Head of IDS TUL, may decide to increase the admission limits specified for other scientific disciplines in which training is conducted at IDS TUL.

3.    In justified cases, the Rector may decide to increase the admission limit set for a given scientific discipline.

4.    Applicants to IDS TUL are qualified on the basis of the grade entered on the diploma of the completion of second-cycle studies, long-cycle studies, or equivalent, and the grade from the interview conducted in English subject to the exception referred to in section 10. Applicants are required to have at least B2 proficiency in English.

5.    The interviews take place at the premises of Lodz University of Technology. It is allowed to conduct a remote interview using electronic means of communication with simultaneous transmission of video and audio. Remote interviews are conducted in cooperation with the TUL Computing & Information Services Centre. An application for a remote interview is submitted by the Applicant to the Admissions Committee. A specimen of the application is given in Appendix No. 4 to this Resolution.

6.    Lodz University of Technology shall not be responsible for technical problems related to the internet connection or the chosen means of electronic communication. The Applicant is obliged to ensure an adequate quality of the connection and the Internet tool, which is available to the members of the Admissions Committee and through which it will be possible to identify the Applicant. In a situation where the Admissions Committee has doubts about the identity of the Applicant, it may decide not to continue or conduct the interview, which shall be tantamount to ending the interview process with a score of zero in the "interview score" category.

7.  In the event that a remote interview cannot be conducted for objective technical reasons, the Admissions Committee may decide to repeat the interview on a different date or to forego the interview, which is tantamount to ending the qualification procedure with a score of zero in the "interview score" category.

8.    Remote interviews are recorded by the Admissions Committees with video and audio recording. On-site interviews may be recorded by the Chair of the Admission Committee. The recordings are stored by the Admissions Committee for the purpose of the admissions procedure for a period of 1 calendar year from the date of the interview, and then they are destroyed by the committee. The recordings may be made available only to the Members of the Admission Committee, the Rector and the Appeals Committee.

9.    By taking part in the admission process, the Applicant consents to the recording of the interview and subsequent storage of the recording. The applicant's consent to the recording of image and sound is a formal, necessary condition of taking part in the recruitment process for the IDS TUL.

10.  In the case of recruitment to IDS TUL within the framework of the "Implementation Doctorate" Program of the Minister responsible for science, it is acceptable to conduct an interview in Polish at the request of a Doctoral Applicant submitted (with the certificate from the Language Centre referred to in 11) together with the other documents required in the admission procedure. The decision in this matter is taken by the Admissions Committee by replying to the Applicant within 3 days before the interview date. The applicant entering the admission process at IDS TUL, for whom the interview is conducted in Polish, is aware that education at IDS TUL is conducted in English and, in accordance with Article 186 (1)(2) of the Act - Law on Higher Education and Science, the doctoral degree is awarded to a person who has achieved the learning outcomes for qualifications at PQF level 8, whereby the learning outcomes for knowledge of a modern foreign language are confirmed by a certificate or diploma of graduation, certifying knowledge of that language at a language proficiency level of at least B2.

11.  If the Applicant applying to IDS TUL under the programme referred to in section 10 wishes the interview to be conducted in Polish, he/she is obliged to pass an exam in English, French, German, Spanish or Russian and obtain a certificate issued by the TUL Language Centre. The amount of the examination fee, the method and date of its payment, and the examination date are determined by the Head of the TUL Language Centre. At the same time as issuing the certificate, the Language Centre provides IDS TUL with the applicant's score, ranging from 0 to 10 points, in accordance with the detailed qualification rules described in Appendix No. 3 to this Resolution. If a doctoral candidate is going to take the exam at the TUL Language Centre, he/she must inform the Language Centre about it by 10 June 2024.

12.  The Admission Committee, on the basis of a certificate from the TUL Language Centre, assigns points to the applicants in the language competence assessment category.

1.    The basis for the classification of Applicants for IDS TUL is the sum of points (s) calculated according to the rules given below:

s = d + r

d –   number of points resulting from the conversion of the grade entered on the diploma of graduation of second-cycle studies, long-cycle studies or equivalent;

r –   interview result.

2.    The score (r) of the interview consists of the marks in the following categories:

I.     Motivation and interests and proposed scope of study,

II.    Assessment of linguistic competence,

III.   Evaluation of the applicant's past academic and/or artistic accomplishments and achievements related to the discipline.

IV.   Discussion of the Applicant's past academic and/or artistic achievements and contributions related to the discipline.

The score within each category is determined in Appendix 3 to this Resolution.

1.    Participation in the admission process to IDS TUL is connected with the obligation to pay a one-time, non-refundable enrolment fee for the consideration of the application.

