Examining Committee

PROPOSAL OF THE EXAMINING COMMITTEE

The proposal for the Examining Committee by the CAPD will consist of eight specialists.

The program support staff must be provided with this proposal, including the updated details of all proposed members, for entry into Xescampus. Additionally, all proposed members must sign an acceptance document to join the committee, which will include a responsible declaration confirming they meet the requirements to serve as committee members.

A letter from the CAPD recommending the committee may be included as supplementary documentation for EDIUS.

Supervisors, tutors, or anyone subject to the causes of abstention established in Article 23 of Law 40/2015 of 1 October may not be members of the committee. Co-authors of the thesis are also excluded from the committee proposal.

The committee proposal may not include more than three members from the same institution. For theses opting for an International Mention, the CAPD-approved committee proposal must include two experts (one principal and one substitute) from a non-Spanish higher education institution or research institute who have not signed the certificate of stay.

For theses under joint supervision, the provisions of the corresponding signed agreement shall apply.

DESIGNATION OF THE EXAMINING COMMITTEE

As established in Article 42, from the eight proposed members, the Executive Committee of EDIUS, following authorization of the thesis defense, will designate three principal members and three substitutes (one substitute per principal member) and notify all relevant parties.

No more than two members or equivalent staff from the same institution may be designated as principal members and substitutes. Therefore, the committee present during the defense may not include more than one member from the same institution. In the case of inter-university programs, no more than one person from the USC or from the collaborating universities or institutions may be part of the committee.

ACT OF DEFENCE

The doctoral thesis will be evaluated during the act of defense, which will take place in a public session. This session consists of the doctoral student’s presentation and defense of their research work before the members of the examining committee.

The academic act of defense will begin with the chair of the examining committee taking the floor. The chair will introduce the doctoral student and the committee members, explain how the defense will proceed, and specify the time allotted for the doctoral student to present their thesis. After this, the chair will give the floor to the PhD candidate to deliver their presentation.

THESIS MINUTES AND GRADING

For all defense modalities, the examining committee will have access to a single electronic file containing the minutes, as well as an online form for voting on the Cum Laude honor and the Extraordinary PhD Award.

The degree awarded by the examining committee, by unanimous decision, may be one of the following: Fail (No apto), Pass (Aprobado), Remarkable (Notable), or Outstanding (Sobresaliente).

The committee may grant the Cum Laude honor if the overall evaluation is Outstanding, provided it is voted confidentially, unanimously, and properly justified.

The university will provide, via a dedicated form, the necessary tools to finalize the granting of this honor, ensuring that the vote count takes place in a session separate from the thesis defense.

The minutes, electronically signed by the committee secretary, must be sent within 24 hours to the following email address:

Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
Servizo de Xestión Académica – Terceiro Ciclo
Pavillón Estudantil – Campus Vida
15782 – Santiago de Compostela (A Coruña)