Doctoral Programme in Basic and Applied Research in Veterinary Science

The admission profile establishes the knowledge, skills and abilities that students wishing to access this programme must possess and, consequently, the most suitable qualifications for access to the programme and which determine admission and, where appropriate, the need for PhD students to undertake complementary training.
In general terms, the studies that will allow admission to this PhD student programme without additional training will be:
Graduates in the area of Health Sciences with 300 or more ECTS credits and with recognition of MECES Level 3
Masters in the areas of Health Sciences offered by the USC
Masters in the area of Sciences offered by the USC related to aquaculture, marine biology, neurosciences and animal production.
Equivalent master’s degrees offered by other universities that provide students with similar skills.
Students with the DEA degree obtained through the programmes ‘Basic and Applied Research in Veterinary Sciences’ and others in the areas of Health Sciences offered by the USC will also have access to the programme without having to take complements.
Holding another Spanish PhD degree in equivalent areas obtained in accordance with previous university regulations.
Students with foreign degrees without homologation may apply for admission to the PhD Programme provided that they can accredit a level of training equivalent to that of an Official University Master’s Degree that entitles them to access PhD studies in the country issuing the degree. This admission will not imply, in any case, the homologation of the previous degree or recognition for purposes other than access to these studies. In the case of other profiles that have not taken a Master’s degree, a training equivalence in research credits will be required, at least equal to those of the Master’s degree that gives direct access, which will be 60 ECTS.

Access

The general access and admission requirements are those set out in Royal Decree 99/2011, of 28 January, which regulates official PhD studies, and as amended by Royal Decree 576/2023, of 4 July. These are:
1. In general, in order to access an official PhD programme, it shall be necessary to hold an official Spanish Bachelor´s degree, or equivalent, and a Master´s degree or equivalent, provided that at least 300 ECTS credits have been obtained in these two courses as a whole.
2. Access may also be granted to those who are in one of the following situations:
a) To hold official university degrees or equivalent Spanish degrees, provided that at least 300 ECTS credits have been passed in these courses as a whole, and accredit a level 3 of the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education.
b) To hold a degree obtained in accordance with foreign education systems belonging to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), without the need for homologation, which accredits a level 7 of the European Qualifications Framework, provided that this degree entitles access to PhD studies in the country of issue of the same. This admission shall not imply, in any case, the homologation of the previous degree held by the interested party nor its recognition for purposes other than access to PhD studies.
c) To hold a degree obtained in accordance with foreign education systems outside the EHEA, without the need for its recognition, after verification by the university that it accredits a level of training equivalent to that of the official Spanish university Master´s degree and that it entitles the holder to access PhD studies in the country in which the degree was awarded. This admission shall not imply, in any case, the homologation of the previous degree held by the interested party, nor its recognition for purposes other than that of access to PhD studies.
d) To hold another PhD or Doctorate degree.
e) Likewise, university graduates who, after obtaining a place in training in the corresponding entrance examination to specialised health training posts, have passed with a positive evaluation at least two years of training in a programme for obtaining the official qualification in one of the specialities in Health Sciences, may also be admitted.

A mandatory requirement for admission to the PhD programme is the submission of a report by the student consisting of a letter of reference from a professor of the programme that i) endorses the potential viability of the future thesis within the framework of a line of research of the programme to which it is linked, and that ii) could act as a supervisor if the necessary requirements for this are met.

These criteria will allow the selection of admitted students in the event that there are more applications than places. Students will be selected for admission to the programme on the basis of the following criteria:
• Academic record (up to 60%).
• Previous research experience and results (up to 10%): In this section, publications, communications and other scientific contributions to conferences and their suitability to the lines of research of the PhD programme will be taken into account. Candidates must submit supporting documentation.
• Professional experience (up to 10%): In this section, professional experience related to the lines of research of the PhD programme will be assessed. Candidates must submit supporting documentation (certificate of employment, copy of contracts, grants, etc.).
• Other aspects accredited in the candidate’s CV (up to 10%): In this section, research stays, courses taken and courses given related to the programme’s lines of research will be valued. Knowledge of a foreign language and knowledge of languages other than the candidate’s mother tongue, etc. Candidates must provide supporting documentation.
• Personal interview (up to 10%): In this section, motivation and aptitude, communication skills, etc. will be assessed.
The same criteria will be applied for the admission of all students regardless of whether they are full-time or part-time.

The PhD programme may be terminated for any of the following reasons:
• Failure to pass the accreditation renewal process established in article 10 of RD 99/2011.
• Failure to accredit compliance with the requirements established by the state or regional regulations in force.
• A proposal is made to terminate the programme as part of the degree review and improvement process in accordance with the procedure approved by the university.
• The occurrence of any exceptional situation that prevents the correct development of the PhD programme.
Termination shall have the following effects:
• It will entail the loss of its official status and its removal from the RUCT.
• It will not be possible to enrol new students in the PhD programme.
• In any case, all affected students must be informed of the termination and of the consequences for the development of their studies.
The University shall adopt the necessary measures to guarantee the academic rights of the students who are taking these studies under the terms established in the resolution for the termination of the study plan, and shall approve the procedure for the termination of the PhD programmes within the University.

- Systematic understanding of a field of study and mastery of research skills and methods related to that field.
- Ability to conceive, design or create, implement and adopt a substantial research or creative process.
- Ability to contribute to the expansion of the frontiers of knowledge through original research.
- Ability to carry out critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis of new and complex ideas.
- Ability to communicate with the academic and scientific community and with society in general about their fields of knowledge in the modes and languages commonly used in their international scientific community.
- Ability to promote, in academic and professional contexts, scientific, technological, social, artistic or cultural progress within a knowledge-based society.
- Ability to promote Open Science and Citizen Science, in accordance with article 12 of Organic Law 2/2023 of 22 March, as a way of contributing to the consideration of scientific knowledge as a common good, through the evaluation of transversal activities carried out by the PhD student related to different dimensions of Open Science and Citizen Science, as well as the training acquired in these disciplines in the form of micro-credentials or similar.

- Ability to study general techniques in depth and to tackle autonomously research problems in areas within the field of Veterinary Sciences.
- Ability to integrate in multidisciplinary working groups developing innovative models in veterinary sciences.
- Ability to develop an ethical attitude in animal research, in the management and treatment of data and in the publication of research results, as well as in the assumption of responsibilities.
- Knowledge of the legal framework in which research in Veterinary Sciences is carried out and the ability to make autonomous judgements on the ethical implications of this research.