The admission process
The main information on doctoral training in physics at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, as far as the admission procedure is concerned, is published at asp.knu.ua.
Course syllabi
The syllabi of the courses taught to doctoral candidates are collected on the Documentation page.
Doctoral studies are four years that turn you from someone who can solve the problems put in front of them into someone who can pose them. At the end – the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and a dissertation you defend before a specialised council.
There are almost no classes, few exams, and your supervisor does not take attendance. Instead there is your own topic, equipment you operate yourself, and the obligation to publish in international journals. If you are used to studying meaning being told what to do, doctoral studies will feel hard.
The Department of Optics admits doctoral candidates every year.
What this programme is
- 4 years – both full-time and part-time. Full-time is state-funded; part-time is paid by individuals or organisations.
- PhD – the degree of Doctor of Philosophy under the E5 “Physics and Astronomy” speciality. Recognised abroad without additional nostrification in most countries.
- A research supervisor is appointed within a month of enrolment. But you should look for one before applying, not after – your topic depends on them.
- Publications in category B journals, in Scopus and Web of Science. You write them during your studies, not in the final year before the defence.
How to apply
The procedure follows the University's Admission Rules, 2025 edition. Exact dates differ from year to year – check them at asp.knu.ua before applying.
Step 1. Find a research supervisor
Step 1. Find a research supervisor
Formally, a supervisor is appointed within a month of the enrolment order. In reality everything is decided earlier: you write your research proposal before applying, and writing it blindly, without knowing who works on what equipment, means coming to the exam with a text about nothing.
So start with a conversation. Write to the department, say what interests you, ask for a meeting. This is normal and expected: optics.phys@knu.ua, +38 067 451 39 02.
If you did your master’s at the department, you most likely already have a thesis supervisor. Talk to them first.
Step 2. Prepare a research proposal
Step 2. Prepare a research proposal
This is a scientific text of 5–10 pages in which you justify the topic of your future dissertation: what you will study, why it is an unsolved problem, how exactly you intend to solve it and what you will use.
You do not simply submit the proposal – you present it at the entrance exam and the committee discusses it. It is a first scientific talk rather than a formal document.
Step 3. Take the entrance exams
Step 3. Take the entrance exams
Three components:
- EVV – the unified entrance test in research methodology.
- EVI – the unified entrance exam: a general academic aptitude test and a foreign language.
- The speciality exam – where you also present your research proposal.
If your master’s degree is from another field of knowledge, one more exam is added – a supplementary one.
Scientific publications and conference participation earn extra points – up to thirty. A paper written back in your master’s years affects your admission directly.
Step 4. Dates
Step 4. Dates
Doctoral admission happens in autumn, not in summer with the other levels. The general sequence: application registration – early September; the supplementary exam, the speciality exam and the research proposal presentation – mid-September; recommendations for enrolment – late September.
This year’s exact dates are in the Admission Rules at asp.knu.ua.
Who can apply
Who can apply
Holders of a master’s degree or the specialist qualification. The degree does not have to be in physics: if the field of knowledge differs, a supplementary exam is added.
There is no limit on graduation year – people apply both straight after their master’s and after several years of work.
What people work on here
A doctoral topic always grows out of what the department already researches – because that is where the equipment, the supervisor and the group are.
- Optical materials – thin films, semiconductors, nanostructures: from measuring properties to a material with predefined behaviour.
- Semiconductor materials for optoelectronics – GeSn, InGaAs, CIGS, CZTS; jointly with the University of Arkansas, the Lashkaryov Institute and Chemnitz University of Technology.
- Laser spectroscopy and the interaction of radiation with matter.
- Speckle metrology and fractal surface analysis.
- Solar energy – surface physics, absorption and charge transport.
The equipment: a Raman spectrometer, an atomic force microscope, an electron microscope, a high-power neodymium laser. A doctoral candidate operates them personally rather than waiting in a queue. The department runs research projects funded by the National Research Foundation of Ukraine and the Ministry of Education and Science – doctoral candidates join them as paid team members. More about the research directions →
Recent defences
The best answer to “can you really get to a defence here” is the dissertations defended by the department’s doctoral candidates and staff in recent years:
Frequently asked questions
How much is a doctoral candidate paid?
A full-time state-funded doctoral candidate receives a stipend. Its size is set by the Cabinet of Ministers and changes periodically, so check the current amount at asp.knu.ua. Besides the stipend, the department’s doctoral candidates join grant projects as paid team members.
Can it be combined with a job?
Formally nothing forbids it, and many do combine – especially those working in the field. For those whose job comes first there is the part-time track: the same length, the same degree, but self-funded. Honestly, a dissertation written alongside a full-time job takes longer and comes harder. Discuss this with your supervisor before applying, not a year in.
Can you go abroad during your doctoral studies?
Yes, and it is common practice. The department has agreements with Shizuoka University in Japan and Chemnitz University of Technology in Germany, access to the European XFEL and ties with universities in the USA and France. Scholarships come from DAAD, SPIE and OPTICA. The same opportunities as students have – but a doctoral candidate travels with their own topic, so the trip pays off more.
What about deferral from mobilisation?
Full-time doctoral candidates, like students, have a deferral from conscription – it is a standard procedure handled by the university. The rules change from time to time, so ask the dean’s office of the Faculty of Physics about the current year’s procedure.
Want to join the doctoral programme? Write to us
Tell us what interests you in physics, and we will suggest which of the supervisors to talk to.
The Department of Optics, Faculty of Physics, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. 4 Akademika Hlushkova Avenue, Kyiv. Phone +38 067 451 39 02, email optics.phys@knu.ua.