2.    The amount of the enrolment fee is PLN 200. Further admission activities take place after the fee has been paid in full.

1.    An Applicant for IDS TUL is obliged to submit, the following documents by the date specified in the admission procedure schedule:

1)   application for admission to IDS TUL, generated from the TUL Admissions Portal and signed by the Applicant, together with a signed clause concerning the processing of personal data;

2)  personal questionnaire, a specimen of which is included in Appendix 5 to this Resolution;

3)  applicant's statement that he/she does not hold a doctoral degree and is not employed as an academic teacher or researcher (specimen of the statement - Appendix No. 6 to this Resolution);

4)    a diploma of second-cycle studies graduation, and in case of the beneficiaries of the "Diamond Grant" programme or persons referred to IDS TUL pursuant to the decision of the Discipline Council - a diploma of first-cycle studies graduation (an applicant participating in the second-cycle studies or in a Master's uniform course of studies should provide a certificate of the weighted average of the grades obtained during second-cycle studies or Master's uniform course of studies)

5)   Diploma Supplement containing information on the course of studies and credits obtained (required of the Applicant who has completed first- or second-cycle education or is currently pursuing second-cycle or unified master's studies in the European Union). In case the university does not issue a diploma supplement, or the supplement does not contain the necessary data on the course of study, the Applicant shall provide a Transcript of Records according to the model specified in Appendix No. 7 to this Resolution;

6)   a curriculum vitae containing, among others, a list of the Applicant's scientific and/or artistic achievements and other accomplishments (in English) related to the scientific discipline for the period of 5 calendar years preceding the submission of the application referred to in § 1 item 12; in the case of implementation doctoral candidates, the document may be prepared in Polish;

7)   a statement of the supervisor and the head of the unit in which the dissertation will be carried out, together with the consent of the Head of the relevant Discipline Council, the model of which is set forth in Appendix No. 1 to this Resolution;

8)  the proposed subject matter and the scope of research agreed with the scientific supervisor, together with a justification of the issue taken up, prepared in English (in the case of implementation doctoral candidates, the document may be prepared in Polish);

9) one color photograph of the Applicant (in passport format), allowing the identification of the Applicant, signed with his/her name (with an indication of the discipline), placed in an envelope;

10)  confirmation of payment of the enrollment fee;

11)  in the case of foreigners, it is required to submit a color photocopy of the passport or, in special cases, another document that allows the identification of the Applicant and is a confirmation of his personal data;

12)  Copies of documents confirming knowledge of foreign languages (optional);

13)  application for remote interview (optional).

2.  An Applicant with a first- or second-degree diploma from a foreign university is additionally required to provide the following documents:

1)   a legalized, including by a Polish consular office operating in the country of issuance of the document (or with an apostille clause) diploma of completion of first- and second-cycle studies and a legalized, including by a Polish consular office operating in the country of issuance of the document (or with an apostille clause) document confirming the course of first- and second-cycle studies (supplement or Transcript of Records referred to in 1 (5);

2)   certified translation (into Polish or English) of the documents listed in section 1 if the originals of these documents have been issued in a language other than Polish or English (the submission of a certified translation of documents does not replace the obligation to submit the original documents in the language in which they were issued by the university)

3)  a statement from the University reading: "the Applicant's second-cycle diploma entitles the Applicant to apply for the award of a doctoral degree in the country where the diploma was issued";

4)   other documents required by IDS TUL in order to confirm the correctness of the documents submitted.

3.    An applicant with a second-cycle diploma issued abroad is obliged to send on their own the documents for verification required by NAWA in order to receive an opinion as to whether they can undertake training at a doctoral school in Poland.

In the admission procedure to IDS TUL, the applicant shall submit the opinion received from NAWA together with the documents for verification. Along with NAWA's opinion, the Applicant submits to IDS TUL a statement that NAWA's opinion applies to the documents submitted to IDS TUL in the admission procedure. Documents submitted in the admission procedure to the IDS TUL without NAWA's verification and confirmation by NAWA that they entitle the Applicant to study at a doctoral school in Poland will be left unprocessed.

4. Copies of documents and materials confirming the academic and/or artistic achievements and other achievements indicated in the curriculum vitae must be submitted by the Applicant together with the documentation listed in section 1. The Applicant must provide a translation of the titles of academic achievements given in a language other than Polish or English.

