PHD in IT

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The University shall grant a PhD in Informatics in accordance with the provisions specified in this Law.
The duration of the preparation of the degree mentioned in Article /80/ shall not be less than three years from the date of approval of registration for the PhD degree by the University Council; The period in which the student is required to submit a doctoral thesis may not exceed five years, otherwise his/her registration and research will be cancelled. The university council may retain the enrollment for a sixth year in certain circumstances, based on the report of the supervisor and the approval of the Council of Scientific Affairs.

Program Goals:
The program aims to qualify researchers who are able to analyze problems and develop appropriate solutions in the sectors related to informatics. This enables the researcher to follow the latest developments in informatics and to create new knowledge that will allow companies working in related fields to develop their technologies and enhance their role in building secure digital and knowledge spaces for all community members at all levels: local, national, regional and international.
The program covers various research topics in the field of informatics and information systems. The Council of Scientific Affairs determines the axes at the beginning of each academic year.

Learning outcomes:

After the completion of the doctoral dissertation, the student is expected to possess a set of knowledge, skills and values, in particular the following:

On the level of Knowledge & Understanding:

Distinguishing among the appropriate research methodologies in their specialty.
knowing the latest developments and innovations related to their dissertation.
Classifying the mechanisms for developing solutions, studying their effectiveness and evaluating their impact on complex environments.
understanding the influence of values and ethics in science relevant to his/her specialty.
Classifying scientific journals and conferences that publish the latest scientific developments in his/her field of study.

On the Level of Intellectual Abilities:

Analyzing problems and developing solutions.
Creating new knowledge.
Developing creative ideas within the latest trends in their field of study.

On the Level of Practical Skills:

rectifying the work of others.
Choosing the appropriate methods to document the results of his/her researches.
Selecting the appropriate techniques to display his/her work.
Providing the funding sources to develop and apply creative ideas.
Participating in national, regional and international forums and working on marketing the results of his/her research.

On the Level of General Transferring Skills:

continuing to search for the latest developments in his/her field of specialization.
constantly working to develop themselves.
Documenting the results of his/her research and discuss them in international forums.
Forming and leading teams.
Using appropriate language and terminology to discuss problems and develop solutions.

Registration

The following is required of the candidates for the preparation of a Ph.D.:

He/she must have {a Bachelor's degree in Information Engineering – a Bachelor's degree in Software Engineering and Information Systems - (a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, specialized in Computer Engineering) - (a Bachelor's degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, specialized Computer Engineering)}, with at least a ‘Good’ grade from one of the universities, research centers or higher institutes in the Syrian Arab Republic, or any scientific degree considered by the Council of Scientific Affairs to be an equivalent.
He/she must have a degree of (Master’s in Informatics – Master’s in Computer Engineering – Master’s in Computer Engineering and Automation.) with at least a ‘Good’ grade from one of the universities or higher institutes in the Syrian Arab Republic, or any scientific degree considered by the Council of Scientific Affairs to be an equivalent.
A candidate has to pass the English language test conducted by the university, or its equivalent of the international standard tests, such as the TOEFL, or IELTS exams, or the highest level of the Syrian Virtual University's placement test, or any international test accepted by the Council of Scientific Affairs; the conditions of which shall be determined by the University Council, provided that it has not been more than two years since the student obtained the standard test document.
A candidate has to pass the test of mental skills conducted by the university, the conditions of which are determined by the University Council.
A candidate should have published at least one research in English in one of the magazines or scientific conferences, or obtained the approval of the magazine or conference on publication (whether publication takes place during or after the master stage).
A candidate has to submit a proposal (title and objective) research compatible with the research topics referred to in Article / 6/ and is accepted as determined by the selection criteria mentioned in Article / 9 / and the procedures described in Article / 10 / of the University System.

The number of students admitted by the University Council shall be determined annually upon the proposal of the Council of Scientific Affairs before the announcement of the differentiation and students register for the fall term.

Selection criteria:
The applications of the candidates who conform to the conditions stipulated in Article / 8 / of this System shall be studied in accordance with the conditions imposed by the Council of Scientific Affairs based on the specific specialization in the Master’s, the passing grade of both: engineering and the master's degree, the number of publications and the importance of the publication magazine as well as the availability of supervisors; in addition to any other criteria approved by the Council of Scientific affairs.

Studying duration

The duration of the preparation for the PhD. degree shall not be less than three years since the date of the approval of the University Council to enroll in the doctorate program. The period for which a student is enrolled for a PhD thesis may not exceed five years, otherwise his/ her registration shall be cancelled and the registration of his/ her research shall be omitted. 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.

Costs and Fees

The registration payment for the bridging year and for the PhD years shall be determined at the beginning of each academic year by the Board of Trustees upon the proposal of the University Council. The cost of the extension of one semester for students enrolled in the year shall be determined at the same rate of the bridging year in the year of registration.

