The degree of PhD (philosophiae doctor) is awarded by the institution. The PhD is the entry level to the academic ladder, but this does not mean that it is worthless. After a Master's degree, very few people continue on their way to a doctoral programme, and even fewer complete it with a successful degree. The Faculty's two doctoral schools award around 20 doctorates per year.

After obtaining their Master's degree, and typically due to the encouragement of their supervisor, students apply to the Faculty's doctoral schools, which provides them with a 4-year training course. During this time, they study professional subjects, conduct research, publish, and engage in teaching activities to improve their presentation skills. During the training period, there are numerous opportunities to supplement the scholarship and to get involved in research projects. At the end of their training, doctoral students are required to submit a dissertation and formal, verifiable theses summarising their original scientific achievements, which is evaluated by the Doctoral Committee of the Faculty and the University on the basis of peer review and a public debate.

If you want to obtain a doctoral degree easily, do not choose BME, where the requirements are rather strict compared to other institutions, including the publication of prestigious journal papers listed by the leading indexing databases. In return for all this, the value and recognition of the degree is also higher thanks to the large number of professors, the international and company network and the good infrastructure. Those who obtain the degree have demonstrated their ability to think analytically, to formalize engineering problems using a mathematical approach, to find their way around the literature, to produce new research results when necessary and to publish them in an international forum. These skills are essential for those who envisage a future in higher education or research institutions, but there is also a strong demand from companies for PhD graduates.

The habilitation title is awarded by the institution, like the PhD degree, and is the highest title the institution can award. There are faculties and institutions where habilitation is a prerequisite for becoming an associate professor. BME is not one of them, here one can become an associate professor without habilitation, but this is not due to the low level of requirements for associate professors, but to the high level of requirements for habilitation.

To qualify for habilitation, you need to demonstrate outstanding qualities in three areas: teaching, science and professional public life.

In the field of education, the requirements are as follows:

• A minimum of 6 semesters of teaching experience in higher education,
• at least one PhD student with a degree,
• at least one university textbook or notes, or equivalent, or several parts of notes written, or at least 4 credits of course development during the career.

Scientific requirements:

• For the number Q and I as defined by the Section of Engineering Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Q≥8 (quality of publications) and I≥20 (citation),
• the number of papers with impact factor should be at least 4,
• the sum of the relative IF scores (max(IF;0.6)/number of authors) should be at least 2,
• the number of independent citations listed in WoS should be at least 20
• the Hirsch index calculated from independent citations in the MTMT should be at least 4.

The fulfilment of the scientific criteria can be monitored using the Tud-O-Meter.

The professional criteria are as follows:

In general, participation in at least three successfully completed R&D&I projects is expected. In addition, performance in at least 6 of the following 15 criteria must be demonstrated:

• Doctoral training (thesis supervision, doctoral theses, programme development, lectures)
• TDK thesis supervision (theses, prizes)
• Membership of national/international journal editorial boards
• Mentoring of outstanding students (joint publications)
• Functions in the organisation of national/international congresses, conferences
• Functions in national/international scientific organisations
• Winning national/international scientific proposals
• Visiting professorships, visiting researchers
• Extended study visits abroad
• Participation in national/international university/college graduate training
• Functions in doctoral schools, doctoral training
• Head of department/research group/research institute
• Functions in scientific juries, boards of trustees, proposal evaluation
• Involvement in scientific evaluation (referee, member of evaluation committee, presentation)
• National/international scientific awards, honours.

One of the main elements of the habilitation application is the thesis booklet, which summarises the achievements since the PhD degree. No dissertation is required. The Faculty and University Habilitation Committee (EHBDT) supervises the procedure. In the case of a positive evaluation, the public phase of the procedure can begin, during which the candidate will give two presentations: a colloquium summarising the theses and scientific work, and then a presentation of teaching (lecture) skills in both Hungarian and English to an audience of students. In case of a favourable opinion of the committee, the EHBDT decides on the award of the title "Dr.habil.".

The title of Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences ("major doctorate", formerly DSc, doctor of science) is awarded by the MTA, and the university has no role in the evaluation and decision-making processes, which guarantees a uniform standard for all institutions. It is a very prestigious title, requiring several decades of successful research. The award is based not only on publication in leading scientific forums in the field, but also on the impact of the results, i.e. the candidate must demonstrate that his/her achievements have had an impact on his/her field of research. The Faculty has approximately 35-40 staff members holding this title, which is high by national standards.

To be awarded this title, a dissertation must be written and the scientific results presented in thesis points. The application must be submitted to the relevant section of the Academy of Sciences (the most common choice being the Section of Engineering Sciences, due to the activities of the Faculty). The first step is the "habit examination" (which has nothing to do with habilitation), during which the relevant scientific committee of the section examines whether the applicant's scientific achievements reach the desired level and appoints the committee to evaluate the dissertation. The Section of Engineering Sciences checks, among other things, that the following conditions are met:

• The Q number summarising the value of the publication forums (journals, conferences) reaches the required minimum,
• The I number summing up the number of independent citations reaches the required minimum,
• The number of independent qualified (WoS) citations reaches the required minimum,
• The number of papers with impact factor and the relative impact factor (impact factor divided by the number of authors) reach the required minimum,
• The H-index reaches the required minimum,
• Whether there is demonstrable activity in the field of scientific public activity in the 14 areas specified (TDK supervision, teaching in higher education, participation in doctoral training, scientific jury, conference organisation, leadership experience, successful proposals, international experience, etc.)

The scientometric requirements can be checked online using Tud-O-Meter.

In the case of a successful "habit examination", the dissertation is reviewed by 3 referees. In the case of a positive evaluation, a public defence may be announced and, after the defence, the decision on the award of the title is taken by the section and then by the Doctoral Council Board.

Interestingly, while the PhD degree is recognised throughout the world, in many countries there is no equivalent to the title of Doctor of Science, or it is not understood in quite the same way as it is here.

Becoming the Member of the Academy is the top of an academic career. The number of the members is limited by the MTA's regulations: there can be no more than 365 (for all disciplines in total), so if someone gets in this circle, he/she can claim to be among the best scientists in the country without exaggeration. The election of members normally takes place every 3 years. To be included in the pool of candidates, at least 3 recommendations are needed from other members. The ranking of the candidates is carried out by the scientific sections during the nomination meeting, based on the evaluation of the scientific career. (You can find out more about the election process here). There are two levels of Academy membership: the supported candidates first become corresponding members and then, in the next academic election, if they can demonstrate further substantial scientific progress, they usually become regular members.

The faculty currently have 2 full-time "members of the Academy" of active age.