Artikel 1

The terminology used in this regulation shall be interpreted as follows:

• a. The Act: the Higher Education and Scientific Research Act (abbr. WHW; Law Gazette 1992, 593), which became effective on 1 September 1993, amended by the Modernisation of the University Administrative Organisation Act (Law Gazette 1997, 117), which became effective on 19 March 1997, and by the Act of 6 June 2002 (Law Gazette 2002, 303) in connection with the introduction of the Bachelor/Master structure in Higher Education;
• b. General Administrative Law (abbr. AWB; Law Gazette 1994, 1), which became effective on 1 January 1994;
• c. University: the Maastricht University;
• d. Faculty: the faculty of the university to which the topic of the dissertation properly belongs in terms of subject matter, as stipulated in Article 8, Paragraph 1;
• e. Dean: the Dean of the faculty;
• f. Board of Deans: the board of doctoral degrees, as meant in Article 9.10, Paragraph 1 of the Act;
• g. Rector: the official meant in Article 9.3, Paragraph 1 of the Act, also chairman of the Board of Deans;
• h. Professor: a professor, associate professor or ecclesiastical professor at a university;
• i. Study programme: a Master study as meant in Article 7.3a of the Act, or a post-initial Master study as meant in Article 7.3b of the Act, insofar as the study has been accredited on the basis of the Act;
• j. Doctoral candidate: the person who has access to the doctoral degree by virtue of Article 7.18, Paragraph 2 or 3 of the Act, and who has been admitted as such by the Board of Deans to the preparations for the doctoral degree;
• k. Supervisor: the professor appointed as such by the Board of Deans by virtue of Article 7.18, Paragraph 4 of the Act;
• l. Co-supervisor: the person who has been appointed by the Board of Deans to assist the supervisor in the supervision of the doctoral candidate;
• m. Assessment Committee: the committee appointed by the Board of Deans, which decides whether the doctoral candidate has provided such proof of competence that he may be admitted to the degree procedure;
• n. Supervisory Committee: the committee before whom the doctoral degree ceremony may take place;
• o. Dissertation: the academic treatise in the form of a book, article, or electronic document, or a technological design as meant in Article 7.18, Paragraph 2, Section b of the Act;
• p. Doctoral degree ceremony: the public defence of the dissertation on the basis of which the doctoral degree may be obtained;
• q. Doctoral degree research: the scientific research that serves as the basis for the dissertation.

Article 2

1. Persons who may be admitted as candidates to the doctorate must comply with the following:
   a. having been awarded the degree of Master on the basis of Article 7.10a, Paragraphs 1, 2 or 3 of the Act;
   b. having written a dissertation or having created a technological design as proof of his/her competence to do research independently;
   c. having met all other requirements pursuant to or ensuing from the present regulation;
2. In special cases, the Board of Deans of the university, having received a well-reasoned request from the prospective candidate, has the right to admit any person to the examination who does not meet the requirements of Paragraph 1, Section a., but who demonstrates or has demonstrated sufficient knowledge in some other manner. Such a request must be submitted to the Board of Deans, accompanied by a recommendation by a professor of the university. Before the Board of Deans takes a decision, it shall consult the Dean of the faculty concerned and obtain further information on the educational qualifications and value of the applicant’s diplomas.
3. Anyone who has already obtained a doctoral degree (or an equivalent degree, including a Ph.D.) cannot be admitted to the doctoral degree procedure at the university. The Board of Deans may grant exemption from this rule, if the person concerned wishes to obtain a doctoral degree on the basis of research done in a different field of science than the field of the previous doctoral degree research.

Article  3

1. 1. Wherever these regulations speak of supervisor or co-supervisor and where more than one appointment has been made, this shall be read as supervisors or co-supervisors accordingly.
2. If the Rector of the university is appointed as supervisor or is part of the Assessment Committee, his or her tasks and competence as chairman of the Supervisory Committee shall be assumed by a former rector, dean or former dean, to be appointed by him or her.
3. All those present during meetings of the Assessment Committee, during the closed council of the Supervisory Committee, or during the meetings of the advisory committee as meant in Article 39, Paragraph 2, shall observe secrecy to anything discussed.