Access and admission

The following procedures are established to provide basic and complementary information to future PhD students:

a. On institutional websites

b. Through an advertising campaign, on billboards and on the radio.

c. Through a national advertising campaign in the national press.

d. Through the Vice-Rectorates responsible for Internationalisation and Cooperation, doctoral studies are disseminated to all universities with which we have agreements.

e. Doctoral Schools will implement a Plan for the Promotion and Recruitment of Students for Postgraduate programs in coordination with the relevant Vice-Rectorates and in accordance with the provisions of the Quality Assurance System of the Schools and the Degree.

In addition to these systems, universities plan to use other means to publicize the procedures for access and registration for this degree:

• Publishing and dissemination of information brochures.
• Oral presentations aimed at students in the final years of those Master's degrees suitable for accessing each Doctorate.
• Participation in regional, national and international fairs and events aimed at students.
• Open days.

As regards the recruitment of students from other countries, the programme aims to take advantage of all the potential offered by the Unamuno Network (which includes, in addition to the universities participating in the programme, the University of Cape Verde, the Antilles, French Guiana and Reunion Island), as well as the contacts established with the various national and foreign universities and research centres that are part of the network of collaborators of the doctoral programme, paying special attention to the recruitment of students from Latin American universities with which it has established ties of collaboration for decades. In addition, the programme has at its disposal the network of collaboration agreements signed by the universities participating in the doctoral programme (this is the case of the Universities of the Azores and Madeira with their close relationship with the Université Nova de Lisboa).

The number of places offered is 30 students, with the following distribution between full-time and part-time students:

• Regarding the observation on the level of linguistic competence according to the CEFR, for doctoral students who are neither Spanish nor Portuguese, the level required for doctoral students will be B2 in both languages.
• Regarding the link to the permanence regulations, you can consult here which will be applicable to all students enrolled in the doctoral program, namely:

Recommended entry profile:

Studies giving access to a doctorate in the disciplines of History, Geography, History of Art, Architecture, Law, Language and Economics. In all these cases, the skills corresponding to level 3 of the Spanish framework of qualifications for higher education will be required, namely: having advanced and demonstrated knowledge, in a context of scientific or highly specialised research, a detailed and well-founded understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects and the work methodology in one or more fields of study; knowing how to apply and integrate their knowledge, their understanding of this, its scientific foundation and their problem-solving skills in new and imprecisely defined environments, including multidisciplinary contexts for both researchers and highly specialised professionals; knowing how to evaluate and select the appropriate scientific theory and the precise methodology of their fields of study in order to formulate judgements based on incomplete or limited information, including, where necessary and pertinent, a reflection on the social or ethical responsibility linked to the solution proposed in each case; be able to predict and control the evolution of complex situations by developing new and innovative work methodologies adapted to the specific scientific/research or professional field, generally multidisciplinary, in which their activity is carried out; be able to transmit in a clear and unambiguous way to a specialized or non-specialized public, results from scientific research or from the field of the most advanced innovation, as well as the most relevant foundations on which they are based; have developed sufficient autonomy to participate in research projects and scientific or technological collaborations within their thematic field, in interdisciplinary contexts and, where appropriate, with a high component of knowledge transfer; ability to assume responsibility for their own professional development and their specialization in one or more fields of study.

As regards prior knowledge, advanced knowledge will be required for the completion of the doctoral thesis in line 1, in medieval history, modern history, contemporary history, economic history and institutions, history of thought, human geography, international relations and Atlantic regional history; for the completion of the doctoral thesis in line 2, advanced knowledge in the history of architecture, architectural representation, cartography, architectural composition, urban planning, art history, prehistory, ancient history, historical-artistic heritage, linguistic heritage, documentary heritage; for the completion of the doctoral thesis in line 3, advanced knowledge in the history of law and institutions, public law, private law, international law, philosophy and theory of law, Roman law and international relations. With regard to the languages of use and the level required by the CEFR, it is considered appropriate for students to have level B2 of English.

As for the master's degrees that can give access to the doctoral programme, they are the University Master's Degree in Management of Artistic and Architectural Heritage, Museums and the Art Market taught by the Universities of Santiago de Compostela and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria; the University Master's Degree in Spanish and its Culture: Professional and Business Developments from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria; University Master's Degree in Archaeology from the Universities of La Laguna and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria; University Master's Degree in Art, Territory and Landscape from the University of La Laguna, University Master's Degree in Philosophy, Culture and Society from the University of La Laguna; Master's Degree in Linguistic and Cultural Studies from the University of Madeira; Master's Degree in Regional and Local Studies from the University of Madeira; Master's Degree in Social Sciences from the University of the Azores; Master's Degree in Island and Atlantic History (15th - 20th centuries) from the University of the Azores; Master in Heritage, Museology and Development of the University of the Azores; Master in International Relations at the University of the Azores; Master in Intercultural Studies of Island Dynamics from the University of the Azores; and any others comparable in name and content taught at other universities.

