Mentions to the title

In order for a doctoral thesis to obtain an International Doctorate mention it must meet the following requirements:

1. Research stays abroad:
   During the doctoral training, the researcher must carry out one or more stays outside Spain, in one or more higher education institutions or prestigious research centers, for a minimum total time of three months.
   • Stays in the country of residence, nationality, where they work or where they carried out the studies that gave them access to the doctoral studies are not counted.
   • If several stays are carried out, at least one must last at least one month and none less than seven days.
   • Stays must be endorsed by the thesis supervisor and authorized by the CAPD prior to their completion.
2. Writing the thesis in a foreign language:
   At least 25% of the thesis must be written in a scientific language relevant to the field of knowledge of the thesis (other than the official languages ​​of Spain), or in the language of the country where the stay (or most of the stays) took place.
   • This 25% must include chapters or complete blocks of the thesis, as well as the summary and conclusions.
   • Indexes, bibliography and annexes of the thesis do not count for this percentage.
3. Defense in a foreign language:
   No acto de defensa, un mínimo dun 25 % da exposición oral debe realizarse na mesma lingua estranxeira mencionada anteriormente (lingua científica de relevancia ou do país onde se fixo a estadía ou maioría das estadías). Esta regra non se aplica cando as estadías, os informes e as persoas externas que avalíen a tese sexan de países hispanofalantes.
   • In the defense, a minimum of 25 % of the oral presentation must be in the same foreign language mentioned above (relevant scientific language or language of the country where the stay or majority of stays took place).
   • This rule does not apply when the stays, reports and external people evaluating the thesis are from Spanish-speaking countries.
4. External reports:
   • Two expert doctors from institutions outside Spain must issue a favorable report on the thesis.
   • These people cannot be the ones who supervised the stays. The doctoral program manages the process of requesting external reports. External evaluators may be part of the committee if the program so establishes.
5. International members of the Examining Committee:
   At least one doctor who belongs to a foreign research center, other than the supervisor of the stay, must be part of the thesis examining committee.
    
6. Documentation to be submitted when you apply for thesis defense:
   • Certificate(s) certifying the stay(s) signed by the tutor(s) at the foreign center/institution and/or by the person responsible for its management.
   • Copy of the prior authorization for the stay by the CAPD of your program, endorsed by the thesis supervisor.

The Industrial Doctorate degree seeks to strengthen collaboration between the academic field and the social, economic and productive fabric, promoting knowledge transfer and innovation. To obtain this degree, it is necessary to meet the following requirements:

1. Applied interest project

• The thesis must be linked to an original research project that has industrial, commercial, social or cultural interest.
• The project must be carried out in an entity, company or public administration, excluding universities, public research organizations and university hospitals (except in justified cases for the last two types of organizations).
• The minimum duration of the project in the entity must be 18 months, within the period of preparing the thesis.
• This link must be formalized in a report, endorsed by the University and the collaborating entity, and validated by the thesis director and the person responsible for the entity.

2. Collaboration agreement

• It is mandatory to formalize an agreement between the University and the collaborating entity.
• The agreement must include:
  • The obligations of both parties.
  • The distribution of rights over the industrial property of the results.
  • The selection procedure for the doctoral candidate.
• The agreement must be in force at least throughout the doctoral student's participation in the project.
  Agreement model.

3. Employment contract

• The doctoral candidate must have an employment contract with the entity where they develop the project for a minimum of 1 year during the development of the thesis.
• The contract must comply with:
  • Dedicate at least 50 % of the working day to the research project.
  • Have a minimum duration equivalent to 50 % of the total time it takes to prepare the thesis (from registration to the defense request).

4. Supervision and tutoring

1. The doctoral candidate must have:
   • Tutor appointed by the University.
   • Responsible person designated by the collaborating entity, who will supervise the development of the project. This responsible person in the collaborating entity may also be the thesis director if they meet the legal requirements, but they may not be part of the thesis evaluation committee.

