1. What are the admission requirements for a PhD program?

Generally, to have access to an official doctoral program you will need an official Spanish Bachelor's Degree, or equivalent, and a Master's Degree, or equivalent, and prove that you have taken at least 300 ECTS credits both Degrees.

The general requirements, established by current legislation, can be consulted in detail at: https://www.comillas.edu/en/doctorate/application-requirements-for-doctoral-programs.

The general requirements, established by current legislation, can be consulted in detail at https://www.comillas.edu/en/doctorate#programas.

2. Can I access a PhD program with a Spanish Bachelor's degree?

Yes, the agreement of the Governing Council dated March 4, 2014 establishes that the titles of Bachelor, Superior Engineer and Superior Architect issued in Spain give access to doctoral studies.

3. If I am a foreigner, can I access a PhD program and if so, how do I have to present my Degrees?

If you have a credential of homologation or declaration of equivalence to the degree and academic level of a graduate, architect, engineer, doctor or graduate (whose duration, according to community law regulations, is at least 300 ECTS) granted by the Ministry of Universities, the procedures that must be carried out to request admission to doctoral studies will be the same as those of students who have obtained their degree in Spain.

If you do not have an approval credential or declaration of equivalence, you must submit the documentation detailed in the following question.

4. Do I have to validate my foreign Degree to access a PhD program?

To access doctoral studies, it is not necessary to previously homologate the access Degree. It will be necessary to present the original Degree duly legalized or a certified photocopy together with an academic certificate that must include: the official duration of the studies in academic years, the curriculum, the subjects studied and the number of hours or credits completed. Likewise, a certificate of level of studies must be presented in which the home university certifies that the studies carried out by the candidate give access to doctoral studies in the country issuing the degree.

5. Can I access the Doctoral Programs regulated by the R.D. 99/2011 if I have been enrolled in doctorate programs regulated by previous decrees?

If you are in possession of the DEA (R.D. 778/1998) or research proficiency (R.D. 185/1985), you can access a doctoral program. If you are not in possession of the DEA or the certificate of research adequacy, you must complete a university Master's Degree or access via a Bachelor's Degree if you have that degree. You must apply for admission to the program that interests you and submit all the corresponding documentation as if you were a new student.

6. How do I apply for admission to a PhD program?

Initially, it is convenient to contact the program coordinator to assess the possible line of research and thesis director. Then, you must register on the admissions portal and upload the necessary documentation. Depending on the program this documentation may vary. Please read carefully the informative note of the selected program where the required documents are detailed.

7. How often do I have to renew my registration?

The PhD programs regulated by RD99/2011 are configured by semester. Registration must be formalized during the months of September and February.

8. What happens if I do not pay tuition?

This fact implies the breach of the economic obligations contracted with the University, therefore, in application of the provisions of letter g) of art. 92.2. of the General Regulations, you will lose your status as a student and consequently your withdrawal will be processed.

9. Can I not pay tuition for a year if I request a temporary withdrawal from my studies?

If a temporary drop in studies is authorized you will not have to formalize the registration during that period. In the event that the leave is due to illness or maternity/paternity, the running of time that affects the deadline for your thesis defense will be interrupted during the duration of the leave. On the contrary, if the temporary leave is not for medical reasons the running of time will not be interrupted.

10. How much time do I have to finish my doctoral studies?

A maximum of three years, full-time, and five years, part-time, counting from the doctoral student's admission to the program until the request for deposit of the doctoral thesis is made.

11. Can I request an extension?

In the case of full-time studies, you may request a one-year extension, which exceptionally and with the approval of the Director of the International Doctoral School, may be extended for another additional year. In the case of part-time studies, the extension may be authorized for two more years which, likewise, exceptionally, could be extended for another additional year.

12. Can I change the type of dedication of the studies?

Yes, you can request a change of modality, taking into account that said change will proportionally affect the duration of your studies and will therefore modify the deadline for presenting the thesis, which you can consult at the General Service for Academic Management and Titles.

13. Can I do a PhD and work at the same time?

Yes, in which case you must choose the part-time modality.

14. What electronic accounts do I have as a PhD candidate?

You have two accounts: a student account (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and a PDI (Teaching-Research Staff) account (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). The first is used to access Moodle, where you will find academic materials and virtual classes, and the second serves to access iPDI, where the activities carried out during the PhD studies are recorded, following the indications of the PhD Student Doctoral Activities Management Guide.

Apart from this, both addresses are email accounts. All academic information will be sent exclusively to the student account, so we recommend redirecting them.

15. What should the Research Plan include and what is the deadline for submitting it?

There is a specific model to present your plan, endorsed by your Director and your Tutor. Likewise, you will have to attach the Annex: Social impact of the thesis (ABC model). You must submit it before the end of the first year from your admission to the program and, thereafter, every year until the request for deposit of your thesis.

The first year you must also attach the Request for approval of the processing of personal data and ethical aspects of the doctoral thesis/Responsible statement of non-requirement of a report.