Success and graduation conditions

Curricular Plan:

Bridging Courses: The Scientific Committee may require the student to study a number of specialized bridging courses available in the University programs, though no more than four courses which the student must complete during the registration period in the program.
A research plan should be prepared by the student in coordination with the supervisor and the co-supervisor, if there is one, within three months of the date of the registration and payment of the fees for handling the file and the registration exams in line with the accepted research axes at the university and a form determined by the Council of the Scientific Affairs.
The Scientific Committee shall assess the research plan depending on the report of the plan and an oral presentation given by the student before the committee and in the presence of the supervisor.
Being approved by the Scientific Committee, the research plan shall be presented to the Supervisory Committee attached to the opinion of the Scientific Committee. The Supervisory Committee has the right to summon and ask the student about some thesis-related specifics.
The University Council shall confirm the student’s doctorate registration after the approval of both the Scientific and the Supervisory committees of the plan. The registration decision shall be issued by the President of the University.
The student shall complete the PhD thesis within a period of not less than three years since the date of the Council of Scientific Affairs acceptance of the research plan.
The follow up and supervision shall be conducted by the supervisor of the research through monthly guidance meetings (at least one monthly meeting), face-to-face meetings or through the system of synchronized sessions recognized by the university with the need to record all meetings and digitally document them. The recorded sessions should be uploaded within a maximum of two weeks of being recorded to be adopted as part of the dissertation. The defense of the thesis shall not be accepted without submitting monthly recordings of the meetings and considering them as part of the required documents.
The University Council may assign a PhD student to pursue a number of scientific activities necessary to complete his / her qualification upon the proposal of the supervisor of the PhD thesis. These activities may include taking part in teaching courses or seminars and participating in conferences or scientific activities.

Article 11- The Doctoral Thesis:

The thesis shall be completed under the supervision of a faculty member or their equivalent or a specialist approved by the Council of Scientific Affairs with a doctorate degree at the rank of at least an Assistant Professor.
Another supervisor may participate in the supervision, approved by the Council of Scientific Affairs.
The PhD thesis shall be written in Arabic, and the student has the right to prepare the thesis in English after the approval of the Council of Scientific Affairs providing that it is attached with a sufficient abstract in Arabic.
The student submits a study at the university to approve the research plan at the end of each academic year before the scientific committee in which he/ she presents the state of progress of the research and this requires the attendance of the student in person. The scientific committee submits periodic reports on the status of doctoral program students to the Supervisory Committee for a follow-up and submission of appropriate proposals to develop the scientific research system to the Board of Trustees.
The student shall be held fully responsible for the conduct of his / her research and the following-up of communication with the supervisor.
After the completion of the doctoral thesis, the supervisor, and the co-supervisor, if any, shall submit a detailed report on the thesis to the scientific committee indicating the validity of the thesis to be presented to the Thesis Committee.
The Scientific Committee shall decide on the validity of the thesis for adjudication based on the thesis report and interim reports and studies submitted by the student and the supervisor.
A committee of specialists or experts in the field of the thesis shall be established of at least five members of PhD holders, one of whom is the supervisor. The number of the members should be odd and at least two of them should be rapporteurs with no less than a rank of an assistant professor or a chair researcher from the universities of the country or any Arab or foreign universities, as well as at least one member of the Scientific Committee.
The two rapporteurs shall submit a report on the validity of the thesis for discussion, and the date of which is to be set after receiving two positive reports.
All reports shall be submitted to the Council of Scientific Affairs for decision and approval by the University Council.
The thesis shall be discussed in a publically announced open hearing, of which the Vice-president for Scientific Affairs is notified two weeks prior to the meeting.
The Thesis Committee shall evaluate the thesis in accordance with the rules set by the University Council upon the proposal of the Council of Scientific Affairs. The student shall be considered to have succeeded in the thesis on the basis of one of the positions approved in the University Regulation Act.
The Thesis Committee may give a period of no more than three months starting from the date of discussion (viva voca) for amendments (if necessary).
The student shall not be awarded a PhD degree and his/her registration shall be cancelled if the committee does not approve the amendments requested from the student within less than three months of the date of the discussion (viva voca), and if the amendments are not made.
After the final discussion, the Thesis Committee shall write minutes containing the student’s final agreed-upon result according to the university's assessment system, which shall be submitted to the specialized councils for approval. The reports of the two rapporteur members shall be attached to the minutes.
The student's registration shall be suspended and his/her program registration shall be cancelled in case a decision on the validity of the thesis for adjudication is not issued within the maximum period allowed in the program.

Article12- The registration payment for the bridging year and for the PhD years shall be determined at the beginning of each academic year by the Board of Trustees upon the proposal of the University Council. The cost of the extension of one semester for students enrolled in the year shall be determined at the same rate of the bridging year in the year of registration.

Article13- After paying the fees and financial installments incurred by the student in accordance with the financial system, the following is required of the student to obtain the doctorate degree:

Completion of bridging courses in case the Scientific Committee asserts the student’s need for a follow-up.
Publication of three subject-related research papers (at least two of which are in English and classified at least Q3). The three articles should be published in one of the dually peer-reviewed and refereed scientific journals or conferences indexed and approved by SCOPUS or web of science, or should have the approval of the journal or the conference for publishing. The student is required to translate his/ her English articles fully into the Arabic language, and to publish them in the University Encyclopedia.
Submission of the thesis in a public hearing before the Thesis Committee, and obtaining an assessment according to the system of evaluation adopted in the University Regulation Act.

Article 14-The PhD degree is awarded by a decision of the University Council upon the proposal of the Council of Scientific Affairs.

Article 15-The certificate shall be issued signed by the President of the University and the Minister.

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