Student Monitoring
IMPORTANT DATES
(Official dates common to all UCM PhD programmes)
JANUARY (3 months from admission to the Program)
Extraordinary call. Only for students with a negative evaluation in the previous year or in the last year in which they had active enrollment. Deadline to update in the RAPI2 application the document of activities and the research plan by the doctoral student. Specific deadline variable annually (Joint evaluation schedule).
Update in RAPI2 of the document of activities and the research plan by the doctoral student. Deadline variable annually. More information on evaluation schedule
OCTOBER
Annual enrolment in the program
REQUEST FOR EXTENSION: Link to Doctoral School
Within four months prior to the deadline for the deposit of thesis. Links to continuity and extensions (Doctoral School)
REQUEST FOR TEMPORARY LEAVE (one year):
During the registration period (link to Doctoral School) and exceptionally until November 30 of each year. Links to continuity and temporary leave (Doctoral School)
REQUEST FOR a change of thesis title or supervisors / tutors: All year round (model 057)
PhD Agreement (link to Doctoral School)
Student monitoring
Students should keep REGULAR MEETINGS WITH THEIR SUPERVISORS (at least one per semester). In these sessions the following issues are to be addressed: issues concerning the project, progress of research, possible publishing strategies, contents of students’ potential publications, potential presentation of research results in Conferences, and -from the 5th semester onwards-, issues concerning the viva and preparation of students’ CVs for future careers.
When meeting the supervisor, students should hand in a report of accomplishments and completed tasks as well as an updated outline of their dissertation. Goals to be achieved in the following period should also be set in these meeting sessions. Students should be able to clearly identify the value of their work to date; they will highlight improvable aspects and set precise new targets.
Before the end of the first year, students must formally present their dissertation proposals. Once accepted and signed by supervisors, proposals will be approved by the Academic Committee.
If research develops through paths other than those initially foreseen, students will have the opportunity to modify their proposals, presenting a new one under the approval of their supervisors and the Academic Committee.
Once the final version of the thesis is finished, it is required to submit the tutor and supervisor reports to the Academic Committee (where the viability of the work is recorded; the relevant aspects of the candidate’s training period may be included); as well as two favourable reports from two external advisors. Said reports are binding in order to proceed with the allocation of thesis board members.
After the viva (www.ucm.es/normativa), the Academic Committee, with the agreement of the dissertation supervisor and the board of examiners, may encourage the publication of best monographs for national and international dissemination of knowledge.
Further information on the relation between supervisors and students may be obtained from the PhD Agreement and www.ucm.es/normativa.
Students requiring bridging modules should meet their tutor or supervisor for the selection of most suitable courses.
Part-time students living abroad must be guaranteed access to research facilities and electronic resources in their place of residence to maintain regular contact with tutors or supervisors.
Evaluation:
Doctoral students will be evaluated each academic year. The ordinary call for evaluation takes place in June. The positive or negative evaluation is published in RAPI2.
The positive evaluation may sometimes be accompanied by recommendations or suggestions for improvement that the doctoral student must take into account in the future.
The negative evaluation is accompanied by a report that includes the justified reasons. Failure to submit the Research Plan and/or the Activities Document within the established deadline will result in a negative evaluation.
In case of negative evaluation, the doctoral student has an extraordinary call in January of the following year to present the Research Plan once revised as recommended in the report received in the initial negative evaluation.
The positive evaluation (in the ordinary or extraordinary call) is an essential requirement for the permanence in the programme.