Regulations on ensuring the right of graduate students to choose academic disciplines
and the procedure for forming an individual curriculum for graduate students
of National Aerospace University «Kharkiv Aviation Institute»
Approved by:
Academic Council
of National Aerospace University «Kharkiv Aviation Institute»
Protocol No. 8 of March 24, 2021
Put into effect by order №135 of March 25, 2021
СУЯ ХАІ-НМВ-П/002:2021
Date of introduction March 24, 2021
Edition No. 1
1. General regulations
1.1 Regulations on ensuring the right of graduate students to choose academic disciplines and the procedure for forming an individual curriculum for graduate students (hereinafter - Regulations) at National Aerospace University «Kharkiv Aviation Institute» (hereinafter - the University) were established in accordance with the Laws of Ukraine "On Education", "On Higher Education", Regulations on the organization of the educational process at National Aerospace University, Order №261 dated 23.03.2016 by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine "Procedure for training graduates for the Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Science degree" and includes the basic requirements for the implementation of graduate students' right to choose disciplines and the formation of individual postgraduate curriculum.
1.2 These Regulations determine the procedure for compiling a list, selection and further study by the third-level of higher education university students of elective courses within the limits provided by the relevant educational and scientific program and curriculum, the procedure for forming an individual curriculum (hereinafter - IC) of the graduate student as well as monitoring the learning results and the implementation of the IC of the graduate student.
1.3 Regulations are based on the principles of student-centered approach and free creative learning, which guarantees students the construction of an individual learning trajectory taking into account their own potential, personal growth and their scientific and professional interests.
1.4 The educational and scientific program (hereinafter - ESP) for the training of the third-level higher education students consists of compulsory and elective parts. Students make a choice of disciplines in the process of forming their individual curriculum within the limits provided by the relevant ESP and semester curriculum, in compliance with the sequence of their study in accordance with the structural and logical scheme of specialist training.
1.5 Students of the third-level of higher education also have the right to choose academic disciplines from the lists offered for selection to students of other levels of higher education and/or other educational and scientific programs of preparing candidates for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, which are related to the subject of the dissertation research, in coordination with the student’s supervisor and the head of the postgraduate and doctoral department.
1.6 The choice of academic courses by the student of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy creates conditions to achieve the following goals:
- deepening of general and professional competencies within the chosen specialty;
- study of academic courses that provide the competencies required to perform a dissertation research;
- acquisition of competencies to expand the scientific worldview.
1.7 The volume of elective courses must be at least 25% of the total ECTS credits.
1.8 Elective courses are added to the IC of the graduate student and are mandatory.
1.9 The volume of each elective course is at least three ECTS credits.
1.10 Heads of relevant departments that offer elective courses, provide work programs (syllabuses) in academic courses, methodological and organizational materials necessary for the study of elective courses.
2. Implementation of the graduate student's right of choosing academic courses
2.1 The graduate student is invited to achieve the goals set out in paragraph 1.6 by choosing courses from the proposed lists, which are used to acquire the knowledge needed to deepen professional competencies, as well as to perform dissertation research.
2.2 Selective components of the curriculum of third-level higher education students are divided into three conditional lists, formed in the relevant catalogs and published on the University website:
- list 1. Selective components of in-depth knowledge of the specialty;
- list 2. Selective components on the topic of the dissertation;
- list 3. Selective components of free choice.
2.2.1 Selective components of in-depth knowledge of the specialty. Courses of this block provide deepening of general and professional competencies within the chosen specialty.
2.2.2 Selective components on the topic of the dissertation. This block includes courses, the study of which is necessary to obtain the competencies required to perform a dissertation research.
2.2.3 Selective components of free choice. The general university block, in which the courses for choice are offered by the departments of the University or other departments according to the directions of their activity or scientific directions/schools.
2.3 The semester, which offers certain courses from the relevant lists, is determined by the ESP and the relevant curriculum template developed by the guarantors of educational programs of the third (educational and scientific) level of higher education.
2.4 According to the results of the implementation of the graduate student's right to free choice of courses, all selected courses must be included in the student’s individual curriculum. The total amount of compulsory and elective components of the individual curriculum must correspond to the number of ECTS credits specified in the ESP, which corresponds to the mandatory amount of annual workload.
2.5 The total amount of compulsory and elective components of the postgraduate student's IC, regardless of the ways of exercising the right to choose courses freely, must correspond to that specified in the educational and scientific program for which the student is studying.
