From IPMM to IPBS: Key Changes to the Doctoral Regulations

The revised doctoral regulations introduce changes to the program name, admission procedure, curriculum, and graduation requirements. The table below summarizes the main differences between the previous IPMM regulations and the revised (new) IPBS regulations.

This overview is for information only. For all formal or legal purposes, please refer to the applicable doctoral regulations.

Topic	Previous regulations — IPMM	Revised regulations — IPBS
Program name	Interdisciplinary Program Molecular Medicine (IPMM)	Interdisciplinary Program Biomedical Sciences (IPBS)
Doctoral degree	Dr. nat. med.	Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences
Academic scope	Molecular Medicine and Natural Science Medicine.	Broader coverage of molecular and natural science approaches to biomedicine, including Biophysics, Biomedical Informatics, and Computational Biology.
Admission procedure	Applicants presented their research proposal directly to the Doctoral Committee in an interview.	Applicants first present their research proposal at a pre-TAC meeting. The Doctoral Committee then assesses the application documents and pre-TAC meeting minutes through a Paper Check.
TAC composition and selection of tutors	One tutor from the Faculty of Medicine and one from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Tutors were proposed by the Doctoral Committee.	Both tutors may come from the same faculty. Applicants may propose tutors. The TAC composition requires approval by the Doctoral Committee.
Curriculum requirements	A total of 240 hours: 30 hours of soft skills, 30 hours of statistics, and 180 hours of advanced scientific training.	A minimum of 72 hours, including up to 24 hours for TAC meetings.
Manuscripts included in a cumulative dissertation	Only accepted or published articles could be included, with first or last authorship required.	Accepted and unpublished manuscripts may be included as chapters, provided that the doctoral candidate’s contribution is substantial.
Classification of the dissertation	A cumulative dissertation required at least two publications with first or last authorship.	A dissertation containing fewer than two publications is classified as a monograph. A cumulative dissertation contains at least two publications, generally with first or last authorship. Acceptance of a cumulative dissertation remains subject to the Doctoral Committee’s decision.
Submission for evaluation	Printed copies of the dissertation were required for evaluation.	Reviewers receive the dissertation as a PDF. Printed copies are no longer required for evaluation.
Dissertation reviewers	One reviewer from each of the two faculties.	Both reviewers may come from the same faculty. In this case, the chair of the examination committee must come from the other faculty.
Examination committee	Five members: two dissertation reviewers, two additional oral examiners, and a chair. The reviewers and additional examiners represented both faculties equally.	Three members: two dissertation reviewers and a chair.
Grades on the doctoral certificate	Separate grades for the dissertation and the oral examination.	One overall doctoral grade, calculated from the dissertation grade and the oral examination grade, with the dissertation weighted twice and the oral examination once.
Publication of the dissertation	Electronic publication via KUPS, printed submission to the University and City Library, or publication on microfiche.	Electronic publication via KUPS or printed submission to the University and City Library. Microfiche is no longer included as an option.