• forecast of students, according to what is stated in the description section of the degree, will be as follows:
  • University of La Laguna: 10
  • University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: 10
  • University of Madeira: 5
  • University of Azores: 5

In compliance with general regulations, this doctoral programme will be organised following the guidelines set out in the documentation verified by the Council of Universities and authorised by the Autonomous Community. This report will establish:

The access requirements and admission criteria for students will be based on the general regulations of the participating universities for access and admission to official degrees.

They are established as Admission requirements:

In general, you must be in possession of an official Bachelor's degree, or equivalent, and a Master's degree.

In addition, students who hold an official university degree from Spain or another country that is part of the European Higher Education Area, which qualifies them for access to a Master's degree in accordance with the provisions of Article 6 of Royal Decree 99/2011, of February 10, and who have passed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits in all official university studies, of which at least 60 must be at Master's level, will be able to access the program.

Those who are in possession of an official Spanish Graduate degree, the duration of which, in accordance with Community law, is at least 300 ECTS credits. These graduates must take the specific training supplements referred to in the Regulations for Doctoral Studies, unless the study plan of the corresponding Bachelor's degree includes research training credits equivalent in training value to the research credits from Master's studies.

Those who are in possession of a university degree and, after obtaining a training place in the corresponding access test for specialized health training places, have successfully completed at least two years of training in a program to obtain the official degree in one of the specialties in Health Sciences.

Those who are in possession of a degree obtained in accordance with foreign educational systems, without the need for its homologation, after verification by the University that it accredits a level of training equivalent to that of the official Spanish Master's degree and that it qualifies in the country issuing the degree for access to Doctoral studies. This admission will not imply, in any case, the homologation of the previous degree held by the interested party or its recognition for purposes other than access to Doctoral studies.

Those who hold another Spanish Doctorate degree obtained in accordance with previous university regulations.

Doctoral students who began their doctoral programme in accordance with previous university regulations may access doctoral studies after being admitted, in accordance with the provisions of the applicable regulations. In any case, they must meet the general requirements established in said legislation for access to doctoral studies.

Graduates, architects or engineers who hold the Diploma of Advanced Studies obtained in accordance with the provisions of Royal Decree 778/1998, of April 30, or who have achieved the research sufficiency regulated by Royal Decree 185/1985, of January 23, may access doctoral studies.

Graduates, architects or engineers who hold an official master's degree in accordance with Royal Decree 56/2005 or Royal Decree 1393/2007, as amended by Royal Decree 861/2010, or who have completed 60 ECTS of official master's studies may access doctoral studies.

Graduates, technical engineers or technical architects who can prove they have 300 ECTS credits in official university studies, of which at least 60 must be at master's level, will also be able to access the program.

In accordance with the principle of universal accessibility, in general, all students who meet the requirements set out in the general regulations governing the doctorate, both the state (RD 99/2011 and concordant regulations) and those of the participating universities, will be able to access this programme. In general, the entry profile of the candidate to join this Doctorate is that of a student, with a master's degree or equivalent, who has received basic training in research techniques. Doctoral theses will be written in the mother tongue, and those that require an international mention, complying with the regulations in force for said mention.

The selection criteria for full-time students are as follows:

• Access qualification (weighted 50%), valued as follows: if the student holds a reference qualification, 10 points; if he or she holds a qualification in the same branch of knowledge but taught by other faculties, he or she will have 8 points; and if he or she holds a qualification in another branch of knowledge, 6 points.
• Academic record (weighted 50%): the average grade of the Bachelor's and Master's degree record (300 ECTS credits) will be calculated with one decimal.

The selection criteria for students with specific educational needs arising from disabilities will be the same as for other students, reserving a minimum of 1 place. In this case, the Academic Committee will assess the need for possible curricular adaptations.

Any vacancies reserved for one of the types of dedication that are not filled will be added to those of the other type.

Once the annual registration has been completed, no changes may be made to the dedication regime during the academic year, except in the case of serious unforeseen circumstances to be assessed by the Academic Committee. The reasons that may be cited in the application, among others, are: work activity, special educational needs, family care needs, high-performance athletes and the economic situation of the family unit.

By way of example only, and not exhaustively, it is expected that the largest number of PhD students will come from the following master's studies:

• Those offered by the ULPGC and the ULL, as well as by the UAc and UAm in the areas of Humanities (preferably in line 1), Social and Legal Sciences (preferably in line 3) and Architecture and Humanities (preferably in line 2). In any case, co-direction of doctoral theses by professors of the program assigned to different lines is possible.
• Any master's degree related to the research lines of the program
• Have completed 300 ECTS credits at undergraduate and graduate levels, preferably in the areas of Humanities, Social and Legal Sciences and Architecture.
• Students with the DEA title obtained through the programs regulated by RD 778/98 and RD 1393/2007.
• Foreign students according to official regulations.

