Course Work
The PhD program at GSPRE offers a customized educational framework tailored to each candidate's unique needs and research interests. Students can select from a diverse array of courses provided by the School of Biomedical and Precision Engineering, as well as options from other faculties at the University of Bern and approved courses from recognized institutions across Switzerland and around the globe.
The formal educational objectives through courses support professional competence, research, and publishing work.
Within the framework of the doctoral studies and GSPRE regulations, the supervisor and mentor select courses appropriate for the candidate’s study program, with final approval given by the GSPRE coordinator.
The thesis committee may request additional mandatory ECTS based on your educational background.
Important Guidelines
Record Consistency
All records must align upon graduation, ensuring that University student records and GSPRE student records (Doctoral Agreement) match. All mandatory courses must be listed in the Doctoral Agreement under Mandatory Requirements; those listed as mandatory must be passed with only one retake allowed (PromR GS PrE 24, Art. 13 para. 5).
Any changes to the planned courses listed as Mandatory Requirements in the Doctoral Agreement require the consent of the supervisor and mentor and must be communicated to the GSPRE coordinator for final endorsement, including the mentor's written agreement.
Major changes to the Doctoral Agreement must be documented in a revised, dated, and signed document and submitted to the GSPRE for approval.
ECTS Requirements
- Accumulation of a minimum of 6.0 to a maximum of 20.0 ECTS from scientifically oriented courses & workshops relevant to the research project
- Participation in the «Scientific Integrity» lecture within the first year
- Participation in the GSPRE Symposium starting the 2nd year of the PhD studies
- Transferable skills courses are optional and not part of the 6.0 ECTS minimum.
ECTS are awarded for courses with performance assessments (exam, talk, poster presentation, or written report).
Requests for ECTS must be submitted and include the following documentation:
- The course must be listed on the Doctoral Agreement
- Signed and dated Certificate of Achievement (PDF)
- Detailed course content (dates, summary and learning objectives, mode of assessment, workload) if the course has not been previously approved by the GSPRE