The joint (bridging) first year of registration in the PhD degree includes students with at least a very good average in one of the academic master's programs in Quality Management, Technology Management and Business Administration exclusively from the Syrian Virtual University(SVU).

The student who fulfills the conditions of enrolment registers in the bridging year during the period of time exclusively regulated by the registration announcement each year.

The identification documents are submitted in paper at the main center of the university, and the installments and fees per year are paid when registering, including all installments and fees according to the financial terms determined by the Board of Trustees upon the proposal of the University Council.

This bridging year, which is considered to be a first year, includes:

• A bridging project that constitutes an introduction to the doctoral thesis, in addition to a scientific paper according to the conditions mentioned in Article / 9 /.
• Courses studied by the student; what and how many courses are determined depending on the subject of the student's research, and the suggestion of the supervisor and the Council of Scientific Affairs, provided that the number of courses is not more than four, adding to that the fifth level in the English language, if any.

Conditions for Success

The student passes the bridging year if the following is fulfilled:

• Studying and successfully passing bridging courses with a good grade and above, with the possibility of retaking one course during the doctoral period.
• Passing the fourth level of the university’s English language program during the bridging year, or having an equivalent international standardized test scores, such as TOEFL or IELTS, or any international test accepted by the Council for Scientific Affairs, the conditions  of which are determined by the University Council provided that it has not been more than two years since the date at which the student obtained the standard test document.
• Obtaining a supervisory approval for a specialist supervisor who should be a contractor with the Syrian Virtual University, or  should be working at one of the universities or research centers inside or outside the country.
• Listing the publications and works that the student carries out during studying the bridging year, and pledging to list his/her PhD-conducted research with the name of the Syrian Virtual University among all the Internet research-recording websites such as Google Scholar and Research Gate, in addition to obtaining a personal ORCID.

At the end of the bridging year, the student submits (at least one full calendar year since the registration date) the findings of his/her bridging-related project, papers, and the research plan emanating from the project before a specialized committee formed by the University Council and in the presence of the student and his/her supervisor in person.

If the student passes the bridging year and meets all its requirements, he/she has the right to register for the second year of a PhD in Management / Technology - Quality - Business /.

The student can extend their study permit for only one semester in order to exclusively submit the bridging project, and the cost of the additional semester is of the same value as the cost of the bridging year. When the student passes the bridging year and the additional semester, he/she is considered a PhD second-year registered student without having to pay any additional costs incurred. However, if he/she fails the bridging year, his/her program registration shall be revoked and they will not receive any refund.

When the student fulfills the conditions for success and his/her research plan is accepted by the specialized committee according to the above-mentioned conditions, he/she shall be subject to the conditions of registration, following up and supervision specified in the SVU doctoral system which is approved for a PhD in management (technology - quality - business). The year of registration which follows the bridging year shall be considered after passing the latter as a second year in the doctoral program provided that the student completes his/her thesis without exceeding the maximum period of doctoral study, which is five years. The University Council may maintain the registration for a sixth year under certain circumstances that they consider, based on the supervisor's report and the approval of the Scientific Affairs Council.

A bridging first-year student has the rights of a PhD first-year student.

The registration installment for the bridging year and the doctoral years shall be determined at the beginning of each academic year by the University Council. The cost of one-semester extension shall be set for students enrolled in the year at the same value approved for the bridging year in the year in which the student is registered.