Students with a foreign qualification that has not been recognised may apply for admission to doctoral studies provided that they have a level of training equivalent to that of an official Spanish university master's degree and that it qualifies them for access to doctoral studies in the country that issued the degree.

This admission will not imply, in any case, the homologation of the previous qualification or the recognition for any purposes other than those of access to these teachings.

Thus, students with foreign qualifications that have not been recognised will require, for their registration to be fully valid, a resolution of equivalence granted by the respective rectors of the universities participating in this doctorate, once the reports established by regulation have been issued, which will indicate the name of the foreign qualification and its recognition for the purposes of pursuing these studies. The equivalence must be requested within the established period, accompanied by the qualification on the basis of which access to third-cycle studies is desired and an academic certificate of the aforementioned studies, which states the subjects and academic periods taken and that the qualification grants access to doctoral studies in their country. All of the above must be duly legalised (originals and photocopies for comparison or photocopies authenticated by the Spanish consular services or embassies). If the language of origin is not Spanish, a legalised translation of the aforementioned documentation must also be included.

The application for admission of students will also include the possibility of simultaneously applying for equivalence, if necessary. The Academic Committee of the Doctoral Programme (CAPD) will assess the academic suitability of the studies undertaken by the applicant, and this circumstance must be included in the proposal for admission to the programme. The equivalence resolutions will be included in the student's file and may be certified like any other detail of the file. It may be considered that the reports issued for similar situations serve as precedents. In these cases, it will not be necessary to prepare new reports. Students may register without waiting for the equivalence resolution, but the validity of their registration will be conditioned by this declaration.

Students who meet the entry and admission requirements may apply for admission to the doctoral programme, for which a pre-registration period will be established. Said application must be submitted at the place indicated in the call for applications.

After this period, the CAPD will publish the provisional list of admitted students, ranked according to the criteria of the academic record scored as indicated above.

Unsuccessful applicants may submit a claim within the period and in the manner established in the corresponding notice.

Once the deadline for claims has passed and these have been resolved, the list of admitted students will be sent to the corresponding student management body, in order to formalize their registration within the specified period. If the applicant does not formalize their registration, their rights will be forfeited.

In any case, the principle of universal accessibility will always be fully respected and no restrictions will be placed on access for students with specific educational needs arising from disabilities.

The situation of Spanish universities in general, and of the Canary Islands universities in particular, suggests a decrease in the number of students who access doctorates in general and through research grants in particular.

The Canary Islands Research Agency (ACIISI), for example, has not called for specific grants for research projects since 2010. The incorporation of students from the ULPGC and ULL's own PDI, who are not yet in possession of a doctorate degree, is equally problematic, as hiring has been restricted.
of PDI as a result of Royal Decree 14/2012 on urgent measures to rationalise public spending in the educational field. In these circumstances, it is necessary that the number of places available for part-time students be greater than the number of full-time places, so that students can correctly acquire the skills of the PhD programme, especially being able to make a scientific contribution, through original research, that expands the boundaries of knowledge in this field, and that merits publication with references at a national or international level.

It will be the mission of the Academic Committee of the Program (CAPD) to give its approval for the processing of the respective doctoral theses once the proposals have been submitted in a timely manner (ULPGC Doctoral Studies Regulations, article 8.2 on authorization and deposit of the doctoral thesis). To this end, the Academic Committee
will establish objective criteria that will include, at least, the obligation that the doctoral candidate has produced, as first or main author, a scientific contribution (publications in journals, books or book chapters, patents or artistic works) of proven quality and that contributes to the support of the Doctoral Program, derived from the Doctoral Thesis, before its deposit.

As a result of the above, the doctoral student may enroll full-time or part-time.

For this last option, the condition of part-time doctoral student, granted, if applicable, by the CAPD, will be an essential requirement. This condition must be requested each academic year from the CAPD, providing supporting documents. For the condition of part-time doctoral student, work, family or personal reasons will be taken into account. Work reasons will preferably include permanent or stable situations, temporary contracts extended over time, or other situations considered by the CAPD. Family or personal reasons will include, among other situations, dependency, care of elderly or disabled children and family with school-age children and situations of gender violence. Students with a degree of disability greater than 33%, if they request it and provide documentary evidence to the CAPD.

A change of registration modality may be requested during regular registration periods, subject to a favourable report from the CAPD.

Since there is only one entry profile, no additional training is planned.