400002 FK Completion Course: The last steps towards completing your doctoral studies (2025S)
Completion course
Continuous assessment of course work
Labels
Registration/Deregistration
Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
- Registration is open from Sa 01.02.2025 09:00 to Th 20.02.2025 23:59
- Deregistration possible until Mo 10.03.2025 09:00
Details
max. 15 participants
Language: English
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
- Wednesday 05.03. 09:45 - 13:30 Seminarraum 11 Vernetzungsraum für Vienna Doctoral School of Social Sciences, Kolingasse 14-16, OG01
- Wednesday 26.03. 09:45 - 13:30 Seminarraum 11 Vernetzungsraum für Vienna Doctoral School of Social Sciences, Kolingasse 14-16, OG01
- Wednesday 09.04. 09:45 - 13:30 Seminarraum 11 Vernetzungsraum für Vienna Doctoral School of Social Sciences, Kolingasse 14-16, OG01
- Wednesday 07.05. 09:45 - 13:30 Seminarraum 11 Vernetzungsraum für Vienna Doctoral School of Social Sciences, Kolingasse 14-16, OG01
- Wednesday 21.05. 09:45 - 13:30 Seminarraum 11 Vernetzungsraum für Vienna Doctoral School of Social Sciences, Kolingasse 14-16, OG01
- Wednesday 04.06. 09:45 - 13:30 Seminarraum 11 Vernetzungsraum für Vienna Doctoral School of Social Sciences, Kolingasse 14-16, OG01
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
This course is dedicated to students in the final phase of their PhD. The aim of this course is twofold: first, we aim to provide information on and strategies for the major steps in the final phase of the PhD. This includes topics such as time management, writing and editing, “what is enough”, managing stressful situations, and formal requirements for the PhD submission, the review process and the defence. We discuss some of these topics with former graduates and members of the administrative team (Studies Service Center, Faclty, and ViDSS). Second, we help students to identify the major milestones until the submission and the defence of their thesis, and to reach those milestones over the course of the semester. We offer a friendly support structure to push PhD projects over the finish line.The course alternates between inputs from the course instructors, presentations of major milestones by participants, input from former graduates and the administrative team, and feedback from the course instructors and peers.The course is aimed at advanced doctoral students who have finished their data collection and data analysis, and who are in the writing and editing stage of their PhD.This is a 5 ECTS course, which translates into a total workload of 125 hours this semester.
Assessment and permitted materials
“Academic Citizenship” (or: Participation; 25 %):
As PhD candidates, we expect you know what it means to behave like good “academic citizens”. This means that you are aware of what your rights and duties are as participants in a graduate level seminar such as this. We as lecturers aim to be as transparent as we can in our process. In return, we expect you to attend all seminar sessions (and excuse yourself, if you are ill or otherwise engaged), be active in our debates, provide feedback to your peers, ask questions, take notes, and so on. The success of the seminar also depends on your engagement.Completing a time plan (50%):
In the first session, students give an overview of the state of their PhD project: what’s the current state, the missing elements, and the overall time frame of the project? We discuss strategies for successful time management and help students to identify five major milestones which can be reached within 2 to 4 weeks. After the first session, students 1) define five milestones and 2) to develop a time plan to achieve those goals. This time plan is to be submitted before Session 2.Five reports on completed milestones (5 % each):
In sessions 2 to 6, students give a short (about 5 min) presentation on their last milestone: did they succeed in reaching the milestone? How do they feel about it? The seminar offers a forum to discuss whether students should adapt their time plans, e.g. to make the milestones more realistic or to make the milestones more ambitious. The aim is to provide a healthy, positive work atmosphere to celebrate successes together and to help dealing with failure (and learning from it).
As PhD candidates, we expect you know what it means to behave like good “academic citizens”. This means that you are aware of what your rights and duties are as participants in a graduate level seminar such as this. We as lecturers aim to be as transparent as we can in our process. In return, we expect you to attend all seminar sessions (and excuse yourself, if you are ill or otherwise engaged), be active in our debates, provide feedback to your peers, ask questions, take notes, and so on. The success of the seminar also depends on your engagement.Completing a time plan (50%):
In the first session, students give an overview of the state of their PhD project: what’s the current state, the missing elements, and the overall time frame of the project? We discuss strategies for successful time management and help students to identify five major milestones which can be reached within 2 to 4 weeks. After the first session, students 1) define five milestones and 2) to develop a time plan to achieve those goals. This time plan is to be submitted before Session 2.Five reports on completed milestones (5 % each):
In sessions 2 to 6, students give a short (about 5 min) presentation on their last milestone: did they succeed in reaching the milestone? How do they feel about it? The seminar offers a forum to discuss whether students should adapt their time plans, e.g. to make the milestones more realistic or to make the milestones more ambitious. The aim is to provide a healthy, positive work atmosphere to celebrate successes together and to help dealing with failure (and learning from it).
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
A number of rules apply to receive a final grade and thus pass the seminar.
- Participation is obligatory. If students cannot participate for a good reason, they are required to notify the lecturers before the class.
- Students are strongly encouraged to actively participate in discussions.
- Students only present original pieces of work.
- Students provide all assignments.The final grade consists of three distinct grades:
- Academic Citizenship (25 %)
- Completing a time plan (50%) – after Session 1
- Five reports on completed milestones (5% for each report) –Sessions 2-6
- Participation is obligatory. If students cannot participate for a good reason, they are required to notify the lecturers before the class.
- Students are strongly encouraged to actively participate in discussions.
- Students only present original pieces of work.
- Students provide all assignments.The final grade consists of three distinct grades:
- Academic Citizenship (25 %)
- Completing a time plan (50%) – after Session 1
- Five reports on completed milestones (5% for each report) –Sessions 2-6
Examination topics
Reading list
Association in the course directory
Last modified: Fr 06.06.2025 09:28