Record Number of Doctoral Students Defend Theses at UT
In August, the number of doctoral students defending their theses at the University of Tartu reached an all-time high of 58, which was 45 more compared to the same period of last year.
According to the university, an estimated 140 to 150 doctoral students will attempt to earn their degrees this year. In 2010, doctoral theses were successfully defended by 109 students, wrote Postimees.
August 31 is the thesis defense deadline for those doctorate students who enrolled in their studies before 2006, which could explain large leap in figures, said Martin Hallik, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs.
Another important point, according to Hallik, is that the university has cut back on the number of doctoral studies spots, as there is no use for a large number of students if only a handful will graduate. "We calculated the working hours of lecturers and found that many of them are overloaded with both research and teaching, which is why we decided to reduce the number of doctoral spots," Hallik explained.
Ingrid Teesalu