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What does it consist of?

This procedure allows you to change the initial appointment of your supervisor and/or doctoral thesis supervisor.

The purpose of the request may be to replace your current supervisor or to appoint a new supervisor in cases where the thesis is co-supervised.

How many people can co-supervise a thesis?

A thesis may be co-supervised by a maximum of three PhD holders, provided there are academic grounds for doing so (e.g. interdisciplinarity, joint supervision, or national or international collaborative programmes).

Who can supervise a thesis

Per a dirigir o tutoritzar una tesi doctoral cal ser Doctora o Doctor amb «experiència investigadora acreditada» i pertànyer al programa i línia d’investigació en el que es realitza la tesi.  

Aquesta experiència investigadora s’acredita amb la possessió de, almenys, «un període d’activitat investigadora reconeguda per la Comissió Nacional Avaluadora de l’Activitat Investigadora (CNEAI)»

Per al cas de personal l’activitat investigadora del qual no siga avaluada per la CNEAI, aquesta experiència investigadora s’haurà d’acreditar  mitjan els mèrits equiparables establerts a l’Acord 72/2025, de 17 de desembre, de la Junta Permanent de l’Escola de Doctorat.

A més, cap doctor/a no pot dirigir o codirigir més de 10 tesis doctorals.

Resignation of a director or tutor

The resignation of a director takes effect only once the Academic Committee has appointed a new director. Until that time, the previous director continues to carry out supervisory and monitoring duties in all respects.

What are the implications of a change of supervisor?

The appointment of a new supervisor or the addition of a co-supervisor—a change recorded in the doctoral student’s electronic academic record—enables:

  • the academic monitoring and supervision of the doctoral thesis
  • access the RAPID platform 
  • annually evaluate the Research Plan and the Activity Report
Who is responsible for this procedure?

The Academic Committee of the PhD Programme is the body responsible for authorising changes to the supervisor and/or director.

Submission of the doctoral agreement signed by the new supervisor or tutor

Any change of supervisor and/or tutor requires the submission of a new doctoral agreement signed by the supervisor(s) and the tutor.

What is the deadline for processing these changes?

A change of supervisor and/or director may be made at any stage during the PhD programme. However, a valid reason must be provided, and changes of director are generally not authorised in the final year of the PhD programme, except in cases of replacement due to force majeure (death, relocation, etc.). 

Description of the procedure

The Academic Committee notifies the Doctoral School of the change, which is then recorded in the doctoral student’s academic record.

To this end, the Academic Committee must complete and sign the form available on the Doctoral School’s website:

Administrative information > Guides and forms > Forms for administrative procedures > Change of supervisor or tutor

El documento tendrá que estar firmado por:

  • el tutor/a, y/o director/a que renuncia, en su caso.
  • el nuevo tutor/a y/o director/a
  • y el/la coordinador/a del Programa de Doctorado.

Además, junto con el documento de modificación de director/a y/o tutor/a, habrá que adjuntar el nuevo compromiso doctoral subscrito por:

  • Doctorando/a
  • Director/a y/o tutor/a
Access to the procedure

Academic Committees must submit communications regarding the appointment of a tutor and/or supervisor via the University of Valencia’s electronic document management system, and within this:

Recipient: - Internal unit

                    -  Centres > Doctoral School    

Recipient group: Assignment or change of supervisor, director and research area.

Regulations

Article 11.4 of Royal Decree 99/2011, regulating official doctoral programmes, and Article 19 of the Internal Regulations of the School of Doctoral Studies and Doctoral Programmes at the University of Valencia (ACGUV 363/24, of 17 December)