5.  If the Applicant chooses an academic supervisor from outside Lodz University of Technology, the Applicant shall submit an application to the Rector for permission to choose an academic supervisor from outside Lodz University of Technology together with an opinion of the Head of the relevant Discipline Council, justifying the choice of a given supervisor. A specimen of the application is given in Appendix No. 8 to this Resolution. A positive decision of the Rector about the choice of academic supervisor from outside TUL is a prerequisite for taking part in the admission procedure.

6.   In justified cases, the Office of the IDS TUL or the Admissions Committee may ask the Applicant to provide additional documents or to submit a translation of other documents or materials constituting the recruitment documentation within a specified time limit.

7.  In exceptional cases, at the request of an Applicant who has not submitted all the required documents by the deadline specified in the admission procedure schedule, the Head of IDS TUL may admit the Applicant to an interview, indicating the deadline for supplementing the documents.

1. The results of the admission procedure are public and shall be made available to the public.
2. The announcement of the results of the admission procedure shall include:

1) the names and surnames of the applicants;

2) the number of points awarded to each applicant in the evaluation (d);

3) the number of points awarded to each applicant in the evaluation (r)

4) the final score (s) obtained by each applicant in the admission procedure;

5) explicit information on whether the applicant has been conditionally qualified to IDS TUL.

3. The applicant conditionally qualified to IDS TUL is entered into the list of doctoral candidates by the Head of   IDS TUL, upon delivery of the original documents referred to in § 5 on the date specified by the Head of IDS TUL, in accordance with § 6, section 5, after taking the oath.
4. A foreigner is accepted to IDS TUL by an administrative decision issued by the Rector.
5. The deadline for submitting the documents referred to in section 3 is 30 days from the date of the announcement of the results. In the case of foreign applicants, when justified, the Head of IDS TUL may decide to extend this deadline.
6. A student admitted to IDS TUL starts training and acquires the rights of a doctoral candidate upon taking the oath, and after signing the oath act.
7. The refusal of admission to IDS TUL is effected by an administrative decision. The decision to refuse admission to IDS TUL is made by the Rector.
8. The Rector may be requested to reconsider a decision refusing admission to IDS TUL.

1.  In the case of Applicants with a disability or chronic illness whose health condition prevents them from taking part in the interview process, the organization of interviews is carried out in cooperation with the BON.

2.    In the situation described in (1), the Applicant shall submit a request to Lodz University of Technology Committee for the Award of Individual Support to Persons with Disabilities, together with a justification, for the application of a changed form of the qualification procedure on the basis of copies of medical documentation and/or documents proving disability attached to the application within 30 days before the scheduled date of the interview. The Committee may decide that medical records need to be supplemented.

3.   The Lodz University of Technology's Committee for the Granting Individual Support to Persons with Disabilities, on the basis of an analysis of the medical documentation and an interview with the Applicant within 14 days of the delivery of the application, shall decide on the recognition of special circumstances requiring the application of a modified form of the eligibility procedure.

4.  In the case of a positive decision, the Head of the BON requests the Admissions Committee to apply a modified form of procedure adapted to the Applicant's degree and type of disability or health condition. The Head of the BON shall indicate in the application the recommended form of the qualification procedure.

5.    Detailed rules for granting support are set out in the Regulations for granting individual support within the framework of a subjective subsidy for tasks related to ensuring conditions for persons with disabilities to participate fully in the process of enrolment in higher education institutions, doctoral schools, education at higher education institutions and doctoral schools or conducting scientific activity ( Article 365 (6) of the Act of 20 July 2018. - Law on Higher Education and Science) in force at Lodz University of Technology.

1. The Admission Committee is appointed by the Rector on the recommendation of the relevant Discipline Council for a period of one year.

2.  The composition of the Admission Committee is published on the IDS TUL website.

3.  The Admission Committee is composed of:

1)    three representatives of the discipline in which the training programme will be conducted, with at least a post-doctoral degree, including a minimum of one representative holding a title of professor, delegated by the relevant Discipline Council, two of whom must be present at the interview;

2)    a representative of the TUL Language Centre delegated by the Head of the Language Centre;

3)    a representative of the doctoral students' government appointed by the URSD TUL without voting rights;

4)    a representative of the ISD TUL Scientific Council designated by the Head of IDS TUL Scientific Council.

4.  The members of the Committee shall elect a Chair and a Secretary from among their number. Representatives of the Language Center and the Doctoral Student Government may not hold the listed positions.

5.   The room during the interview may be occupied by administrative and technical support staff, employees of the TUL Computing & Information Services Centre, employees of BON or the Applicants' caretaker(s) referred to in § 7. In addition, persons invited by the Chair of the Committee  may participate in Committee meetings without voting rights.

