1. Before submitting the PhD thesis for evaluation, the PhD student must complete all program and research requirements including the doctoral courses, scientific activities, and the publication of papers in refereed journals.
The PhD student must write the PhD thesis and submit the full manuscript to the PhD Supervisor(s) in accordance with the PhD dissertation manual. The PhD student is responsible to communicate with the USEK library for ensuring that the PhD thesis meets the required professional standards and format set by the University.

2. PhD student must publish, as first author, two peer-reviewed scholarly outputs (two articles published or in press or accepted for publication) in refereed and indexed journals. It is to be noted that one of these two scholarly outputs could be published in peer-reviewed proceedings within the frame of international symposiums or a participation in national or international peer-reviewed conferences.

3. Following the approval of the PhD supervisor (s), the PhD student must coordinate with the DAC to ensure that everyone agrees that the work is ready for evaluation; they decide on a date for the defense.

The PhD student and the supervisor(s) begin scheduling the defense date at least ten weeks before the expected date of defense to ensure that all jury members are able to be available on the date and time selected.
The PhD student must enroll in the term in which the PhD thesis is officially submitted for evaluation and in the term of the PhD defense.

4. The PhD student must initiate the authorization procedure for PhD evaluation and defense authorization. The PhD supervisor(s) must certify, by submitting to the Office of Doctoral College the Thesis Evaluation and Defense Authorization Form (TEDAF), that they have examined the PhD thesis, the PhD student has completed all doctoral studies requirements, and it is ready to be sent to a jury for evaluation. The TEDAF shall be validated by the office of the Doctoral College.
After TEDAF validation, the list of Readers and Examiners for Evaluation of PhD Thesis Form (REEPF) must be initiated by the PhD supervisor(s) in accordance with the functions stipulated in Article 13, endorsed by the school/faculty doctoral studies coordinator, and approved by the dean of school/faculty eight weeks before the prospective date of defense.