International PhD Mention

 

The UCM offers PhD students the possibility to receive the International PhD Mention, which gives added value to the title. This may be included on the front of the PhD title, provided that all requirements are met.

The UCM offers doctoral candidates the possibility of obtaining the International Doctorate distinction, which provides additional recognition to the doctoral degree. The distinction is included on the front of the doctoral degree certificate, provided that all the relevant requirements are met. (Link to the EDUCM website)

Requirements for Applying for the International Doctorate Distinction

1. Completion of a minimum three-month research stay

The doctoral candidate must have completed a minimum three-month stay outside Spain at a prestigious higher education institution or research centre, undertaking studies or research activities during the period of enrolment in the Doctoral Programme.

2. Calculation of the duration of the research stay

If several research stays are undertaken, at least one of them must last a minimum of one month. The combined duration of all stays must amount to at least 90 calendar days.

In the case of a single research stay, the three-month period shall be calculated from the corresponding starting date to the same calendar date three months later.

3. Prior authorisation of the research stay

If the doctoral candidate intends to apply for the International Doctorate distinction, the research stay must be approved in advance by the Academic Committee at one of its meetings, before the stay begins. Retrospective approval is not permitted.

The research stay and the activities to be undertaken must be endorsed by the academic tutor and thesis supervisor and authorised by the Academic Committee. For this purpose, the duly completed and signed Authorisation Form must be submitted together with a letter of acceptance from the host institution (in free format).

4. Procedure for documenting the research stay after completion

Once the research stay has been completed, an explanatory and supporting report documenting the fulfilment of the proposed objectives must be submitted to the Academic Committee (research stay report template) for approval.

The completion of the research stay must also be recorded in RAPI as a training activity.

5. Requirements concerning external examiners and members of the thesis examination board

• Researchers from the host research group who were responsible for supervising or directing the doctoral candidate's activities during the research stay may not act as external examiners or serve as members of the thesis examination board.

• Part of the doctoral thesis, including at least the abstract and conclusions, must be written and presented (defended) in one of the languages commonly used for scientific communication in the relevant field of knowledge, other than any of the official languages of Spain. This requirement does not apply when the research stays, reports and experts are from a Spanish-speaking country.

• The doctoral thesis must be reviewed by a minimum of two doctoral experts affiliated with higher education institutions or research institutes outside Spain.

• At least one doctoral expert from a higher education institution or research centre outside Spain, other than the person responsible for the research stay referred to in requirement (1), must serve on the thesis examination board.

Application Procedure

When submitting the doctoral thesis, the doctoral candidate must provide documentation demonstrating compliance with the relevant requirements listed above, together with the following:

• The two reports from the experts referred to in point (3) of the preceding section, accompanied by a brief curriculum vitae of each expert issuing the report. These experts may serve on the thesis examination board and may also act as thesis reviewers.

• Certification of the research stay outside Spain, indicating the start and end dates and issued by the person responsible for the research activities referred to in point (1) above. This person may not serve on the thesis examination board.

Assessment of the Application

Based on the documentation submitted, the Academic Committee shall determine whether the doctoral candidate meets the requirements to apply for the International Doctorate distinction.

If the decision is favourable, the Academic Committee shall forward the research-stay certificate and the experts' reports to the Doctoral Committee, together with the proposed composition of the thesis examination board and the documentation required under the applicable regulations.

Following the thesis defence, the Secretary of the thesis examination board shall certify compliance with requirements (2) and (4).

Certification of the International Doctorate Distinction

Once the documentation relating to the thesis defence has been received, the Chair of the Doctoral Committee shall issue a certificate confirming the award of the International Doctorate distinction and documenting fulfilment of the relevant requirements. This certificate shall be sent to the doctoral candidate.

Further information, including the relevant provisions of the BOUC regulations, is available in the information document issued by the Doctoral School.

Industrial PhD Mention

 

The UCM offers PhD students the possibility of receiving the Mention of Industrial PhD, which aims to enhance the interaction between business and academia, and thus promote the transfer of knowledge from research to its practical application. This mention may be included on the front of the doctoral degree, as long as all the requirements are met.

The UCM also offers doctoral candidates the possibility of obtaining the Industrial Doctorate distinction, “to strengthen interaction between the business and academic sectors and thereby promote the transfer of knowledge from research to practical application.” As in the case of the International Doctorate distinction, this distinction may be included on the front of the doctoral degree certificate, provided that the relevant requirements are met. The regulations governing this distinction are set out in the Agreement of the Governing Council of 29 October 2024 (BOUC, 9 December 2024). [Link to the EDUCM website]

Requirements for Applying for the Distinction

The doctoral candidate must participate in an industrial research or experimental development project directly related to their doctoral thesis, under one of the following arrangements:

•  With a public body or another institution with the capacity to employ staff (hereinafter, the Collaborating Entity), which may not be a university.
•  In collaboration between the Collaborating Entity and the UCM. Only in this case is an agreement between the two entities required.

The doctoral candidate must have an employment or commercial contract with the Collaborating Entity. If such a contract does not already exist, it must be formalised no later than the end of the doctoral candidate's first year in the doctoral programme and remain in force at least until the date on which the doctoral thesis is deposited with the Academic Committee of the programme.

Application Procedure

The doctoral candidate must submit the following documentation to the Academic Committee of the Doctoral Programme before the end of their third year in the programme:

• The application form for the distinction PDF

• A copy of the contract

• Technical report (Requirements)

• Confidentiality agreement PDF

The Academic Committee will review the documentation and verify the direct relationship between the project and the thesis. Where appropriate, it will issue a favourable report and forward it, together with the documentation, to the Doctoral Committee for approval and subsequent referral to the EDUCM Steering Committee for final approval.

Once the distinction has been authorised, the EDUCM will add the relevant documentation to the doctoral candidate's academic record.

In the case of collaboration between the Collaborating Entity and the UCM, the doctoral candidate must follow the same procedure described above and, only in this case, an agreement must be signed between the two entities, if one has not already been signed. The coordinator of the Academic Committee will request the corresponding agreement template from the EDUCM by email at escueladoctorado@ucm.es.

If an agreement between the UCM and the Collaborating Entity had already been signed, a copy must be submitted together with the rest of the documentation when applying for the distinction.

Procedures for the Thesis Defence

• Application for confidentiality during the deposit and defence of the doctoral thesis (Application form).

When submitting the thesis to the Academic Committee, a doctoral candidate whose application for the distinction has been approved in accordance with the established requirements must provide, in addition to the documents generally required, a report signed by the thesis supervisor(s) and the person responsible for the Collaborating Entity. The report must state that the thesis has been developed in accordance with the agreed terms, that the research results obtained are satisfactory, and that the intended objectives have been achieved.