Curriculum Plant Sciences

To complete the PhD Program in Plant Sciences, doctoral candidates must document participation in a defined amount of structured training activities, expressed in ECTS credits, completed in parallel with their doctoral research. Doctoral candidates enrolled at ETHZ and UZH are required to document 12 ECTS, while doctoral candidates enrolled at the UNIBAS are required to document 18 ECTS, in accordance with institutional requirements.

ECTS credits may be acquired through lectures, courses, workshops, summer schools, and other accredited training activities that form part of the regular curriculum of the PhD Program in Plant Sciences. One ECTS corresponds to approximately 25–30 hours of workload, including contact hours, self-study, preparatory work, and assignments. This typically corresponds to a one-hour lecture per week over one semester or a two- to three-day intensive workshop including preparatory and follow-up work.

The following activities are compulsory for all doctoral candidates participating in the PhD Program in Plant Sciences:

1. ▪ Participation in the PSC Colloquium “Challenges in Plant Sciences” (2 ECTS)
2. ▪ Completion of training in Research Integrity

Doctoral candidates who have already participated in the PSC Colloquium during their Master’s studies may fulfil this requirement by selecting alternative courses accredited within the PSC curriculum.

Training in Research Integrity is a mandatory requirement for all doctoral candidates enrolled in the PSC PhD Program. This requirement must be fulfilled in accordance with the regulations of the host university. The specific format of the course, credit allocation, and documentation depend on the doctoral candidate’s home institution and are described in the corresponding university-specific sections of the guidelines. Links for UZH, ETHZ, UNIBAS. 

Core Elective Activities are designed to strengthen disciplinary expertise, methodological competence, interdisciplinary understanding, and professional skills relevant to doctoral research. The selection of courses should be agreed upon in advance with the PhD supervisor and, where applicable, the PhD thesis committee.
The PSC course catalogue offers a broad range of Core Elective Activities, from which doctoral candidates are required to obtain at least 6 ECTS. Core Elective Activities may include, but are not limited to, the following categories:

1. Research and technical skills courses
2. Digital skills and statistics courses
3. Transferable skills courses
4. Courses offered within the PhD Program in Science and Policy
5. PSC Summer/Winter Schools
6. Accredited external trainings

PSC Summer Schools provide intensive training opportunities on emerging topics in plant sciences and related disciplines. They bring together doctoral candidates and leading international experts and address key scientific and societal challenges. Information on current and past Summer Schools is available on the PSC website. Example topics from recent years are listed below.

Doctoral candidates should note that additional or specific coursework requirements may be required by their host institution for the completion of the doctoral degree. Such institutional requirements remain binding.

In addition to formal coursework, the PhD Program in Plant Sciences recognises selected activities that promote scientific engagement, professional development, and integration into the scientific community. Subject to prior approval, such activities may be credited towards the total ECTS required for completion of the PhD Program. To ensure a balanced and structured training profile, the number of ECTS that may be credited from such activities is limited and depends on the regulations of the host university. Examples of recognised activities include:

1. Active participation in international scientific conferences (poster or oral presentation – 1 ECTS)
2. Participation in institutional committees
3. Engagement in sustainability or innovation initiatives (Green Labs projects: 1-2 ECTS)
4. Active participation in the organisation of the PSC PhD Symposium – 2 ECTS

THE GREEN LAB MODULE

The Green Lab Module aims to integrate PhD students of Plant Sciences to the Green Labs UZH community. In this module, doctoral students will be further trained on sustainable research, in the form of development or implementation of scalable projects. This can be the development of a concept, the creation of a survey, the analysis of available data to study the impact of a particular practice, the provision of concrete recommendations, or the implementation of a new practice in the laboratory validated by the mentors in charge. Get more info regarding the topic from the Sustainability Units of UZH and ETH.

PSC PhD Symposium Organisation

Becoming a member of PSC PhD Symposium Organisation Committee is a unique opportunity to gain a set of transferable skills revolving around organisation of an international and interdisciplinary scientific symposium. Every two years, a group of five to six doctoral candidates from the PhD Program in Plant Sciences gets a chance to be involved in the planning and implementation of PSC PhD Symposium. In particular, the organisational committee jointly define the symposium topic, invite national and international speakers to contribute to a high-quality scientific programme, and organise the scientific and logistical aspects of the symposium day. Participation in the PSC PhD Symposium Organisation Committee constitutes a recognised training activity within the PhD Program and may be credited up to 2 ECTS (based on actual commitment and role in the organizing committee, the number awarded might be different in different years).

EXTERNAL CREDITS MUST BE APPROVED BY THE PHD PROGRAM

ECTS acquired outside ETHZ, UZH, UNIBAS, or associated LSZGS PhD Programs require formal accreditation by the PSC office prior to recognition.

Accreditation requires submission of:

1. a certificate of attendance or completion,
2. the course or event programme clearly indicating the topic, duration, and workload (including contact hours, preparatory work, assignments, or presentation preparation, where applicable),
3. documentation of active involvement where relevant (e.g. conference abstract book or programme),
4. pdf of a poster or presentation, and
5. a completed PSC External Activity Recognition Form (PDF, 135 KB) signed by the PhD supervisor.

Recognition is subject to confirmation by the PSC PhD Program Coordination office. Documents should be sent to psc_phdprogram@ethz.ch.