On December 1, 2015, the National Assembly adopted Act CCVI of 2015 on the amendment of certain laws governing education, which was published in the Hungarian Gazette, Issue 195 of 2015, on page 26097. With the amendment of Act CCIV of 2011 on National Higher Education, the doctoral training system will be restructured as of September 1, 2016. The most important changes are as follows. Doctoral programs require the completion of at least 240 credits, with a duration of eight semesters. The doctoral program consists of two phases: the first four semesters constitute the “training and research” phase, while the second four semesters constitute the “research and dissertation” phase. At the end of the fourth semester, as the conclusion of the training and research phase and a prerequisite for beginning the research and dissertation phase, a comprehensive exam must be taken, which measures and evaluates academic and research progress. The doctoral student must submit their dissertation within three years of passing the comprehensive exam. The monthly amount of the doctoral student scholarship is 140,000 HUF during the training and research phase and 180,000 HUF during the research and dissertation phase. Upon successful defense, the doctoral student receives a one-time grant of 400,000 HUF. The new rules will first apply to students who enroll in a doctoral program during the first semester of the 2016/2017 academic year.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
