Request for thesis defense

Once your thesis is completed, you must request approval to proceed with the defense. The first step in obtaining this authorization is to submit the defense request through the Student Virtual Office (SVA), along with the required documentation related to your thesis.

The request is submitted electronically via the SVA, so an electronic signature is not required. Your thesis supervisor(s) will receive an email to review your request, and the authorized profile will be able to complete the evaluation through their own virtual office.

Steps to follow from the application to the authorization of the doctoral thesis defense

Before starting your application through the Virtual Student Office (SVA), please ensure that:

  • You have the Supervision Commitment Document (CDS) duly signed.
  • You meet the minimum required period for thesis submission.
  • You have completed all required complementary training.
  • You are currently enrolled in your PhD program.
  • You are not on a temporary leave of absence.
  • You have no pending financial obligations.
  • You have not previously requested a thesis defense.

If any of the above conditions are not met, you will not be able to submit your defense request.

You will be able to submit the defense request, but you will receive a warning if:

  • You have no pending financial obligations, but still have training activities pending evaluation.

You must also ensure that:

  • Your Research and Training Plan (PIF) is up to date and has been approved.
  • All your training activities have been evaluated.
  • The language of the thesis matches the language approved in the PIF.
    • If the thesis was not written in Galician or Spanish, it must include a summary of at least 3,000 words in Galician.
  • The title of the thesis matches the one approved in the PIF.
    • If it does not, you must submit a new PIF through the SVA before requesting authorization to defend your thesis.
  • You have been assigned a single line of research that is directly related to the subject of your thesis.

1. Accessing the Application

The application must be submitted through your SVA via the following path: Consulta expediente doctorado RD 99/2011 > Acceder a la solicitud de defensa.

  • You may begin the process before the final deadline, as the system allows you to save your progress and return later once you have gathered all the required supporting documentation.

2. Recommendations Before Submitting the Application

  1. Prepare the complete PDF of your thesis in the format established by the USC. Refer to the Thesis Submission Checklist.
  2. It is mandatory to provide a valid email address, as you will receive all notifications regarding the status of your application through this email.
  3. The summary section must not exceed 100 words. The system only accepts plain text—do not paste formatted content. This summary will be published in our nEDIUS newsletter.

3. Submitting the Application:

Once all documentation has been uploaded, you must return to the application and click “Send to authorized profile.” From that point onward, no further modifications will be possible.
The doctoral program will contact you if any documentation needs to be corrected or resubmitted.

1. Report by the Authorized Profile and the Thesis Supervisor

2. External Evaluation Process of the Doctoral Thesis

  • The thesis must be evaluated by at least two doctoral-level experts external to the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC).
  • The selection of external experts and the management of their evaluations will be carried out by the CAPD (Academic Committee of the Doctoral Program), in consultation with the thesis supervisor(s), and in accordance with the procedure established by each program.
  • External evaluators may suggest improvements or corrections.
  • The doctoral candidate must review the feedback provided by the external evaluators and, if applicable, by the CAPD, and submit:
    • A report including:
      • A description of the changes made to the thesis.
      • Justifications, if applicable, for not accepting certain suggestions or recommendations.
    • A new PDF version of the thesis including the changes.
  • The external evaluators may be appointed as members of the examination committee, if permitted by the rules of the doctoral program.

3. CAPD report

The CAPD will have a maximum of 5 months from the date of thesis submission to issue its report, which may be:

  1. Favorable:
    • The thesis and associated documentation, along with the proposal for the composition of the examination committee, will be forwarded to EDIUS.
  2. Conditional:
    • If the thesis requires corrections, a deadline will be set (maximum of three months) for the doctoral candidate to submit the required amendments and/or justifications.
    • If the corrections are submitted on time, the CAPD will have 1 month to issue a final report (favorable or unfavorable).
    • If no corrections are submitted within the deadline, the report will be automatically considered unfavorable. The issuance of this report must respect the overall five-month timeframe for the entire process, which cannot be exceeded under any circumstances.
  3. Unfavorable:
    • This must always be properly reasoned and justified. The report will be sent to the EDIUS Executive Committee, and the thesis will not be made publicly available.

4. Review by EDIUS

Once a favorable report from the CAPD has been received:

  • EDIUS will review the complete file.
  • If errors are found, EDIUS will contact the doctoral program for corrections.
  • If everything is in order, the public display period will begin:
    • 10 working days during the academic term (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays).
    • This information will be published on Xescampus and the EDIUS website.

5. Public display

During this period, any holder of a doctoral degree may request access to the thesis through the university’s online platform, attaching proof of their doctoral degree, using the appropriate procedure.

6. Final Authorization of the Defense

After the public display period of the doctoral thesis:

  • EDIUS will evaluate the file, the CAPD report, and any objections or comments received.
  • It may request additional reports from the thesis supervisor, the doctoral candidate, the CAPD, and/or other subject matter experts.
  • If the defense request is denied, the EDIUS Directorate will issue a reasoned resolution specifying the deficiencies to be addressed.

7. Appointment of the Examination Committee

If the thesis defense is authorized:

  • The official appointment of the examination committee will proceed.
  • The appointment will be formally communicated.

8. Payment of examination fees

9. Notification of the defense date

The defense must take place within a maximum period of three months from the day following the authorization by EDIUS.
To ensure proper publicity of the defense, in accordance with current regulations, the defense date must be communicated at least seven calendar days in advance.

10. Defense of the doctoral thesis