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Inicio > Programas en extinción > Official postgraduate programme (to be phased out) > Doctoral programme (to be phased out) > Policy summary

Summary of general doctorate policy (R.D. 778/1998, of 30 April, published in the Official State Gazette on 1 May) 

Doctoral studies are third-cycle higher education courses  leading to the degree of doctor. All national 2nd-cycle degree holders, that is, Licenciado1, Arquitecto1 or Ingeniero1 graduates, are eligible for admission.

Doctoral studies are divided into doctorate courses as part of what is usually a department-dependent doctorate programme. After passing the courses, the doctoral candidate must research and defend a doctoral thesis before an examination board.

Doctorate Programmes

Doctorate programmes will have a minimum duration of 2 years, and students will have to earn at least 32 credits across two periods: teaching (20 credits) and research (12 credits).

The teaching period will account for at least 20 credits, of which students will have to take at least 15 from the programme and, subject to authorization, at most 5 from outside the programme.

Students that earn these credits shall be eligible for a CERTIFICATE recognized by all Spanish universities.

The research period will account for at least 12 credits for supervised research assignments. To be eligible for this research period, students will have to have earned the 20 teaching period credits.

Research proficiency: doctoral candidates having completed the above two periods shall give a public presentation before an examination board to assess the courses, seminars and research period completed by the student.

Students that pass this assessment shall earn research proficiency and shall be eligible for a CERTIFICATE/DIPLOMA recognized by all Spanish universities.

The board, proposed by the department and approved by the UPM's Doctorate Committee, shall be composed of three members, one of which shall be from outside the department. The chair of the examination board shall be a full professor.

Doctoral Thesis

After receiving their  research proficiency certificate/diploma, students must submit and get approval for their doctoral thesis to earn the degree of doctor.

Degree of Doctor

The doctor's degree certificate shall state "Doctor of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid".

The certificate may include the "Doctor Europaeus" mention if the doctoral candidate has submitted an application and met the required conditions.

It will also state the name of the candidate's previous degree of Licenciado1, Arquitecto1 or Ingeniero1 , the university, place and date of issue, as well as the name of the doctorate programme and responsible department.

Doctor Europaeus Degree Certificate

This is a special mention on the doctorate certificate that may be added to the actual certificate if the following conditions are met:

  1. In the course of their doctorate programme training, doctoral candidates must have completed a stay of at least three months at a higher education institution of another European state outside Spain taking courses or undertaking research recognized as part of the programme.
  2. Part of the doctoral thesis, at least the summary and the conclusions, must have been written and presented in one of the official languages of the European Union other than the official languages of Spain.
  3. At least two experts belonging to a higher education institution or research institute of a European Union member state other than Spain must have reported on the thesis.
  4. In addition to the two experts mentioned above, at least one member of a higher education institution or research institute from a European Union member state other than Spain holding the degree of doctor must have sat on the board evaluating the thesis.

1 Licenciado, Arquitecto and Ingeniero are two-cycle, five-year degree courses.