16. What is the annual evaluation? What happens if the annual evaluation is negative?

Annually, the Academic Commission of the Program will evaluate the Research Plan and the Activities Document together with the reports that the tutor and the director must issue for this purpose. The favorable evaluation is an essential requirement to continue in the program. In the event of an unfavorable evaluation, which will be duly motivated, the doctoral student must be evaluated again within a maximum period of six months, for which purpose a new research plan must be drawn up. In the event of a new unfavorable evaluation, the doctoral student will be permanently withdrawn from the program.

17. If I am dismissed from the program, is it possible to reapply?

Yes, but in the event of being readmitted, the time limit does not restart. For the deadline to be reset, the new research will be required to be objectively and significantly different from that carried out in the previous stage, something that must be explicitly verified and approved by the Academic Committee. A different Director is also required.

18. What should I do if I want to do my thesis in another language?

The doctoral student may choose to write and, where appropriate, defend their thesis in Spanish or in English. However, the General Doctorate Committee may authorize the writing and, where appropriate, defense of the thesis in a language other than Spanish and English, if there is justification that said language is common for scientific communication in the field of knowledge concerned. For this, a favorable report from the Academic Commission responsible for the doctoral program is required. The request for writing and, where appropriate, defense of the thesis in a language other than Spanish and English must be addressed to the General Doctorate Committee prior to the thesis presentation process.

19. Can I change the director or co-director of the Doctoral Thesis?

Yes, there is a specific model for it.

20. What is a PhD with International Mention? And a thesis under International Co-Direction?

The International Mention in the PhD title will be included when:

• The student spends at least 3 months carrying out research or studies at a renowned higher education institution or research institution.
• Part of the doctoral thesis must be written and presented in one of the habitual languages of scientific communication in the student's field of knowledge other than any of the official languages of Spain.
• A minimum of two experts belonging to a non-Spanish higher education institution or research institute must submit a report on the thesis.
• At least one member of the Thesis Committee must be an expert with a doctoral degree and belong to a higher education institution or research center from outside Spain.

The thesis will be under International Co-Direction when:

• The thesis is not part of a joint program.
• It has been supervised by two or more doctors from two universities, a Spanish university and a foreign one, which must sign a co-direction agreement.
• The student must have spent at least six months at the international institution doing research work, in either a single period or several periods.
• Both universities must have signed a co-direction agreement establishing the co-direction of the thesis by both doctors, the activities to be carried out by the doctoral student and the terms of the stay at the international institution.

21. How can I transfer my doctoral record from a program at another university to Universidad Pontificia Comillas?

You must apply for admission to the program as if you were a new student, but the Academic Committee of the Program may acknowledge the activities carried out in other centers and exempt you from taking Training Activities and Complementary Training of the program. In this case, you could continue with the same director of the previous program as long as you also have a tutor belonging to the Comillas PhD program.

22. Will courses I have taken in other postgraduate programs be recognized when applying for access to a PhD program?

When evaluating the admission of a student to one of the PhD programs at Comillas Pontifical University and establishing the Complementary Training and/or Training Activities required, all courses and academic activities carried out by the student are assessed.

23. What is the Doctoral Student Activities Document?

It is a document that includes the individualized record of all the activities that the doctoral student carries out during his studies. It must be supervised by the director and evaluated annually by the Academic Commission. All the activities that are carried out throughout the PhD must be registered through the iPDI portal, accessing with the PDI passwords, and following the indications of the PhD Student Doctoral Activities Management Guide.

24. What is the Documentary Commitment?

It is a document signed by the University, the doctoral student, his tutor and his director, by means of which the supervisory functions of the doctoral students, the rights and obligations of the parties are established, and all aspects related to intellectual or industrial property rights that may be generated during the course of the PhD program are contemplated.

25. Is there a minimum time for the thesis defense?

No, you can defend your thesis at any time if it is admitted for defense, but you must take into account that the minimum payment of tuition fees is three years full-time and five years part-time.

26. How do I deposit my thesis?

You must request the authorization for the deposit (model 6A) from the Academic Committee, along with a favorable report from your Director and a copy of the thesis. Likewise, you will have to attach the final version of the Annex: Social impact of the thesis (ABC model) and the Request for Approval of Personal Data Processing and Ethical Aspects of the Doctoral Thesis/ Declaration of Honor that a report is not required. To avoid paying more fees than necessary, keep in mind that the period of time that elapses from the time the deposit is requested until the thesis is admitted for defense can be up to two months, since you must have paid the doctoral registration fee, including the semester in which the thesis defense authorization is approved.

The thesis must be deposited in a pre-established format that you can consult at this link.

27. Who approves the thesis defense? Who is part of the Thesis Committee?

The Academic Commission of the program is the one who decides the admission to defense of the thesis. Likewise, the Thesis Committee is proposed by the Academic Commission: it must feature five doctors with sufficient accredited research experience in the field.

28. Do I have to pay any fee for thesis defense?

The defense of the thesis does not require the payment of any additional amount, the student must have formalized the registration within the established deadlines and in the event that the defense occurs earlier than expected, have paid the minimum fees.