Doctoral Training Program in Mathematics as an Academic Discipline

Discipline Code: 0701

1. Discipline Introduction

The discipline of Mathematics at Hebei Normal University was among the first in China to be granted the right to confer master's degrees after the establishment of the degree system. It was authorized to confer doctoral degrees in Basic Mathematics in 1998, Applied Mathematics in 2006, and first-level doctoral degrees in Mathematics in 2011. The discipline also established a postdoctoral research station in 2007. As the only Mathematics discipline in Hebei Province with doctoral degree-granting rights, it has received long-term substantial support from the provincial government and departments of education and science and technology. In 2005, it was designated as a strong characteristic discipline in Hebei Province, included in the cultivation of national key disciplines by Hebei universities in 2013, and identified as a world-class discipline construction discipline in the "Double First-Class" initiative of Hebei Province in 2016. Relying on the first-level doctoral discipline in Mathematics, the Hebei Provincial Computational Mathematics and Applications Key Laboratory was established in 2011, followed by the Hebei Provincial Mobile Internet of Things Research Institute and the Hebei Provincial Collaborative Innovation Center for Digital Education, which became one of the first 15 collaborative innovation centers of the "2011 Plan" in Hebei Province. In 2016, the AR Key Laboratory was established in Hebei universities, achieving another innovative breakthrough in school-enterprise R&D cooperation. The Hebei Provincial Mathematics Research Center and the Hebei Mathematical Society are also affiliated with our university. In the fourth round of national disciplinary assessment organized by the Ministry of Education's Center for Degree and Graduate Education, our Mathematics discipline was rated as a B-class discipline, ranking in the top 30% nationally. Currently, the Mathematics discipline has formed several research teams with national and international influence, such as Operator Algebra and Operator Theory, Intelligent Computing and its Applications, Combinatorial Design and Combinatorial Geometry, Dynamical Systems and Differential Topology, Algebra and Algebraic Combinations.

2. Training Objectives and Basic Requirements

The discipline aims to cultivate high-level research talents in Mathematics with high political quality, sound ideological and moral character, good professional ethics, solid professional knowledge, and the ability to serve China's education and scientific research. Graduates are expected to have a solid and broad foundation in mathematical theory, in-depth knowledge of their specialty, familiarity with the current state and trends of their research field, and deep expertise in some sub-disciplines. They should receive comprehensive training in the entire process of scientific research and be capable of conducting independent scientific research, making systematic and creative contributions to important topics in their research direction. At least one foreign language proficiency is required for reading professional literature, with good writing skills and the ability to engage in international academic exchanges. Graduates should be able to independently conduct scientific research, teach, or undertake other practical work in Mathematics and related disciplines.

3. Program Duration and Study Period

The academic doctoral program lasts for 4 years, with a study period ranging from 3 to 6 years.

4. Training Methods

  (i) Doctoral students are trained through a combination of theoretical learning, research training, and practical activities.

  (ii) The guidance of doctoral students is based on the mentor responsibility system, combining mentor (or mentor group) training with autonomous exploration by students, fully mobilizing the students' initiative in learning and maximizing the leading role of mentors.

  (iii) Combining political theory learning with regular political, ideological, moral, and legal education. Active participation in social activities beneficial to socialist modernization is encouraged, provided that the learning tasks are completed.

  (iv) The theoretical teaching for doctoral students combines classroom teaching and discussion, focusing on cultivating their innovative capabilities and the ability to acquire new knowledge, think deeply, make correct judgments, analyze and solve problems.

  (v) Doctoral students are encouraged to actively participate in research projects of the college or their mentors, engage in domestic and international academic exchanges, and enter the forefront of disciplinary research as soon as possible.

5. Course Structure and Credit Requirements

  (i) Mainland Doctoral Students

     1. Doctoral courses include degree courses, non-degree courses, and compulsory sections.

        (1) Degree courses include degree public courses and degree professional courses, with a passing grade of 70 points. Degree public courses include: First Foreign Language (4 credits, 144 hours), Selected Readings of Marxist Classics (1 credit, 18 hours), and Chinese Marxism and the Contemporary (2 credits, 36 hours). Degree professional courses are specialized courses in the discipline, requiring at least 6 credits.

