Supervision and Monitoring
Regulations Applicable, Developed by UCM, for the Supervision of the Doctoral Thesis
The system for supervising Doctoral Theses and monitoring doctoral students is governed by the UCM Doctoral Studies Regulations of 29-10-2024 (BOUC of 9.12.2024) (Title IV, articles 32 to 48), which develops RD 99/2011 and its amendments and regulates all aspects related to the assignment of the tutor and the thesis supervisor, the documentary commitment, the annual evaluation, etc. In addition, UCM has also approved a Code of Good Practice to regulate the supervision of Doctoral Theses (https://edoctorado.ucm.es/cbp).
Assignment of the tutor
Once admitted to the Doctoral Programme, each doctoral student will be assigned a tutor by the corresponding Academic Committee. The tutor will be a doctor with accredited research experience, belonging to UCM and forming part of the Programme's teaching staff. The tutor may be the same person as the thesis supervisor. It is the tutor's responsibility to ensure the doctoral student's interaction with the Academic Committee, as well as any other functions established in these regulations, in accordance with the Code of Good Practice.
Assignment of the thesis supervisor
Once admitted to the Doctoral Programme, and within a maximum period of three months, doctoral students must register their Doctoral Thesis (https://edoctorado.ucm.es/inscripcion-de-la-tesis-doctoral). Registering the Thesis involves choosing a title, the designation of supervisor(s) by the Academic Committee, and the signing of the documentary commitment by all parties involved. This assignment may fall to any Spanish or foreign doctor with accredited research experience, under the terms established in the relevant article. The supervisor will be primarily responsible for the coherence and suitability of the training activities, the impact and novelty of the Doctoral Thesis topic in its field, and guidance in planning and its alignment, where applicable, with other projects and activities in which the doctoral student is involved. The thesis may be co-supervised by a maximum of two additional doctors when academic or interdisciplinary reasons justify it, or when it involves programmes developed through national or international collaboration.
The Academic Committee, having heard the doctoral student, the supervisor and the tutor, may modify the appointment of the supervisor and/or tutor of a doctoral student at any time during the doctoral period, provided justified reasons exist.
Documentary commitment
The way in which the supervision functions for doctoral students are carried out is established in the documentary commitment set by UCM (https://edoctorado.ucm.es/file/compromiso-documental-espanol-24-25-formulario?ver), which must be signed by the Academic Committee, the doctoral student, the tutor and the supervisor. This document must include a conflict resolution procedure.
The document constitutes a commitment undertaken by the University itself, together with the doctoral student, the tutor and the supervisor, establishing the obligations of each party and the supervision functions of the tasks to be carried out for the purpose of completing the Doctoral Thesis, enabling the presentation of the Doctoral Thesis project, its subsequent development and, finally, its defence, in accordance with the procedures and deadlines to be followed. This document will be effective from the date of signature until the defence of the Doctoral Thesis. However, it will become void in the event of non-compliance with any of the clauses provided for or with the UCM Doctoral Studies Regulations.
Actions for monitoring Doctoral Theses
The actions for monitoring Doctoral Theses are set out in Title IV, articles 32 to 48 of the UCM Doctoral Studies Regulations, and are as follows:
Monitoring of registration in the Activity Document
Once enrolled in the programme, a personalised activity document (https://edoctorado.ucm.es/documento-de-actividades) will be opened for each doctoral student for the purposes of the individualised monitoring record referred to in Article 2.7 of RD 99/2011, through the UCM's RAPI2 computer application (https://geaportal.ucm.es/index.html). All activities of interest for the development of the doctorate will be registered in it, as regulated by UCM, EDUCM where applicable, or the Academic Committee itself. This document will be regularly reviewed by the tutor and the thesis supervisor and evaluated annually by the Academic Committee of the PDIQ.
Annual evaluation of the Research Plan and Personal Training Plan
Before the end of the first year from the date of enrolment, the doctoral student, with the assistance of the supervisor and tutor, will prepare a document that includes a Research Plan and a Personal Training Plan:
The Research Plan (https://edoctorado.ucm.es/plan-de-investigacion) will include at least the methodology to be used and the objectives to be achieved, as well as the means and timeline for achieving them.
The doctoral student's Personal Training Plan (https://edoctorado.ucm.es/plan-de-formacion) must be completed according to the dedication modality in which they are enrolled. This plan will include a forecast of the various training activities to be carried out throughout the completion of the Doctoral Thesis, such as courses, seminars, mobility actions, among others. This document may be improved and detailed throughout the doctoral student's time in the Programme, and must be endorsed by the supervisor and the tutor. In the case of doctoral students with an industrial mention, the provisions of Article 15 bis of RD 99/2011 and Articles 54 and 55 of the UCM Doctoral Studies Regulations will also be taken into account.
Every year, the Academic Committee of the PDIQ evaluates the Research Plan, the Personal Training Plan and the record of activities, together with the reports that the tutor and supervisor must issue for this purpose. A positive evaluation is an essential requirement for continuing in the Programme.
If the Academic Committee identifies significant shortcomings, the evaluation will be negative and duly justified. In such a case, the doctoral student must be evaluated again within a maximum period of six months, for which purpose they will prepare, if so indicated, a new research plan and a new personal training plan, or introduce modifications to these. If the shortcomings persist, the Academic Committee will issue, after hearing the interested party, a new negative evaluation and the doctoral student will be permanently withdrawn from the programme. This decision may be appealed before the EDUCM Management Committee.
The UCM computer application that will record this information is RAPI2, which is accessed through the institutional email (https://geaportal.ucm.es/index.html).