5. Industrial Mention Request

1. Send the Industrial Doctoral Thesis Application form by email, attaching the following information:
   1. Report of the collaborating entity signed by the representative of the entity that will supervise the thesis.
   2. Copy of your employment contract, or certificate of working life.
   3. CAPD report stating that your research and training plan is adapted to the research project that you are developing or will develop at the collaborating entity.
   4. If applicable, copy of the resolution granting aid for the development of an industrial doctorate through a competitive public call.
2. After analyzing the documentation provided, EDIUS will inform you if your project can be considered industrial.
3. When you apply to defend your thesis, you must prove that everything established at the time of the application has been carried out, for which you will have to present:
   1. New report from the collaborating entity in which explicit reference is made to the development and scope of the industrial research project developed in relation to the doctoral thesis.
   2. Updated certificate of working life that includes the period of completion of the thesis.

It consists of carrying out the doctoral thesis under the joint direction of two or more directors belonging to two or more universities, the USC and one or more foreign universities.

1. Benefits of the joint supervision

• The PhD candidate will obtain two or more degrees, one for each of the participating higher education institutions in cotutelle.
• The Doctoral degree from the USC will include on its front "Tese en réxime de cotutela coa Universidade "U"".

2. Requirements to obtain joint supervision

• Signing an agreement between the participating universities/institutions.
• Annual tuition at each of the universities participating in the joint supervision during all academic years while you are working on your thesis.
  • The time to complete the thesis may not exceed the period established in the agreement, respecting the regulations of the participating universities. In the case of the USC, the minimum period of stay is 18 months.
• Carry out a research stay at each university that signs the agreement for a minimum duration of 6 months, which may be discontinuous.
  • You must include the supporting documents for these stays in your Activities Document.
• Single defense of the doctoral thesis at one of the signatory universities.

3. Co-supervision request

• Inform your thesis supervisor at USC of your interest in doing a thesis under co-supervision during your first year of enrollment at USC, as it will be necessary to find another supervisor for your thesis at another foreign university(s).
• If you agree, your supervisor at USC must request the start of the procedure by sending an email to: edius [at] usc.es (edius[at]usc[dot]es) with the completed agreement model, which we will provide as a response to your email.
• The application received must be approved, first, by the CAPD of your doctoral program and, subsequently, by the EDIUS Executive Committee.
• Once approved, EDIUS will establish contact with the other university(s) for the signature of the agreement.

What does signing the agreement entail?

By signing the agreement you agree to keep the agreement updated:

• You must inform the respective doctoral schools of any changes in the conditions for carrying out your thesis that may affect your file, such as extending the defense date, including or changing a supervisor, changing the doctoral program, etc.

What is required to qualify for the co-supervision mention when the defense is held at the other University?

• Have a favorable report from the EDIUS Executive Committee, which guarantees its quality.
  • In the event that a thesis under co-supervision is not authorized by one of the participating universities, the co-supervision agreement will be null and void. This does not prevent the thesis from being completed at the university or universities where it was authorized.
• The number of members and composition of the committee will be determined in the agreement. This committee must include members from both universities. Your thesis supervisors may be part of the committee, if so determined in the agreement, and provided that the number of members external to the universities participating in the co-supervision is in the majority.
• A member of the USC who is part of the examining committee will act as a delegate of the University for the purposes of custody and transfer of the generated documentation, prior notification to EDIUS.

Documentation that must be submitted after defending the thesis at another university

After the successful defense, you will need to send the following documentation to EDIUS (edius [at] usc.es (edius[at]usc[dot]es)):

• Minutes of the defense at the other University (legally signed by the corresponding Academic Services).
• Certification model of the qualification obtained (legally signed by the USC Delegate in the act of defense).
• PDF of the thesis accompanied by the request to issue a degree in co-supervision.

Request the necessary agreement models by email at edius [at] usc.es (edius[at]usc[dot]es).

• Signed Framework Agreements