The Doctoral Program in Economics of the Department of Economics of the Faculty of Economics and Politics of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens expects its candidates to produce high-level research in economics and related disciplines that leads to the Doctoral Degree in Economics (the equivalent of a Ph.D. or a DPhil). Candidates must produce a thesis written in Greek or English that constitutes an original and substantial contribution to economics or related disciplines. A three-member committee of faculty members supervises candidates either of the Department or other academic institutions in Greece or abroad who are specialists in the dissertation topic. At least one committee member, in most cases the supervisor, must be a faculty member of the Department of Economics. The 3-member committee submits annual reports to the Department’s General Assembly on the progress of the doctoral candidates and makes recommendations on the candidates' status.
Doctoral candidates must have a postgraduate degree in economics or related fields, and they must attend a specific number of core postgraduate courses of the Department’s Postgraduate Degree in Economics (MPhil). This last condition can be waived for some courses if a committee of faculty members appointed by the Department’s General Assembly is satisfied that the candidate has been examined in a similar course during her or his postgraduate studies. The same committee, who examines the applications to the program, may also request that candidates attend research seminars organized by the Department’s Sections. This committee submits its recommendation to the General Assembly for approval.
Decisions regarding the doctoral program are taken by the General Assembly. The Assembly appoints a coordinating committee of faculty members to supervise the program and make recommendations. At present (GA decision of 22/7/2020 this committee consists of the following faculty members: Nicholas Theocarakis (Director of DSP), Yannis Bassiakos, George Dotsis, Lina Kosteletou, Stelios Kotsios (Head of the Department), Thanassis Maniatis and Evangelia Papapetrou.
The Department considers doctoral candidates to be affiliated with it and expects that they participate actively in its academic and scientific functions. As part of the fulfillment of the conditions for the doctoral degree, candidates must present their work-in-progress at conferences and seminars or publish their results in peer-reviewed scientific journals. The minimum time of research is three years. If candidates need an extension to complete their thesis, the 3-member supervisory committee submits to the General Assembly of the Department a report explaining the reasons for the extension and the expected time of completion. The final decision rests with the General Assembly.
When the supervisor and the two other members of the committee are satisfied that the candidate is ready to defend her or his work, and they inform the Department’s General Assembly who appoint four additional academics to form a 7-member committee that will examine the candidate on the submitted work and decide whether they will award the doctoral title and its grade. The defense of the thesis is public and open to all members of the academia, and it is broadcasted live on an advertised public electronic link. During the pandemic, public defense of dissertations is exclusively online. Completed theses are published by the Department and uploaded to the website of the National Documentation Center (EKT) as required by law.
