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.
10
places offered in academic year 2024/2025
Recommended profile of admission
The entry profile establishes the knowledge, skills and abilities that students who wish to access this programme must possess and, as a consequence, the most suitable qualifications for access to the programme and that determine admission and, where appropriate, the need or not for doctoral students to carry out complementary training. Students who have completed bachelor's or bachelor's degrees and master's degrees in the following areas of knowledge (RD 822/2021) may be admitted to the programme:
-Behavioral sciences and psychology.
-Education sciences.
-Physiotherapy, podiatry, nutrition and dietetics, occupational therapy, optics and optometry and speech therapy.
-Nursing
-Medicine and dentistry.
-Social sciences, social work, labor relations and human resources, sociology, political science and international relations.
Once the letter of interest, the suitability for the lines of research and the commitment to direction by a researcher of the programme have been considered, priority will be given to those students who accredit competences related to the degrees of "Psychology", "Speech Therapy" and the field of "Education Sciences". Likewise, priority will be given to students who access the PDDPAS with the following master's degree studies: 'MU in Psychogerontology', 'MU in Teaching of Compulsory Secondary Education and Baccalaureate, Vocational Training and Teaching of Languages, Artistic and Sports', 'MU in Advanced Studies on Language, Communication and their Pathologies', 'MU in Applied Psychology', 'MU in Psychopedagogy'. Secondly, the 'MU in Psychology', 'MU in Gerontology', and the 'MU in General Health Psychology' will be considered for preferential access. The CA will assess the suitability of other master's degrees for access to the PDDPAS. The CAPD will establish the obligation to take complementary credits for those admitted students who, due to their undergraduate and master's degree training, cannot accredit some of the competences of the fields of "Behavioural Sciences and Psychology" and "Education Sciences".
When after the preferential admission of students there are vacancies, the CAPD will assess the suitability of the training of other candidates who accredit competences in any of the aforementioned fields or others that could contribute to the multidisciplinary development of any of the lines of research.
As for the personal abilities and aptitudes of the students, the recommended entry profile corresponds to that of highly motivated students, interested in the research carried out by some of the research teams integrated in one of the program's lines of research, and with adequate levels of intellectual curiosity and creativity to carry out high-quality research.
Likewise, the availability of language skills in English or another foreign language that is justified as relevant for the development and communication of the research will be assessed.
Program-Specific Access Requirements
It is a mandatory requirement for admission to the doctoral programme that the student submits: i) a letter of reference from a professor of the programme that endorses the potential viability of the future thesis within the framework of a line of research of the programme to which he/she is linked, and in which he/she undertakes to act as a tutor or director; ii) a letter specifying the interest in the chosen research topic and its fit into one of the research lines of the programme; and iii) officially accredit equivalent knowledge at B2 level in English, the common language of scientific communication common at an international level. The level of (language) will be accredited with the corresponding official certification of those included in the list of recognised accreditations (see https://www.usc.gal/es/servizos/clm/acreditacion/index.html).
Specific access requirements of the CAPD
The selection of students for admission to the programme will be made based on the following criteria:
• Academic record (max. 70%) determined by the grades obtained in the master's degree (or DEA or research proficiency).
• Previous research experience and its results (max. 10%): In this section, publications, communications and other scientific contributions to conferences and their suitability to the lines of research of the doctoral programme will be assessed. Candidates must submit supporting documentation.
• Professional or volunteer experience (max. 5%): In this section, professional or volunteer experience related to the lines of research of the doctoral programme will be valued. Candidates must submit supporting documentation (certification of working life, copy of contracts, scholarships, etc.)
• Other aspects accredited in the candidate's curriculum vitae (max. 5%): In this section, research stays, courses completed and courses taught related to the program's lines of research will be assessed. Knowledge of a foreign language at level B2 or higher and knowledge of languages other than the mother tongue(s).
• Personal interview (max. 10%): Motivation, attitude and aptitudes, ability to work in a team, and communication skills will be assessed.
The same criteria will be applied to admit all students regardless of whether their dedication is full-time or part-time.