3. Procedure for choosing academic courses by graduate students
3.1 Time frames of the procedures for choosing academic courses by graduate students are determined by the need for timely (for planning and organizing the educational process, its methodological support and staffing) formation of the graduate students’ contingent in groups and classes.
3.1.1 Postgraduate students exercise their right to choose academic courses usually no later than the beginning of the spring semester, which precedes the academic year during which they are scheduled to study. Postgraduate students are invited to make a choice of courses for the next academic year and thus form an individual curriculum.
3.1.2 For postgraduate students studying in educational and scientific programs, in which the elective component is planned in the first academic year, the choice of courses is organized during the first two weeks of study.
3.2 Departments that provide teaching of elective courses, submit to the educational and methodical department and branch scientific and methodical commissions of the University a list of courses offered for selection to postgraduate students, work programs (syllabuses) and brief annotations of elective courses.
3.3 At the meetings of the branch scientific and methodical commissions of the University the lists of elective courses of each sample list are approved according to paragraph 2.2 of these Regulations.
3.4 Approved lists of elective courses and annotations to these courses are posted on the official website of the University.
3.5 The procedure for choosing academic courses by graduate students consists of the following stages:
3.5.1 The first stage is to acquaint postgraduate students with the procedure, time frames and features of enrollment and formation of groups for studying the courses of the elective component at the University.
3.5.2 The second stage is to acquaint postgraduate students with the lists of elective courses offered both for the studied ESP and for other programs. The annotations of the courses of the elective component as well as the portfolio of teachers of these courses are available on the official website of the University.
3.5.3 The third stage is to enroll postgraduate students to study academic courses. The choice of courses is made by personal voting in the electronic Pilot system of support of the educational process or by submitting an application (see Annex A) to the Department of Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies.
The courses chosen by the postgraduate student are entered into their individual curriculum, which is recorded in the student’s personal account in the Pilot system.
3.5.4 If a postgraduate student chooses to study courses offered for other levels of higher education, the student must submit to the Department of Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies an application agreed with the supervisor, which justifies the need to study the chosen courses taught at other levels of higher education, taking into account the subject of the dissertation research.
The head of the Department of Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies determines the actual possibility of organizing the study of the chosen courses and makes the appropriate decision. In case of a positive decision, the information is transmitted to the training and analytical department and the dispatch service for processing.
Based on the results of the postgraduate student's study of the elective courses, which is offered for other levels of higher education at the University, after the semester the responsible teacher submits a journal of the group of graduate students to the Department of Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies and fills out a separate statement.
3.5.5 The fourth stage is to process the choice made by postgraduate students, the formation of groups to study elective subjects and the formation of individual curricula of postgraduate students (carried out by the employees of the Department of Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies, which are responsible for documenting the process of forming ICs and monitoring their implementation).
3.5.6 The fifth stage is to compile class schedules by the dispatch service of the University.
3.5.7 In case of renewal, transfer of a postgraduate student, admission to classes after the end of the academic leave upon written application of the student and with the consent of the Department of Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies of the University it is possible to re-enroll selected courses at the expense of actually studied courses from a selective component of the ESP.
4. Estimations of the workload of departments and its distribution
After approval of the results of enrollment in elective courses, the volumes of the total workload, the planned workload of teachers are estimated and the staffing of departments is adjusted using the electronic support Pilot system of the educational process.
4.1 The Department of Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies staff form groups according to the postgraduate students’ choice and enter them into the Pilot system database.
4.2 The Educational and Analytical Department staff estimate the amount of the workload to ensure the organization of the educational process in each selected course.
4.3 Based on the estimation specified in paragraph 4.2, the head of the department and/or the responsible one of the department makes appropriate changes to the planned workload of teachers and the staffing of the department.
4.4 All calculations are submitted by the department to the educational-analytical and educational-methodical departments for adjustment of the staffing schedule of the teaching staff of the University and the class schedules.
4.5 The Educational and Analytical Department summarizes the staffing of the teaching staff of the University and submits the prepared documents to the Planning and Finance Department.
5. Final regulations
5.1 Regulations are approved by the Academic Council of the University and put into effect by the order of the University Rector.
5.2 Control over the implementation of the Regulations is exercised by the officials of the University within the limits of their powers established by the job descriptions.
5.3 Changes and additions to the Regulations are considered and approved by the Academic Council of the University and put into effect by the order of the University Rector.