Tutor and Thesis Director Assignment

Procedure for assigning a tutor and thesis supervisor

Once registration has been completed, the Academic Committee of the Doctoral Program will assign a tutor, who will be the person in charge of guiding the doctoral student during the entire period of doctoral training. In general, and as stated in the Doctoral Regulations of the University of Malaga and in the Guide of Good Practices of the Doctoral Programs of the University of Malaga, the Academic Committee has a maximum period of three months from the formalization of enrollment by the student to assign a tutor. The tutor, apart from introducing the student to all the initial procedures to be carried out, will help him/her to identify a possible thesis supervisor.

On the other hand, the Academic Committee of the Doctoral Program must assign a supervisor within the first six months.

The procedure to be followed is as follows:

1. In the event that the student suggests a director for his/her thesis at the time of enrollment in the program, and that director agrees and is in a position to accept doctoral students that academic year, the Commission will assign as tutor and director of the doctoral student to that person.

2. If the student suggests a director for his/her thesis at the time of enrollment in the program, but that person is unable to accept him/her to direct the thesis for any reason, he/she may be appointed as a tutor to help the doctoral student find the most appropriate director for his/her thesis project.

3. If the student suggests a director external to the Doctoral Program and a program tutor, and both are in agreement, the Commission will proceed to appoint them if the program tutor is in a position to accept new doctoral students as tutors.

4. Otherwise, the Academic Committee will choose as tutor the professor of the Doctoral Program whose line of research is the most appropriate to tutor the doctoral student, and who is in a position to serve as tutor, and after hearing the opinion of the student.

As a general rule, a professor of a Doctoral Program should not be assigned more than two new doctoral students per academic year. Similarly, as a general rule, a professor of a Doctoral Program at the University of Malaga should not tutor more than 10 doctoral students simultaneously.