Ph.D. Registration Information
At Ben-Gurion University of the Negev one can study and do research towards a Ph.D. degree in the Faculties of Engineering Sciences, Natural Sciences, Health Sciences, Humanities & Social Sciences, the School of Management and in an interdisciplinary study program.
There are 3 different types of doctoral programs:
“Regular program” - Intended for outstanding graduate students of B.G.U. or other academic institutions with comparable degrees, with high grades from the Masters’ studies and theses. Each department is entitled to determine its minimal requirements for the acceptance of candidates (based on average course grades and thesis grade).
“Combined program” - Intended for outstanding B.G.U. graduate students at advanced stages in their Masters’ research (having completed at least 4 semesters towards the Masters degree), whose Masters’ research, by virtue of content, originality and novelty, might be extended to fulfill the requirements of a doctoral thesis.
“Direct program” - Intended for outstanding Bachelors’ degree students at B.G.U. or other comparable academic institutions, with confirmed academic excellence in their Bachelors’ studies, and approved by the Research Studies Committee as being among the top 10% students in their field. This program enables doctoral studies without prior registration for a Masters’ degree program. One can be accepted into this program only if it is contiguous with the completion of the Bachelors’ studies.
Admissions requirements:
Candidates can only be accepted to research studies with the recommendation of the department in which that research will be done and with the approval of the Faculty Graduate Studies Committee and that of the Research Students’ Committee.
All doctoral candidates must fulfill the following requirements:
1. The candidate must have earned a “Masters” degree in a program requiring the submission of a research paper/Masters’ thesis from B.G.U. or another academic institution with a comparable, recognized degree and must have achieved high grades in the Masters’ studies and thesis. A candidate can be accepted conditionally, based upon supplemental studies - intended for candidates who have not yet fulfilled their Masters’ degree requirements, contingent upon their proper completion; this is a temporary status that can be conferred for only one semester.
2. A Thesis advisor must be found (only senior lecturers or above can be considered).
3. Graduate students from universities abroad, including those with campuses in Israel, are required to pass certain tests before they can become doctoral candidates: the GRE General Test and Subject Test. Potential candidates for the School of Management must also take the GMAT. The results of these tests must reach the Kreitman School together with the registration forms. Applications are referred to the Admissions Committees only after the results of these tests are received. More information on these tests (GRE & GMAT) can be found on the Internet at: http://www.gre.org and http://www.fulbright.org.il/index1.html, or via:
GRE Search Serving, P.O.B. 6010, Princeton, NJ 08541-6010 USA at
tel.: 1-609-4065149.
The phone number for the USA-Israel Education Fund is 03-5172131.
Exemption from the GRE exams:
The Research Students’ Committee may decide to exempt a candidate from the above exam. In order to apply for an exemption, the candidate must submit a certified grade sheet detailing all the courses completed and the thesis grade, plus a copy of the thesis and an updated curriculum vita.
4. A candidate is admitted for a “trial period” of up to 10 months. At the conclusion of this period, the student is required to submit a thesis proposal and to pass a candidacy test. Having passed this test successfully, the candidate’s status is changed to that of a “regular doctoral student”.
“Supplementary Doctoral Studies” (Code 13):
Intended for candidates who have not yet fulfilled their Masters’ degree requirements due to inadequate course grades or low thesis grade. However, if they have convinced the Research Students Committee that they can reach the required level of acceptance by means of supplementary studies, they can be admitted conditionally. The Research Students Committee will decide on full acceptance after assessing the students’ achievements in his/her courses.
“Doctoral Research” (Code 14):
Intended for external doctoral candidates, who do not have either a scholarship or a university position. In this case, there is no time limitation for the submission of a research proposal; however, after submitting a thesis topic, the student becomes part of the “Ph.D. studies program”.
General Registration Process
Registration requirements:
The following items must be attached to registration forms—
1. Official confirmation of the successful completion of a Bachelors’ degree and a detailed, official grade sheet, either notarized or certified by the accrediting institution or by the B.G.U. Office for Research Students.
2. Official confirmation of the successful completion of a Masters’ degree and a detailed, official grade sheet (including the thesis grade).
3. Students from non-English-speaking countries must also submit notarized or certified (see 1 above) translations of their documents and complete grade sheets into either English or Hebrew.
4. An updated curriculum vita (in either Hebrew or English).
5. Two letters of reference from academics with Ph.D. degrees and one from the Masters’ Thesis Advisor. Candidates for the Dept. of Life Sciences must include a letter of reference from their intended Doctoral Advisor; these are to be sent by the referees directly to the Kreitman School Office.
6. One passport photo.
7. Only candidates for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences are required to submit a tentative, pre-admissions thesis proposal, signed by the referees, to the Kreitman School Office.
8. A receipt of payment for registration.
Registration periods:
Registration forms may be submitted to the Kreitman School Office throughout the academic year. Doctoral studies may be started three times each year - at the start of the Winter, Spring or Summer semesters. A candidate requesting admission to the Winter semester (Semester A) should register no later than the preceding 1st of July; for Spring semester (Semester B), no later than the preceding 1st of January. Registration forms received after these dates will be considered, but there is no guarantee that the candidate will be accepted for the requested semester.
Scholarships:
1. Scholarships for work as a teaching assistant—A candidate interested in work as a teaching assistant in his/her department can get the details from his/her department’s office. NOTE: acceptance as a teaching assistant does not guarantee admission into the Doctoral Studies Program.
2. Kreitman Foundation Fellowships—The Foundation offers scholarships to outstanding candidates. For more information, turn to the Kreitman Foundation internet site: www.bgu.ac.il/kreitman_foundation, or contact their office at 08-6472710.
Information on the duration of studies, schedules, regulations, and requirements of the Ph.D. degree, and the relevant academic regulations can be found at:
http://www.bgu.ac.il/kreitman_school.
More information is available in the Kreitman School Office located in the Marcus Family Campus, Gorovoy Building (30), Room 006 (ground floor, off the lobby); tel. 08-6461209; fax. 08-6472889; e-mail: doren@bgumail.bgu.ac.il.