Students who meet some of the criteria listed in Article 4 of the UDC PhD Policies and Regulations will be able to access to UDC PhD programmes.
Candidates matching one of the general entry requirements for PhD students will be assessed in accordance with the specific criteria and merits for each programme. Information relating to application procedures and requirements are included in the programme structure for each course.
The decision to offer a student a place on a UDC PhD programme is the result of an application-specific evaluation process, and does not affect the academic or professional status of the candidate’s existing qualifications.
See also UDC PhD Policies and Regulations, Article 5: Applications.
6 places offered in academic year 2025/2026
In general, students who have completed a master's degree in the branches of knowledge Health Sciences and Sciences and the fields of knowledge Biomedical Sciences, Biology and Genetics, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Nursing, Pharmacy, Medicine and Dentistry, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences will be able to access this doctoral programme without the need to take complementary training.
Students who access the Doctoral Programme in Neuroscience and Clinical Psychology must possess the following competencies:
· Have knowledge of the bases of the organization and functioning of the nervous system.
· Have master's level competencies in the management of at least some of the research techniques used in the area of neuroscience and the study of normal and pathological behavior. It is sufficient to be familiar with the theoretical and methodological foundations of research techniques in at least one of the program's lines of research.
· Have master's level competencies in the development and fine-tuning of useful research protocols in the field of neuroscience and the study of normal and pathological behavior. It is sufficient to be familiar with the theoretical and methodological foundations of research protocols in at least one of the program's lines of research.
· Have master's level competencies in obtaining, analysing and exploiting scientific data.
· Be able to apply knowledge to solving new problems.
· Be competent for data integration and interrelation with other scientists belonging to different fields of neuroscience.
· Have master's level competencies in oral and written scientific communication.
· Be able to adopt ethical perspectives in the application of their knowledge.
· Have advanced knowledge of at least one of the official languages of the Autonomous Community (Galician, Spanish), as well as sufficient knowledge of English to be able to handle this language in the field of their research work (level B1). Knowledge of English must be accredited at the time of applying for admission to the programme, as a requirement for admission to the programme.
Diplomas, graduates, bachelor's and master's degrees with experience and/or specific interests in the different areas of knowledge of Neuroscience may be admitted, provided that they meet the general requirements for access to the doctorate. Those who do not accredit the skills required for access to the programme will have to take bridging courses.
In the case of other profiles who have not completed a Master's degree, an equivalence of training in research credits will be required, equal at least to those of the master's degree that gives direct access, which will be 60 ECTS credits.
For any other profile, the CAPD will study the cases individually, being able to admit or not the students and establishing complementary training if necessary. In the event that the students lack the previous training required in the programme, admission may be conditional on passing the complementary training established by the Academic Committee. These complements may not exceed 15 ECTS credits.
Applications and registration for PhD programmes will be made using the online application system on the UDC website, accompanied by all necessary supporting documents. Applications and registration for external students will be made here.
If you need more information, you can check this sources the Application general procedure.
The selection of students for admission to the programme will be made based on the academic record of the Bachelor's/Diploma/Bachelor's and Master's degree and the feasibility of the research proposal to be developed. For these purposes, the following will be taken into account:
a) Academic record of the Bachelor's/Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree for access.
b) Affinity of the Master's Degree with the Doctoral Programme.
c) Summary/preliminary project of the research to be carried out, with an indication of the line of research of the programme in which it would be framed.
d) Letter of reference from a professor of the doctoral programme that endorses the viability of the future thesis within the framework of the sub-line of research to which it is linked. In the event that it is expected to have a supervisor from outside the programme, a pre-supervisor agreement must be submitted by the latter, accompanied by a curriculum vitae, which allows verifying compliance with the criteria for being a thesis supervisor, established by the university in its Regulations for Doctoral Studies; In this case, it is also recommended to submit a proposal from a tutor of the programme within the line of research in which the proposal is framed.
Optionally, the Academic Committee may carry out a personal interview with the candidate, if it deems it necessary to assess the viability of the thesis, clarify the points indicated above for its correct score, and, if necessary, specify the training complements that the candidate must take.
The selection of students for admission to the programme will be made based on the following criteria:
a) Academic record: 50-60%.
b) Affinity of the Master's Degree with the Doctoral Programme: 20-25%.
c) Summary/preliminary project of the research to be carried out: 20-25%.
These criteria will allow the selection of admitted candidates if there are more applications than places.
Before the opening of the pre-registration period, information on the lines of research, the topics of theses proposed within the framework of these, and the teaching staff offered by each of them, as well as their email addresses, will be available through the programme's website, with the aim of making it easier for candidates to choose a topic and contact possible supervisors and/or tutors.
The same criteria will be applied to admit all candidates regardless of whether their dedication is full-time or part-time.
The application for admission (or registration renewal) and enrollment in PhD studies will be carried out according to the terms approved by the Governing Council of the UDC.
See information on how to register for UDC PhD courses.