This PhD program arises from the former "Official Program of postgraduate studies on Biochemistry and Molecular an Cell Biology".
Secretary Office:
Secretaría del Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Celular
Facultad de Ciencias
Ciudad Universitaria. 50009 Zaragoza
Academic requests:
Teléfono: 976761280 - Ext.: 841280
Email: jnaval@unizar.es
Administrative requests:
Teléfono: 976761287 - Ext.: 841287
Email: sed1002@unizar.es
The students of the program acquire the basic competences indicated in article 5 of Royal Decree 99/2011 on doctorate. They are the following:
The RD 99/2011 highlights the high professional training of doctors in various fields, especially those that require creativity and innovation. Therefore, the doctors of the program will have acquired, at least, personal skills and abilities to:
The requirements for access to doctoral studies are set by the RD 99/2011, of 28 January. In general, access to the programme is open to those who hold an official Spanish Bachelor's and Master's degree or equivalent, having passed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits in these two degrees.
Students with a foreign degree issued by a country included in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) may apply for admission directly (info). If the degree was issued by a non-EHEA country, the application for admission with a foreign degree that has not been recognised (info) must be submitted.
Interested parties can find more information about acceso and admission at the Doctoral School section and at the administrative office of the programme (see contact details in the general information section of the programme).
Interested students can obtain further information about
Oferta de plazas: 30
General requirements:
In
accordance with Royal Decree 99/2011, of January 28, which regulates
the official doctorate education, to have access to doctoral studies,
you must have the official Spanish degree (or equivalent) and the
master's degree.
However, those who are in any of these other scenarios may also access the doctoral studies:
a)
Those who are in possession of an official university degree in Spain or another
country that is part of the European Higher Education Area that enables
access to master studies, in accordance with the provisions of article
16 of Royal Decree 1393/2007, of 29 October, which establishes the organization of official university
education, and have passed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits in the set of
official university studies, of which at least 60 will have to be
master's studies.
b)
Those who are in possession of an official Spanish diploma of graduate (licenciado), whose duration, according to the rules of community law, is at
least 300 ECTS credits. These graduates must take compulsory training
complements, unless the curriculum of the corresponding degree title
include credits for training in research, equivalent in terms of
training value to research credits from master studies.
c)
Those who have a university degree and, after gain access to places of specialized medical
training and have a positive evaluation of at least two years of
the training a program to obtain the official title of some of the specialties in health sciences.
d)
Those who are in possession of a degree obtained in foreign education systems, equivalent to that of
the official Spanish master's degree, and that grants the access to doctoral studies in the country issuing the title. This admission does not imply, in any case, the homologation of the
foreign previous degree nor its
recognition for other purposes than that of access to doctorate studies.
e) Those who are in possession of another Spanish title of doctor obtained according to previous university reglamentations.
f)
Graduates, Architects or Engineers who were in possession of the
Diploma of Advanced Studies obtained in accordance with the RD 778/98 of April 30 or who have attained the research
proficiency regulated in RD 185/1985, of January 23.
Under
no circumstances students with a diploma of studies equivalent to a duration of less than 240 ECTS will be admitted to doctorate. In
these cases, the student will have to apply for admission to
Master in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the University of
Zaragoza prior to their admission to the doctorate or to the Master's
Degree in Introduction to Veterinary Science Research.
Preferred profiles:
In order to enter to doctoral program, it is essential that the Academic Committee will admit the doctoral student or doctoral student.
To obtain such admission, the student must contact the Academic Committee of the program and request it within the period of time established in the academic calendar and according to the procedure
established in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
After evaluating the documentation submitted, the Academic Committee of the
program will determine if necessary to meet additional requirements
including the pass of specific tests.
Pre-registration information:
The
orientation and reception of the future doctoral students is carried
out through a series of contacts (personal and / or via email, if
applicable). It
begins with contacts between the coordinator and the eventual doctoral
student to facilitate their incorporation into the doctoral program. The coordinator will inform the student of administrative and academic processes, such as duration of the doctoral
thesis, tutor functions, director functions, training
plan, etc.
