Aptitude Colloquium

Within twelve months after provisional admission, the doctoral student defends the doctoral plan in an aptitude colloquium. The deadline for taking the aptitude colloquium is given in the admission letter and can also be viewed in myStudies.

In the colloquium, the aptitude committee examines whether the candidate is qualified to independently carry out a research project and write a doctoral thesis. The subject of the examination is the research project described in the doctoral plan.

Passing the aptitude colloquium is a condition for definitive admission to the doctorate.

Aptitude committee

The aptitude committee is composed as follows:

• the chairperson (Member of the department’s doctoral commission or another person appointed by this commission. --> Check our professors' availabilities in the shared Outlook calendar "Doctoral Examination D-HEST" and choose a professor. Alternatively, you can ask a professor of D-HEST directly. Inform the Doctoral Administration of D-HEST when a chairperson is found.)
• the doctoral thesis supervisor
• the second advisor

The Doctoral Commission can appoint additional members to the aptitude committee on request.

Organisation of the aptitude colloquium

Doctoral students organise their aptitude colloquiums themselves. It usually takes place in the rooms of the doctoral thesis supervisor. Or you may make a room reservation at https://www.lehrbetrieb.ethz.ch/raumanfrage/login.view or

Please inform the Doctoral Administration D-HEST, Mrs. Farida D’Addario (), about your aptitude colloquium with the following details:

- Date and time
- Format (on site, hybrid or online)
- Room number and location (ETH Zentrum, ETH Hönggerberg, Irchel etc.)
- Chair of your aptitude committee

Please make sure
a) you have registered your second advisor
b) you submit an electronic version of your doctoral plan to the Doctoral Administration D-HEST.

The aptitude colloquium can be organised as video conference by Zoom. The candidate is responsible for the organisation of the video conference. Please refer to the external pageworkflowcall_made by ETH Multimedia Services.