Is the title initially proposed in the Research Plan the final title of the thesis?
No, it must reflect the subject area of the thesis, but it may be amended during the course of the thesis provided that it remains within that subject area. Any change will require an amendment to the Research Plan and will need to be approved by the person supervising or directing the thesis (authorised profile) and by the Academic Committee of the PhD Programme.
What is the maximum time allowed to complete the doctoral thesis?
If the student is studying full-time, the maximum is four years; for part-time study, it is seven years, counting from the date of enrolment to the date of thesis submission. If enrolled on a full-time basis, an extension of one year may be requested; if on a part-time basis, the extension will be for two years.
Is there a minimum time limit for completing the thesis?
The minimum duration of doctoral studies shall be 18 months on a full-time basis, and in the case of a combination of full-time and part-time periods, the applicable duration shall be calculated as indicated for the total duration using the following formula: Total duration = full-time duration + 0.571 × part-time duration
Once the doctoral thesis has been submitted, is it possible to amend it?
Once it has been made publicly available, no amendments may be made.
Do periods of sick leave count towards the time spent on the PhD programme?
No, periods of sick leave do not count. Doctoral students may apply to the CAPD for temporary leave from the programme due to illness, childbirth, adoption, foster care for the purposes of adoption, foster care, risk during pregnancy, risk during breastfeeding, care for dependants, gender-based violence, geopolitical circumstances or any other situation covered by current regulations. Requests must be supported by documentary evidence and addressed to the Academic Management Service, which will decide on the application and inform the CAPD. The duration of the leave will be determined by the reason for it, in accordance with the guidelines set by the Academic Management Service.
Deadline for reading the thesis
The public defence must take place within a maximum of three months from the authorisation of the defence by the body designated by the doctoral school (EIDO Standing Committee), except in duly justified cases. If this deadline is exceeded, the procedures for authorising the thesis for defence must be restarted.
Thesis Examination Board
The CAPD is responsible for proposing the examination board, after consulting the thesis supervisor (or, where applicable, the tutor). It will propose a list of seven members of the board who will assess the thesis. The EIDO Standing Committee will approve and appoint a five-member board from among the seven members proposed by the CAPD. These members must meet the criteria of gender parity and external representation, and the proposal may not include more than two members per institution.
Who is not eligible to sit on the examination board?
Under no circumstances may the thesis supervisor or co-supervisor, or, where applicable, the supervisor, sit on the examination borad, except in the case of theses submitted under bilateral co-supervision agreements with foreign universities that provide for this, or in the case of theses submitted in joint doctoral programmes with foreign universities, pursuant to the relevant agreements.
Co-authors of publications derived from a thesis may not sit on the examination board, nor may the person responsible for the research placement required to qualify for the international distinction sit on the examination board.
How many articles must a thesis include per compendium?
The thesis must include a minimum of three research articles, either published or definitively accepted for publication. The articles must be published in journals indexed in the relevant subject area of the Journal Citation Reports (SCI and/or SSCI). In areas where this criterion does not apply, it may be replaced by the criteria established by the National Commission for the Evaluation of Research Activity (CNEAI) for those areas.
Can retired academic staff sit on the examination board?
University academic staff may sit on doctoral thesis examination boards even if they are on leave of absence, retired, on special assignment or on secondment.
What can be done if you wish to publish an article immediately after reading the thesis, to avoid conflicts that arise when a publisher refuses to publish it because the thesis has already been published openly?
The law stipulates that theses must be published openly. However, in the event of a conflict, it is possible to request a postponement of the thesis’s open publication. This problem does not arise with theses comprising a collection of articles, as the papers have already been accepted for publication, and this is stated when the thesis is published.
Is it possible to obtain both the international and industrial specialisations?
Yes, it is possible provided that all the requirements established for each are met. The company where the student works must agree to the PhD student undertaking a research placement of at least three months at a foreign institution.
Can I apply for admission to several PhD programmes?
Yes, by submitting a pre-registration application for each of the programmes applied for. If admitted to several, enrolment can only be carried out in one of them.
Who can supervise the thesis?
Any Spanish or foreign doctor with accredited research experience as set out in Article 8 may act as a thesis supervisor, regardless of the university, centre or institution where they are employed, provided they do not fall under any of the grounds for recusal established in Article 23 of Law 40/2015 of 1 October.
Is it possible to change the supervisor or co-supervisor of a doctoral thesis?
Yes, provided that the Academic Committee authorises it, for justified reasons, after hearing the doctoral candidate and the supervisor or co-supervisors during the first two years of the programme. In exceptional cases, this may be done at a later stage, subject to the approval of the doctoral school. Under no circumstances will the supervision assignment be changed to leave the position vacant.
What is TESEO?
TESEO is a database containing information on doctoral theses. The Ministry of Education’s website has been created to allow future doctoral candidates to enter their thesis details into the system. The system will track the various stages the thesis goes through and, once approved, it will be stored in the system so that it can be accessed via the Internet.
What is meant by an authorised profile?
This refers to the person who, as a doctoral supervisor or tutor, is responsible for entering data into the computer system and managing the various activities submitted by students for their activity report and research plan.
How many people can co-supervise a thesis?
The maximum number of people who may supervise a thesis is two, except in the following circumstances, in which case there may be three:
a) When the thesis is clearly interdisciplinary in nature.
b) When the thesis is carried out within the framework of a national or international research project obtained through a competitive call for proposals in collaboration with another national or foreign centre or institution.
c) Where the thesis is carried out under a joint supervision arrangement with more than one foreign university.
d) Where the thesis is eligible for the industrial doctorate distinction.
e) Where the thesis has a co-supervisor from a foreign institution.
Is there a template for the expert reports on theses applying for an international distinction and for external assessors?
Yes, we have an official form available in Galician, Spanish, English and Portuguese, which must be submitted when the thesis is deposited, signed by the author and validated by the programme’s Academic Committee.