After apply for admission, and once the student and the professor
who endorses the application have been heard, the Academic Committee of
the Doctorate will assign a tutor to the student within a period of 15 days after the aceptance of student. International students of non-Spanish language born will be assigned to a English-speaking tutor.
Main degrees of access:
Official
Master's Degree, preferably in the Master's Degree in Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology of the University of Zaragoza and the Master's Degree
in Introduction to Research in Veterinary Sciences, in which the period
of training of the Doctoral Program in Biochemistry and Biology resides Molecular or other of the same level and scope, of any higher
education institution of the European Higher Education Area or of third
countries if they grant access to doctoral studies to the country of
issue.
Selection criteria:
To
be admitted to the Doctorate program, candidate students must submit an
application that the Academic Committee of the Doctoral Program of
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology will assess. Among the criteria for admission and selection of doctoral students will be taken into account, specifically:
01. The previous training of the applicant, specially the competences acquired during the postgraduate training period. (up to 30 points).
02. The Curriculum vitae. Knowledge level of accredited languages,
experience in the area, publications and letters of reference of
professors and researchers specialized in the subject that endorse the
request (up to 20 points) will be worthwhile merits.
03. The research interests declared by the applicant (up to 5 points).
04. Commitment to the Program (up to 5 points).
05. Feasibility and scientific interest of the submitted thesis project, if applicable (up to 30 points).
06. Result of a personal interview, if applicable (up to 10 points).
Profile:
Students who have deficiencies of essential knowledge in their previous
training (Degree and Master's studies) in relation to the research line
in which they intend to carry out their research work.
Complements
to be studied: The completion of specific and prsonalized training
complements (content of Bachelor's or Master's topics) may be
proposed, depending on the student's previous training and the subject
of his / her doctoral thesis.
Doctoral students, as researchers in training and students of the University of Zaragoza, must register annually with the corresponding fees for the academic supervision of the doctoral programme while they continue their doctoral training. The enrolment period will be the one established for this purpose in the calendar of the corresponding academic year.
As a general rule, enrolment will be done online through the Virtual Secretariat of the University of Zaragoza, having previously obtained a personal identification number (PIN) and password from the identity management service of the University of Zaragoza. Those who are unable to enrol online will be allowed to do so in person by going to the Doctoral School Section during opening hours. For the first, second and subsequent enrolments, doctoral students will have to present various documents about their previous studies, depending on whether they have been studied in countries within or outside the European Education Area.
The website of the Doctoral School provides complete and updated information about the enrolment procedure including key points, prices, discounts and insurance, legalisation and translation of documents and various practical details.
The procedures for the supervision of students on the programme are set out in article 11 of Royal Decree 99/2011 regulating doctoral studies. Thesis supervision is also covered by Title I of the Regulations on Doctoral Theses of the University of Zaragoza.
Doctoral students admitted to the programme will register annually for academic supervision at the University of Zaragoza. The academic committee of the programme will assign a thesis supervisor and a tutor, who may or may not coincide. The thesis supervisor will be responsible for the overall management of the student's research tasks, for the coherence and suitability of the training activities, for the impact and novelty of the subject matter of the doctoral thesis in his/her field, and for guiding the planning and, where appropriate, its adaptation to that of other projects and activities in which the student is enrolled. The tutor is responsible for ensuring that the training and research activity is in line with the principles of the programme and the Doctoral School and will ensure the interaction of the PhD student with the programme's Academic Committee, the body responsible for supervising the progress of the research and training and for authorising the presentation of the thesis of each PhD student on the programme.
The supervision of doctoral students will be set out in the Doctoral Charter which, once enrolment has been completed, will be signed by the doctoral student, his/her tutor and supervisor, the programme coordinator and the director of the School for Doctoral Studies. For further information on thesis supervision, please contact the programme's administrative office (see contact details in the programme's general information) or the programme coordinator.
The mechanisms for monitoring doctoral students are in accordance with the provisions of Article 11. Doctoral supervision and monitoring of RD 99/2011, of 28 January, which regulates official doctoral studies.
Before the end of the first year of enrolment, the PhD student must present a document that includes the research plan and the personal training plan. This may be improved and detailed throughout their stay on the programme and must be endorsed by the supervisor and tutor.
