Information for candidates

The admission process for the program has three phases: pre-registration, evaluation, and enrollment.

1.     PRE-REGISTRATION

Pre-registration takes place during the first half of September. You can view the pre-registration and enrollment deadlines, as well as the link to submit your pre-registration, at the following link: https://www.uma.es/doctorado/info/12410/acceso-doctorado/

Who can access a doctoral program?

1.     In general, to access an official doctoral program, it is 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 completed in these two courses of study.

2.     Additionally, the following individuals may access:

a) Those holding official Spanish university degrees or equivalent Spanish degrees, provided that at least 300 ECTS credits have been completed in these courses of study and a level 3 of the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education is accredited.

b) Those holding a degree obtained according to foreign educational systems belonging to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), without the need for its recognition, that accredits a level 7 of the European Qualifications Framework, provided that this degree allows access to doctoral studies in the country of issuance. This admission will not imply, in any case, the recognition of the previous degree held by the applicant nor its recognition for purposes other than access to doctoral studies.

c) Those holding a degree obtained according to foreign educational systems outside the EHEA, without the need for its recognition, after verification by the university that it accredits a level of training equivalent to the official Spanish Master’s degree and that it allows access to doctoral studies in the country of issuance. This admission will not imply, in any case, the recognition of the previous degree held by the applicant nor its recognition for purposes other than access to doctoral studies.

d) Those holding another Doctoral degree.

e) University graduates who, after obtaining a training position in the corresponding entrance exam for specialized health training positions, have successfully completed at least two years of training in a program to obtain the official title of one of the specialties in Health Sciences.

Individuals interested in the doctoral program in Legal and Social Sciences must pre-register when the pre-registration period opens. In the doctoral program in Legal and Social Sciences, only pre-registrations that include the endorsement of a professor from the doctoral program to supervise and direct the doctoral thesis will be accepted. If the endorsement of the professor from the doctoral program is not presented, the pre-registration will be automatically rejected without the possibility of being rectified.

It is also mandatory for the candidate to submit a research project of at least 2500 words during pre-registration that meets the requirements mentioned below and that must have been reviewed by the professor endorsing the candidate.

The Doctoral School receives the applications, which are processed electronically through the Andalusian Single District platform and verifies that the legal admission requirements are met. If all the places are not filled in the September call, another call may be opened in February. The decision is made in January each year by the Academic Committee of the program. Currently, the program in Legal and Social Sciences offers 25 new admission places each year, of which three are part-time. Generally, all the offered places are filled in the September call.

2.     EVALUATION

Only once pre-registration is accepted are the merits of each candidate evaluated. This is when the academic committee of the doctoral program intervenes. The evaluation criteria are as follows:

ACADEMIC RECORD (0-10 points) (60%)

• Average grade of Bachelor’s degree: up to 5 points.
• Average grade of Master’s degree: up to 5 points.
• Average grade of Licentiate degree: 8 points + 2 points if DEA or equivalent is held. If a Licentiate degree and an official Master’s degree are held, each qualification will be valued up to 5 points.

CURRICULUM VITAE AND RESEARCH PROJECT (0-10 points) (40%)

Only the following aspects are valued in the curriculum:

• Scholarships enjoyed during the Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, up to 1 point.
• When any of the phases for obtaining scholarships or grants awarded for the completion of this doctoral program have been passed, up to 3 points.
• When the candidate already has a scholarship for the completion of the doctoral thesis, the curriculum and research project section will be valued with the maximum score, provided that the project has been submitted, which will lead to automatic admission to the program if the candidate has the endorsement to be supervised/directed by a professor from the program.
• Up to 10% is valued for the presentation of a thesis project in a co-supervision regime with foreign universities with which the University of Málaga has a collaboration agreement in force. In no case will the evaluation of a thesis project in a co-supervision regime imply the authorization of the co-supervision.
• Up to 5% is valued for the presentation of a thesis project that opts for the industrial mention. In no case will the evaluation of a thesis project that opts for this mention imply its obtaining.
• Doctoral thesis project: up to 6 points:
• The doctoral thesis project must contain at least 2,500 words.

The doctoral thesis project must contain the following aspects:

• The definition of a clear research problem to be addressed with the thesis work, or a question to be resolved. This implies a brief study on the state of the art in the subject of the thesis that demonstrates sufficient knowledge of the relevant literature to begin the work of preparing the thesis. Note that the chosen topic must be specific, not accepting very generic projects that, for example, refer to an area of knowledge or those that deal with teaching or educational innovation issues.
• The working hypotheses or contributions proposed to try to solve the problem and the objectives to be achieved.
• The methodology to be used.
• The structure of the work, that is, the provisional index of the thesis must be included.
• Timeline to successfully address the research.
• A dissemination plan for the results (publications, conferences, etc.).
• Basic bibliography on the project topic.
• The adequacy of the thesis project to the research lines of the program will be evaluated.
• The line of the program in which the research is intended to be developed must be specified.

• A letter from a professor of the program willing to assume the supervision and direction of the thesis must be attached. Therefore, candidates must contact the professor of the program they consider closest to their research project before submitting their application. No professor may appear as a supervisor/director or co-director of more than two students per year. If a professor endorses more than two students in the pre-registration of a year, all applications endorsed by him will be rejected. Additionally, changes in thesis direction in favor of the professor who already has two students enrolled in that same course will not be accepted. Supervision necessarily implies the direction of the doctoral thesis, meaning one cannot be a tutor without being at least a co-director of the doctoral thesis.
• In cases where the candidate’s profile is considered very distant from the program, enrollment may be denied.
• If agreed upon by the Academic Committee of the Program, an interview with the candidate may be conducted by the Academic Committee.
• Admitted applicants whose access qualification is a Master’s in Law (or another master’s with a professional pathway), as it does not have a research dimension, must complete a training supplement consisting of a 3-credit methodological module during the first year of the doctorate.

3.   ENROLLMENT:

The third phase of the process is enrollment, which takes place once the student has been admitted to the program.

Enrollment in the program must be renewed each year.

Currently, the public fees for doctoral studies at public universities in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia are around €125 for the first year and €60.30 for the remaining years.