General Requirements
These are the common and minimum academic requirements for access to doctoral studies.
In general, to access an official doctoral program, it is necessary to hold an official Spanish Bachelor's degree (Grado), or equivalent, and a Master's degree (or equivalent). A total of at least 300 ECTS credits must have been completed in both programs combined.
Additionally, there are other pathways that allow access to official doctoral studies, which are regulated in Article 6 of RD 99/2011.
Students with Non-Accredited Foreign Degrees
Students may apply for admission to doctoral studies as long as they can demonstrate a level of training equivalent to the admission requirements specified above. The recognition of this equivalence for admission does not imply, under any circumstances, the official accreditation of the prior degree nor its recognition for purposes other than access to these studies.
Students may enroll without waiting for the resolution of equivalence. However, the validity of their enrollment will be subject to this declaration.
Equivalence resolutions will be recorded in the student’s academic record and can be certified like any other aspect included in it.
Further Details on Admission and Enrollment
Degrees Granting Direct Access to This Doctoral Program Without Additional Training:
- In general, any official Master's degree in Chemistry qualifies for direct access, taking as reference those offered at the Faculties of Chemistry at the University of Santiago and the University of Vigo (Máster en Investigación Química e Química Industrial, Máster en Química Orgánica, Máster en Química Teórica e Computacional).
- Students holding a DEA (Diploma of Advanced Studies) obtained through the Doctoral Program in Chemistry and the Doctoral Program in Organic Chemistry at the USC, as well as the Doctoral Program in Chemistry: Fundamentals and Applications (PD en Química: Fundamentos y Aplicaciones) at the University of Vigo.
- Students with a DEA degree academically equivalent to those of the doctoral programs mentioned above.
Evaluation Criteria for Applications:
- Academic record: 70%
- Curriculum: 20%
- Personal interview with CAPD members: 10%
The following documents are required for admission to the programme
- Certificate of possession of the Degree/Master required for admission to doctoral studies.
- Curriculum vitae.
- Letter of reference from a lecturer of the programme, confirming the potential viability of the future thesis within a research line of the programme and the commitment to act as tutor and/or supervisor.
- In the case of foreign students from countries where Spanish is not the official language, a certificate of minimum linguistic competence in Galician or Spanish, equivalent to level B1, or a report from a lecturer in the programme certifying the possibility of communicating in another language.
For applicants with profiles different from those previously mentioned, the Academic Committee will evaluate each case individually to determine whether additional training is required (up to a maximum of 15 ECTS), specifying the subjects to be taken (a maximum of three).
For students who have not completed a master's degree, an equivalent level of training credits in chemistry will be required, at least equal to those of the master's programs granting access, which is a minimum of 60 ECTS.
These additional training courses must be completed simultaneously with enrollment in academic supervision within the doctoral program. Students must register for these courses at the time of formalizing their academic enrollment.
The additional training must be completed within a maximum period of three consecutive terms. Failure to do so will result in exclusion from the program.
These specific additional training courses will be considered doctoral-level training for the purposes of public fees and the granting of scholarships and study grants. However, these credits will not count toward the general access requirements for the doctoral program.
In general, an Additional Training Module is established, consisting of the mandatory and elective subjects from the Master’s in Chemical Research and Industrial Chemistry offered by the universities of Santiago de Compostela and Vigo.
Doctoral students from other universities who undertake temporary research stays at USC/UVigo must complete a formal enrollment process. This will be formalized at the Unidades de Xestión Académica (Academic Management Units) during the academic year. Enrollment will be subject to prior authorization from the doctoral program where the stay will take place.