        (2) Non-degree courses include quality expansion courses, tool courses, and directional courses for graduate students. Non-degree courses have a passing grade of 60 points.

        Degree courses are generally examined, while non-degree courses can be assessed. The examination method can include written (open or closed book), oral or a combination of both. The assessment of degree public courses is organized by the Graduate School, and the assessment method for other courses is determined by the course instructors and reported to the college for record-keeping.

(3) Compulsory sections include international experience, academic activities, scientific ethics, and academic style building activities.

① Doctoral students are required to have international academic activity experience during their studies, including joint training abroad, participating in international academic conferences, etc.

② Doctoral students should attend at least 20 academic lectures in their discipline during their studies, with no less than 3 lectures per semester from the second to sixth semesters. If students participate in joint training at home or abroad, they must complete the academic lecture attendance tasks at the joint training institution. At the end of the sixth semester, written records should be submitted to the mentor for approval and then filed with the college graduate secretary for future reference.

③ The college and mentors (groups) actively organize scientific ethics and academic style building lectures, guiding graduate students to master the norms of scientific research, establish rigorous academic character, and consciously resist academic misconduct. Students are required to submit a learning experience report during their studies.

The graduate training program operates on a credit system.

The total credits (including degree course credits and compulsory sections) required for doctoral students in Mathematics should not be less than 18 credits and not exceed 22 credits.

Master-Ph.D. students must complete the credits required in the master's training program in the first four semesters, transition to the doctoral phase in the fifth semester, and follow the doctoral student training program.

(ii) International Students and Students from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan

Follow the relevant regulations of the university.

Mid-term Assessment

To ensure the quality of doctoral training, doctoral students undergo a mid-term assessment in the third semester, organized by the college. The doctoral mid-term assessment team comprehensively assesses doctoral students, including ideological and moral character, course learning, research capabilities, and proposal reports. Only those who pass the mid-term assessment can proceed to the thesis writing stage.

Research and Dissertation

Research Requirements

Doctoral students in this discipline must publish at least 2 professional academic papers (as the first author and first institution) in SCI-indexed journals (online) during their studies, applying the requirements of the relevant fields for research directions involving arts and sciences crossover. Doctoral students are encouraged to publish papers in top-tier domestic and international journals ("top-tier journals"), with no limit on the number of "2 papers." (Refer to the university's supplementary regulations on academic paper publication for doctoral students applying for degrees).

Dissertation Requirements

Writing a doctoral dissertation is a comprehensive training of research capabilities for doctoral students. The dissertation is an important basis for assessing the comprehensive ability of graduate students and whether they can obtain a degree.

(1) Dissertation Proposal

The dissertation proposal is a necessary process for graduate students' thesis writing. Doctoral students usually participate in the college-organized doctoral dissertation proposal defense seminar in the third semester after enrollment. The seminar involves reporting on the purpose and significance of the dissertation topic, the current state and trends of research in that direction, the main research content of the dissertation, research methods, implementation plan, schedule and expected goals, research features and innovation points, and main references. Only after passing the proposal defense can they proceed to the thesis writing stage.

(2) Mid-term Check

Doctoral students usually participate in the college-organized doctoral dissertation mid-term check seminar in the fifth semester to report the stage achievements of the dissertation (whether it matches the content determined in the proposal), subsequent research content, existing problems, difficulties, and solutions. Those who fail the mid-term check can only apply for a re-check after at least six months.

(3) Dissertation and Defense

Doctoral dissertations must be independently completed by graduate students under the guidance of a mentor (group). The dissertation should be at the forefront of the discipline, be pioneering, and have significant academic and practical value. The dissertation should present creative insights into the research topic.

The dissertation can enter the review stage only after being approved and signed by the mentor. The writing, review, and defense of the dissertation follow the relevant regulations of the Graduate School of Hebei Normal University.