INTERNATIONAL DOCTORATE MENTION IN DOCTORAL DEGREE

REQUIREMENTS

The "International Doctorate" Mention will be awarded to doctoral theses of the University of Castilla-La Mancha whose preparation and defence meet the following requirements:

  1. During the training period required for the award of the doctoral degree, the doctoral candidate must have spent at least three months1 abroad2 at a prestigious higher education institution or research centre, studying or carrying out research work. The stay and activities must have been endorsed by the supervisor and authorized by the academic committee3, and will be included in the doctoral candidate's activities document.
  2. Part of the doctoral thesis, including at least the abstract and conclusions, have been written and presented in one of the usual languages for scientific communication in its field of knowledge, which is other than any of the official languages in Spain. This rule shall not apply when the stays, reports and experts come from a Spanish-speaking country.
  3. Favourable reports on the thesis have been submitted by a minimum of two doctor experts belonging to a non-Spanish higher education institution or research institute.

At least one expert belonging to a non-Spanish higher education institution or research centre, holding a doctorate, and who is not the person in charge of the stay mentioned in section a), must have been a member of the thesis evaluation jury.

 

(1) In cases where the length of stay is close to the minimum legally established, the exact start and end dates of the period must be stated (Example: From 01/07/2022 to 01/10/2022. The period 01/07/2022 to 30/09/2022 would be insufficient to meet the minimum duration requirement).

 (2) Regarding the venue for the stay, the provisions of the  Clarification on the eligibility of doctoral candidates' stays at foreign institutions for the International Doctorate Mention (resolution of the Vice-Rectorate for Scientific Policy, of 2 February 2022) must be taken into account:

Stays shall take place at a prestigious higher education institution or research centre in a foreign country, which is neither the country in which the student took the studies that gave access to the doctoral programme (bachelor's and master's degree or equivalent) nor the country of residence. In the case there is documentary and proven evidence of the excellence of the institution for a proposed stay and a preference over other venues is duly justified, the academic committee of the doctoral programme may authorize stays in the same country where the studies that gave access to the doctoral programme were completed and/or the student resides. This exception would only be applicable for non-Spanish doctoral candidates.

(3) Authorization from the academic committee will be requested using the form available below, which should be sent to the EID (doctorado@uclm.es) once completed and signed by all (doctoral candidate, supervisor(s) and coordinator), preferably in advance of the stay (in order to allow the School to keep a record of the mobility of its students and to facilitate prompt detection of disadvantages such as that for the minimum length of stay set out below). If, once the stay has been authorized, there is any change to the planned stay, the agreement of the academic committee must be confirmed with a new application detailing the final data.

 FORMS

Authorization from the academic committee for the international stay

 

DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED FOR THE THESIS DEPOSIT

In addition to the documents required for the admission of the doctoral thesis for processing, students who wish to obtain the "International Doctorate" mention must attach the following documents, all of them available in the thesis reading and defence procedure:

  • Application for International Doctorate accreditation, specifying the language chosen for the defence of the thesis.
  • Authorization from the academic committee indicated in the previous section if this was not submitted at the time.
  • The preliminary reports from the experts must be issued by two doctors belonging to a foreign higher education institution or research institute, accompanied by a report on the suitability of those experts.
  • Certificate issued by the foreign centre where the stay took place, indicating the start and end dates, its purpose (research work or studies), the venue (laboratory, department, centre and/or institution) and identification and signature of the person superintending the stay. This researcher may not be part of the proposed jury for assessment of the thesis.
    There is no specific form for this document, and therefore a copy of any document used for another purpose (such as one in support of a grant) containing at least the data indicated shall be valid.

The doctoral thesis evaluation jury must contain at least one doctor belonging to a non-Spanish university or research centre, and who is not the person in charge of the stay abroad. Provision should be made for this person to be replaced by a second one who satisfies the same criterion.

 

REMARKS UPON VIRTUAL STAYS FOR THE AWARD OF THE INTERNATIONAL DOCTORATE MENTION

 

According to the response from the Ministry (Click here to read the document), doctoral programme academic committees (CAPs) will be responsible for taking decisions about the eligibility of doctoral candidates' stays at foreign teaching or research centres for the award of the international doctorate mention.

However, the EID, in consensus with the CAPs, considers that:

  • Virtual stays should only be permitted exceptionally and only in those cases in which the doctoral candidate has had to return after the stay has started. In this case, the student must have the approval of the foreign institution for the scheduling and accomplishment of the virtual tasks. Furthermore, once the virtual and in-person parts have been completed, the doctoral candidate will write a final report that must be approved by the person superintending the stay at the foreign centre. Acceptance of this report as correct shall be at the discretion of the CAP, and this must then be ratified by the EID.
  • Whenever possible. and provided that the time limits for the programme so allow, the stay abroad will be postponed until the circumstances permit it to take place in person, thus avoiding the virtual arrangements.
  • Virtual stays should not be accepted when the in-person stay was not initiated.