Promotion is defence of a scientific work as a result of which the PhD degree is conferred.The promotion procedure is determined by the Regulations on Promotion Councils and Promotion at RTU. The promotion at RTU is allowed for the scientific domains, which are accredited for Doctoral study programmes in accordance with the Regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 1000. At present, 19 Promotion Councils operate at RTU being entitled to confer a scientific degree in architecture, civil engineering, electronics and telecommunications, electrical engineering, power engineering, information technologies, chemistry, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, materials science, mechanics, transport and communication, management and environmental science.
The Promotion Councils confer the PhD degree for an independently developed and publicly defended promotion work under the supervision of an experienced scientist (a professor, an associate professor, an assistant professor and/or the leading researcher, who is approved in accordance with the procedure determined at RTU).
The promotion work may be a Doctoral Thesis, or a thematically united series of scientific publications, or a monograph – a refereed scientific book, which is dedicated to one subject.
For a PhD student, qualitative Doctoral Studies are completed with passing of all examinations and tests anticipated by the Doctoral Studies work plan, submission of the promotion work for defence of the PhD degree at the Promotion Council of the corresponding industry, public defence of the promotion work and obtaining the PhD degree.
The first stage on the way to obtaining the PhD degree is completed when a PhD student successfully passes all examinations and tests anticipated by the Doctoral Studies work plan, as well as develops his/her promotion work.
At the third stage the Promotion Council accepts the promotion work, when its author substantiates his/her choice of the subject, defines the goal and objectives of his/her research, characterises scientific achievements during the research of the subject and the used methods, reports on and discusses the results obtained in the work and conclusions, summarising these in the conclusions and the theses to be defended.
Not later than two weeks prior to the promotion work defence date determined by the Promotion Council, the PhD candidate, who has been already dismissed from the Doctoral Studies due to completion of the theoretical course,
submits an application addressed to RTU Vice-Rector for Research for his/her reinstatement at Doctoral Studies to the Doctoral Studies Department;
Places the promotion work, its summary (in Latvian and English) and the promotion work appendices in the electronic form on the ORTUS portal;
Submits one copy of the promotion work and its summary (in Latvian and English) to the RTU library;
Submits two copies of the promotion work and seven copies of its summary (in Latvian and English) to the National Library of Latvia.
Notices on submission of the promotion work and its summary to the libraries must be submitted to the Promotion Council Secretary prior to the defence.
The PhD degree is conferred to the candidate pursuant to the resolution of the Promotion Council, with the order of RTU Rector.
The Regulations determine the procedure of establishment and operation of the Councils, as well as the procedure of conferring the Doctoral degree at RTU.