FAQ acadèmiques

A PhD student can ask to temporarily withdraw from the studies for a maximum period of a year, which can be later extended for another year. Just like extensions, the voluntary temporary withdrawal should be approved by the academic commission of the doctoral programme.

In case of a disease, pregnancy, or any other cause stipulated in the current regulations, a PhD student is entitled to temporarily withdraw from the doctoral programme, and this period will not affect the final deadlines to present the doctoral thesis. A PhD student must justify this circumstance before the Doctoral School.

In a new regulation of the university studies established by the Spanish Royal Decree 99/2011 as of 28 January which regulates the official doctoral studies, the concept of a Doctoral Programme is still used. It is specified that “to obtain the degree of Doctor, a student shall successfully complete the doctoral study plan and a set research period. All training and research activities that result in obtaining the degree form a single Doctoral Programme.

The front cover of the doctoral degree may include the mention “International Doctor” under the following circumstances:

A PhD student has been studying or carrying out research at a higher educational establishment or a renowned research centre outside Spain for at least three months. The period of stay and the activities should be approved by the Director, authorised by the Academic Commission, and included in the document of doctorate activities.

A part of the doctoral thesis, at least an abstract and a conclusion, are written and presented in one of the languages usual for scientific communication in the chosen field of studies, which are different from the official or co-official languages of Spain. This norm shall not be applicable to the stays, reports, and experts associated with a Spanish-speaking country.

The thesis was reviewed by at least two Doctoral experts working at any higher educational institution or a research centre outside Spain. At least one Doctoral expert pertaining to a higher educational institution or a research centre outside Spain and different from those listed in the section above mush have formed a part of the Thesis Assessment Committee. In this case, the doctoral thesis shall be defended at the university in which a PhD student is enrolled or, in case of joint doctorate programmes, at any participating universities.

The mention of Industrial Doctor

The mention “Industrial Doctor” shall be attributed under the following circumstances:

1. The PhD student has an employment of commercial contract. The contract may be signed with a company in the private or public sector as well as with a public administration.
2. The PhD student shall participate in a project dealing with industrial research or experimental development at the public administration, which may not be the University. The project of industrial research or experimental development has to be directly related to the thesis of a student. This relation must be certified in paper and approved by the University.

If the project of with industrial research or experimental development is carried out between the University and a company or a Public Administration where a PhD student works, an agreement of collaboration between the parties should be signed. This agreement should specify the responsibilities of the University and the responsibilities of the company or Public Administration as well as the selection process of the PhD students. The student shall have a thesis tutor assigned by the University and a supervisor assigned by the company or Public Administration, which can be a thesis Director in line with the Doctorate norms and regulations.

Although research is the essential activity of the doctorate, doctoral programmes include training activities, classified into transversal activities and specific training.

These training activities are specified in each doctorate programme and may be obligatory, optional or voluntary. Unlike undergraduate or master’s degree training, the training activities of the doctorate programmes of the Universitat de València are not counted in ECTS credits. Therefore, the doctoral student may consult each doctorate programme published on the web pages of the Universitat de València and the Doctoral School in order to find out the obligatory and optional activities recognised by each doctorate programme, their duration or equivalent load in hours and the minimum amount of hours to be completed.

More information:

Doctorate Studies last up to a maximum of three years (on a full-time basis), counting from the student admission to the programme to the presentation of the doctoral thesis. However, they could last up to a maximum of five years on a part-time basis under authorisation of the academic committee responsible for the Doctoral Programme.

International joint Doctorates leading to one only joint title of Doctor may be organised by agreement. The Ministry of Education will regulate the particularities that could be applied in this scenario.

The co-supervision or co-direction of Thesis may be established in the agreement for a joint Doctorate (affecting, in this case, to all doctoral students of the programme) or individually, in an express agreement, for one doctoral student. In the latter case, the agreement will establish if a double degree or one only joint title will be granted.

Yes. As long as a PhD student motivates their request, the academic commission of the PhD programme can authorize it. If a student follows a PhD programme on a part-time basis, the period to present a thesis extends to 5 years from the time of enrolment.

The advanced training of doctoral students in procedures and research techniques. They may include courses, seminars or other activities oriented towards research training, as well as the preparation and presentation of the corresponding Doctoral Thesis, which consists in a scientific work offering original research results.