Research Excellence Program: The Direct Doctoral Track at the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine
The proposed program will allow students in the veterinary medicine study track to integrate into the direct doctoral track and complete it two years after obtaining the DVM degree.
1. Integrated Studies for Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Objective:
The School of Veterinary Medicine encourages the training of veterinarians with extensive knowledge in both medicine and research. The program aims to train individuals with expertise in two important aspects of modern medicine: clinical medicine and basic and applied research. It is expected that graduates of the combined program will serve as a productive bridge between advanced research and veterinary medicine and will be employed in senior positions in clinical and para-clinical departments.
2. Admission to the Program:
2.1. Student admission to the program and supervision of the combined program will be managed by the Research Committee of the School of Veterinary Medicine (see section 4).
2.2. Admission of a candidate as a research student, submission of the doctoral dissertation topic, any additional studies required, etc., will be in accordance with the regulations of the Research Authority at the Hebrew University.
2.3. Candidates who are in the military “Atuda” must obtain approval from the military to defer their service for two additional years beyond the period required to complete their veterinary medicine studies.
2.4. Students who have completed their undergraduate degree with a grade of 90 can apply for the direct doctoral track.
2.5. During the first academic year of the program, the student must find an advisor from the joint Animal-Veterinary sciences department and join a research project for their thesis in the advisor's laboratory. Twelve months after the start of the DVM studies, candidates will submit to the Research Committee a research proposal, a statement of intent, and a recommendation letter from their advisor. The committee will select from the candidates the students who will be admitted to the program.
3. Academic Requirements During the Program:
3.1. The student will be required to take 12 credit points (CP) of advanced courses, according to the advisor's choice, in addition to the DVM study program.
3.2. The student's average grades in the second and third years of veterinary medicine studies must not fall below 80.
3.3. Five semesters after the start of the DVM studies, the student will submit a summary of the thesis and a future doctoral study plan to the Faculty of Agriculture's Doctoral Committee, according to the faculty’s guidelines for direct doctoral transition. This summary will be considered as a complete thesis in case the student decides to leave the program.
3.4. If the committee approves the direct transition to the Ph.D. program, it will be conducted according to the Research Authority's guidelines.
3.4. During the fourth year of DVM studies, the student must complete a research block lasting at least two months.
3.5. No later than one year after the completion of the DVM studies, the student must advance to the second stage (“shlav Bet”) of the Ph.D.
4. The DVM-Ph.D. Program Committee:
4.1. The Research Committee of the School of Veterinary Medicine will be responsible for admitting students and monitoring their progress.
4.2. The committee members are appointed by the management of the School of Veterinary Medicine.
4.3. The committee’s responsibilities in the program:
a. Selection of candidates based on their suitability for the excellence program.
b. Monitoring and guidance on all matters related to the program of each student's individual study plan (integration of the clinical and Ph.D. programs).
c. Evaluating the student’s progress.
5. Scholarships:
5.1. In the first year of the program (the second year of DVM studies), students will have the status of Master's students regarding scholarship allowance.
5.2. After the student is accepted into the Ph.D. program by the Hebrew University’s Research Students Committee and until the end of the DVM studies, the scholarship will be half-funded by the School of Veterinary Medicine and half by the advisor.
After completing the DVM studies, the scholarship will be fully funded by the advisor.
6. Teaching Responsibilities:
DVM-Ph.D. students will not be assigned teaching responsibilities.
7. Advisors and Mentors:
Advisors for students accepted into this program will be teachers from the joint Animal-Veterinary sciences department who are authorized to supervise Ph.D. students (including joint supervision) and who have accepted the program's principles, which require non-continuity in studies and research work.