Clarifications regarding the new Doctoral Studies Regulation (2024)

The maximum period from the date the PhD candidate enrols on the programme to the date on which they commence proceedings to deposit their doctoral thesis is:

• Full-time studies: 4 years. If the candidate has a disability degree of 33% or over: 6 years. The Academic Commission of the Doctoral Programme may authorise a 1-year extension in response to a request from the candidate.
• Part-time studies: 7 years. If the candidate has a disability degree of 33% or over: 9 years. The Academic Commission of the Doctoral Programme may authorise a 1-year extension in response to a request from the candidate.

Candidates who started their thesis prior to the 2024-2025 academic year are subject to the Management Regulations for Doctoral Studies (Official Basque Country Gazette 05/03/2020), except as regards those aspects linked to the assessment, deposition and defence of their theses, in relation to which the new Management Regulation for Official Doctoral Studies approved by the UPV/EHU Governing Board on 24 April 2024 apply.

Co-direction requests should be sent to the Academic Commission of the Doctoral Programme, which is the body responsible for authorising them.

PhD candidates who commenced their doctoral studies at the UPV/EHU during the 2023-2024 academic year (or subsequently) may request the appointment of a third director.

Candidates who commended their thesis during the 2022-2023 academic year or prior to that date may not request the appointment of a third director.

Yes. In accordance with Royal Decree 576/2023, all theses that will be defended from the 2024-2025 academic year onwards must have at least two reports issued by expert PhD holders from outside the UPV/EHU. This requirement affects all theses not deposited prior to 1 October 2024.

To comply with this requirement, candidates should follow the deposition procedure outlined in the Management Regulation for Official Doctorate Studies approved by the UPV/EHU Governing Board on 24 April 2024.

Deposition begins when one of the thesis directors requests reports from external experts from outside the UPV/EHU and ends when the candidate registers their thesis with the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Postgraduate Studies and Lifelong Learning.

No more than 6 months may transpire from the beginning to the end of the process.

The deposition procedure is initiated by one of the thesis directors who, once the thesis has been completed, must request reports from external experts from outside the UPV/EHU. At this moment, the director will notify the Academic Commission of the Doctoral Programme of the date on which said reports were requested, which is also the date on which the deposition procedure commences.This date must be within the maximum permitted timeframe for completing the doctoral studies.

The deposition procedure mainly involves obtaining at least two reports on the completed thesis, issued by two PhD holders who are experts in the field and work outside the UPV/EHU.

Depending on the content of the reports, Academic Commission of the Doctoral Programme will set the candidate a deadline for responding to the experts and, if necessary, making any modifications necessary to their doctoral thesis prior to its registration.

The thesis deposition procedure ends when the PhD candidate registers their thesis with the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Postgraduate Studies and Lifelong Learning.

No. It is the Academic Commission of the Doctoral Programme that authorises the candidate to register their thesis, once it has read the reports issued by the external experts and, where appropriate, the candidate's response to the requested changes.

Before the thesis can be registered, favourable reports are required from all directors, the tutor and the department to which the PhD candidate belongs. Authorisation to register the thesis is granted by the Academic Commission of the Doctoral Programme after analysing all the required documents.

The department to which the PhD candidate belongs is the body responsible for selecting the members of the viva panel; the Postgraduate Commission verifies that the viva panel proposed complies with current regulations; and, finally, the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Postgraduate Studies and Lifelong Learning appoints the panel members.

After listening to the arguments put forward by the candidate and their thesis directors, the viva panel sets the date for the viva within a maximum period of 4 months from the date on which it is appointed. The four-month deadline begins when the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Postgraduate Studies and Lifelong Learning notifies the department to which the candidate belongs of the appointment of the viva panel.

The public consultation is held in the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Postgraduate Studies and Lifelong Learning, where any PhD holder is free to consult the thesis. Public consultations last for 15 working days and begin once the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor has checked that the documents submitted during the thesis registration process are correct.

The Academic Commission. Said authorisation must be presented upon registration of the thesis, which is when the candidate must submit all documents justifying any special mentions.

The procedure applies to all students who deposit their thesis on or after 1 October 2024, even if they initiated their thesis prior to the 2024-2025 academic year.

Requests must be submitted to the Doctoral School within the deadline established by that organisation and published on its website.

Candidates must complete all procedures at the Doctoral School, with the exception of the thesis deposition registration, which takes place at the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Postgraduate Studies and Lifelong Learning.

Foreign students should also carry out all procedures at the Doctoral School, with the exception of requesting authorisation to pursue doctoral studies at the UPV/EHU when the qualification providing access to the course is a foreign one issued outside the EHEA, which should be done at the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Postgraduate Studies and Lifelong Learning.