Access Requirements

Access requirements: https://edoctorado.ucm.es/acceso.

Access to doctoral studies is regulated by Royal Decree 99/2011, of 28 January, and its subsequent amendments. Article 6 of Royal Decree 99/2011, as amended by Royal Decree 576/2023, establishes: 1. As a general rule, access to an official Doctoral Programme requires holding the official Spanish Bachelor's degree (Grado), or equivalent, and an official Master's degree, or equivalent, provided that at least 300 ECTS credits have been completed across both qualifications combined. 2. In addition, access may also be granted to those who meet any of the following conditions:

1. Holding official Spanish university degrees or equivalent Spanish qualifications, provided that at least 300 ECTS credits have been completed across these qualifications combined, and accrediting level 3 of the Spanish Framework for Qualifications in Higher Education (MECES).
2. Holding a qualification obtained under a foreign education system belonging to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), without the need for its official recognition (homologación), which certifies level 7 of the European Qualifications Framework, provided that such qualification entitles its holder to access doctoral studies in the country of issue. This admission shall not, under any circumstances, imply the official recognition of the holder's previous qualification, nor its recognition for any purpose other than access to doctoral studies.
3. Holding a qualification obtained under a foreign education system outside the EHEA, without the need for its official recognition, following verification by the university that it certifies a level of training equivalent to the official Spanish Master's degree and that it entitles its holder, in the country of issue, to access doctoral studies. This admission shall not, under any circumstances, imply the official recognition of the holder's previous qualification, nor its recognition for any purpose other than access to doctoral studies.
4. Holding another Doctoral degree.
5. Likewise, university graduates who, having obtained a place through the corresponding entrance examination for specialised health training positions, have successfully completed at least two years of training within a programme leading to an official qualification in one of the Health Sciences specialities, may also gain access.

Likewise, the UCM Doctoral Studies Regulations (available here), in Title II, Chapter I, further develop this Royal Decree.

UCM Doctoral Programmes shall reserve at least 5% of the places offered for students with a recognised disability of 33% or higher, as well as for students with permanent special educational needs associated with personal circumstances of disability who, in their previous studies, required resources and support to achieve full educational normalisation. Admission procedures shall take students with disabilities into account.

UCM may also reserve places to be awarded among students classified as high-level or high-performance athletes, in accordance with the requirements and quotas established in the general regulations governing admission to public universities in the Community of Madrid.

Places may likewise be reserved to fulfil agreements and covenants arising from UCM's participation in university alliances and networks, insofar as provided for in the corresponding agreements and covenants.

Any reserved places that remain unfilled shall be added to those offered by the University under the general admission scheme, in each call for admission. The ranking and allocation of reserved places shall be carried out in accordance with the assessment criteria applicable to each Doctoral Programme.

Each year, the Rector, or the Vice-Rector to whom this is delegated, shall order the publication of the call for admission to Doctoral Studies, specifying the deadlines and procedures for submitting applications, as well as the documentation required to accompany them.

Interested parties shall submit their pre-enrolment application through the electronic means established by UCM for this purpose. Applications must be accompanied by documentation justifying compliance with the access requirements and the merits to be assessed in accordance with the provisions of the relevant programme. The Academic Commissions of the Doctoral Programmes shall select the candidates to be admitted, in accordance with the general criteria and the specific criteria set out in each Programme's verified report (Memoria Verificada), applying the established scales, which must be made known to candidates. The admission procedure shall be carried out in accordance with the principles of merit, equality and capability.

The admission decision shall be communicated to candidates by the Programme Coordinator on behalf of the Academic Commission, under the terms established in the call for admission. Admission shall lapse if enrolment is not completed within the corresponding deadline.

In each academic year, including the year in which the thesis is submitted to the Programme's Academic Commission, doctoral students admitted to a Programme must enrol within the deadline established by UCM, paying the academic supervision fee set by the Community of Madrid, whether they are studying full-time or part-time. Enrolment shall be carried out in accordance with the regulations approved by UCM for each academic year. In the case of joint Doctoral Programmes, the corresponding agreement shall determine how enrolment and payment of the academic supervision fee are to be carried out.

In accordance with Article 7 of Royal Decree 99/2011, universities, through their Academic Commissions, may establish additional requirements and criteria for the selection and admission of students to a specific Doctoral Programme. In particular, the PDIQ Academic Commission requires the endorsement of a researcher as a potential Thesis Supervisor. The endorsement of a research group is also required for the development of the Doctoral Thesis.