6.   In the event of circumstances preventing a member of the Admission Committee from participating in the work of the Committee, the Rector, on the proposal of the Chair of the Discipline Council, shall appoint a new member of the Admission Committee.

7.  The absence of the representative of the doctoral student government shall not interrupt the work of the Committee.

8.    If the Admission Committee assessing the Applicant includes the Applicant's supervisor or previous supervisor, the supervisor shall not be present during the interview with the Applicant, and this shall be recorded in the minutes of the Committee meeting.

9.    Members of the Admissions Committee are required to remain impartial and objective in assessing Applicants or forming opinions about them and shall inform the other members of the Admissions Committee of any circumstances that may affect their impartiality and objectivity in making their assessment.

10. In the case of justified doubts as to impartiality and objectivity, the Admissions Committee decides to exclude a member of the Committee from the procedure of evaluation of a given Applicant, which is recorded in the minutes of the meeting of the Committee.

11.  A member of the Admissions Committee is subject to exclusion from the assessment of an Applicant if he/she:

1)    was the supervisor of the Applicant's master's thesis;

2)    is/was the Applicant's supervisor or is in another employment relationship with the Applicant;

3)    the applicant is or was his/her spouse, or is a relative or affinity up to the second degree, or is or was in cohabitation with him/her;

4)    the applicant is or was related by adoption, guardianship or custody;

5)    there are other objective circumstances that may give rise to legitimate concerns about maintaining impartiality in evaluating the Applicant.

12.  Resolutions of the Admission Committee shall be adopted by a simple majority in the presence of at least four voting members of the Committee. In the event of a tie, the Chair's vote is decisive.

13.  The meetings of the Admission Committee shall be minuted and the minutes shall be signed by the members of the Committee who attended the meeting. The 5 members who participate in the Admissions Committee are paid for their work (except for representatives of the doctoral student government). The remuneration method and rules are determined by the Rector.

14.  The tasks of the Admission Committee include, in particular:

1)   Conducting the qualification procedure, and in justified cases conducting the qualification procedure in cooperation with the BON or TUL Computing & Information Services Centre, including in particular:

a)    Assessment of the Applicant's fulfilment of the formal conditions for applying for admission to IDS TUL,

b)    Evaluation of the course of study leading to a first- or second-cycle, including its relevance to the chosen discipline in IDS TUL,

c)    Verification of the Applicant's previous academic and/or artistic achievements and achievements related to the discipline, as referred to in § 3 (2), category III and IV, and calculation of the scores referred to in § 3, (2), category III;

2)    preparation of individual protocols with detailed substantive justification of the decisions of the Admission Committee meeting and submission of them with all signatures of the Committee members to the ISD Office within 7 days after the completion of the admission proceedings;

3)   Preparation of a list containing the results of the selection procedure and forwarding them to the IDS Office as soon as the qualification procedure has been completed, at the latest within 3 days of the interview;

4)   Formulation of an opinion for the Rector or the Appeals Committee when processing requests for reconsideration;

5)    Informing the Applicant entering the interview about the recording of the interview.

15. The summary protocol of the admission procedure is signed by the members of the Admission Committee who took part in the admission procedure. It is sent to the IDS TUL ISD Office together with the individual protocols.

1.  The Appeals Committee is composed of the Presidium of the IDS TUL Academic Council and the Head of the Discipline Council or their designee, where the appeal is being processed. The secretary of the Committee is an employee of the IDS TUL Office.

2.  The Committee receives applications for reconsideration from the Rector, as well as the full documentation of Applicant related to admission to IDS TUL. In the case of Applicants whose interviews were recorded, the Appeals Committee shall also receive a copy of the recording.

3.  The Committee may request additional opinions or clarifications from the Applicant, the declared academic supervisor or the Admissions Committee.

4.  The Committee makes a decision by a simple majority with at least 3 members present.

5.  The Committee makes a recommendation on the reconsideration proceedings and submits it immediately to the Rector.

1.  By taking part in the admission procedure to IDS TUL, the Applicant agrees to the processing and storage of his/her personal data for the purposes of the admission procedure and to the publication of the results of the admission procedure.

2.    All personal data provided by Applicants for admission purposes are stored in accordance with applicable regulations.

3.    If the Applicant is not accepted, all the Applicant's case files, and personal data are kept at the IDS TUL for a period of 1 year from the end of admission.

4.    By taking part in the admission process to IDS TUL, the Applicant confirms that he/she is familiar with the rules of admission to IDS TUL as set forth in this Resolution and is aware of the rules of training in IDS TUL and the requirements to be fulfilled by a person applying for a doctoral degree at IDS TUL.

5.    The resolution comes into force on 28 February 2024.