Principles of the Framework

This revised National Framework for Doctoral Education commits the key stakeholders in Irish graduate education and research to the highest standards in the provision of doctoral education and research through the endorsement of the following principles:

1. Original contribution to knowledge

The core of doctoral education is deep engagement with a question, problem, or hypothesis at the frontier of knowledge, and advancement of this frontier under the guidance of expert and committed supervision. To be awarded a doctoral degree, the candidate must have made an original contribution to knowledge.

2. Institutional responsibility

The admission of doctoral students takes into account the preparedness of the applicant, the availability of qualified, competent and accessible supervision, appropriate support services, including wellbeing supports, and the resources necessary to conduct the research.

3. Quality of learning environment

Doctoral education is conducted in a research environment with a high degree of research integrity, academic quality, and infrastructure and where it is consistent with institutional strategies. Academic quality includes quality supervision by expert and committed supervisors and training for supervisors.

4. Access to research and expertise

Doctoral education is conducted in a learning community where sufficient critical mass of internationally recognised research activity exists to allow students to gain access to a training programme of appropriate breadth and to interact with peers engaged in their field, nationally and internationally.

5. Learning experience

Doctoral education significantly increases students' depth and breadth of knowledge of their discipline and develops their expertise in research methodology which is applicable to both a specific project and a wider context. It provides a high-quality research experience and training, including a formalised integrated programme of personal and professional development.

6. Discipline diversity

Recognising that each doctorate is unique, doctoral education is flexible so as to support students of different types, undertaking different modes of study, in a broad range of individual disciplines or within interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary groups.

7. Delivery of supervision and examination

Doctoral education is supported by established structures with: 

  • supervision by a principal supervisor(s), normally with a supporting panel approved by the institution.

  • formal monitoring of progress to completion against published criteria, supported by institutional arrangements.

  • clearly defined examination processes, involving external examiners, assessment criteria and declared outcomes, and which allow for the thesis to be presented in different formats.

8. Quality of the final outcome

Successful completion and examination of the research thesis, comprising work of publishable quality, is the basis for the award of the doctoral degree.

9. Quality assurance

A robust quality assurance system underpins all doctoral provision. 

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