The research plan shall include, at least, the methodology to be used and the objectives to be achieved, as well as the means and timetable for achieving them.
The personal training plan will contain a forecast of the different training activities to be carried out during the doctoral thesis (courses, seminars, mobility actions, etc.).
The activities document is the record of all the activities - stays, courses, attendance at conferences, etc. - that the PhD student carries out from enrolment in the doctoral programme until the submission of the doctoral thesis.
These documents, as well as the director's and tutor's reports, are managed through the doctoral management application, SIGMA.
The academic committee of the programme will annually evaluate the progress of the doctoral student in terms of his/her research plan and the activities document together with the reports that the director and tutor must issue for this purpose. A positive evaluation will be a prerequisite for continuing on the programme. In the event of a negative evaluation, the PhD student must be evaluated again within a maximum period of six months. In the event that significant shortcomings continue to occur, the Academic Committee must issue a reasoned report, after hearing the interested party, and the doctoral student will be definitively withdrawn from the programme.
Once the thesis has been completed, the PhD student must proceed to its deposit and defence in accordance with the provisions set out in the thesis regulations of the University of Zaragoza and in the procedure that develops it, available on the EDUZ regulations website
The Doctoral School of the University of Zaragoza offers its doctoral students various transversal training activities focused on facilitating the acquisition of the necessary skills to actively participate in the knowledge society and to successfully manage in a complex and changing labour market. The activities in module 1, Communication skills, help PhD students to effectively disseminate research and its results and to share knowledge in an attractive way, both in writing and orally. Module 2, Scientific Information Management, provides training in searching, processing and managing bibliographic information. Module 3 includes activities that improve the doctoral student's readiness to manage in a professional environment. The activities in module 4, Research and Society, provide doctoral students with a space for reflection on issues of interest to participate fully and responsibly in today's diverse, digital and global society. Module 5 contains activities on instrumental or technical aspects necessary to apply cutting-edge research methodologies.
The training offer is completed with online activities for all G9 doctoral students, teaching and research training activities organised by the Institute of Education Sciences of the University of Zaragoza and with those carried out within the framework of inter-university and international Doctoral Conferences.
The complete offer for each academic year is published here.
Title: Group seminars.
Duration: 2h / week
Control procedures: Seminars will be carried out periodically according to a pre-established rotating schedule. The doctoral students will present the current and ongoing work topic and the rest of students and teachers (tutors) will discuss the topic. During each academic period, each doctoral student present three seminars on average. Attendance at seminars is mandatory.
Title: Research stays in other laboratories.
Duration: variable
Control
procedures: At the end of stay, the research responsible of foreign laboratory will be asked to provide a report on
the activity and use of the doctoral student. The Academic Committee will evaluate mobility within the plan of activities of the doctoral student and decide on its approval.
Doctoral students enrolled on doctoral programmes benefit from the mobility grants established in various national and international calls for applications. The calls of the Erasmus+ programme stand out. In the Modality Erasmus+ Studies, doctoral students can choose from a wide range of destinations as most of the agreements signed by the University of Zaragoza with other universities include places for doctoral students from all branches.
This mobility is carried out in accordance with the procedure Q-312_1. Procedure for the Management of the International Mobility of Undergraduate, Master and PhD Students.
With regard to the Erasmus+ Internships mode, doctoral students have access to two calls: the University of Zaragoza's own call and the one carried out by the Campus Iberus of International Excellence for the universities that are part of it, including Zaragoza.
Other interesting mobility calls are the Erasmus+ Short Mobility, the UNITA mobility, the external internships, those specifically aimed at Ibero-American students and those that finance international stays for pre-doctoral students, among others.
The mobility of doctoral students at the University of Zaragoza is also encouraged through the signing of co-supervision agreements with several foreign universities.
The Doctoral School of the University of Zaragoza has rules, regulations and procedures to facilitate the achievement of its various objectives. It is worth highlighting the Internal Regulations of the Doctoral School, the Instruction of the Doctoral School: Requirements for access, admission, dedication and permanence in the doctoral studies of the University of Zaragoza adapted to R.D. 99/2011. 99/2011; the Procedure for the elaboration of the Report on the Quality of Doctoral Studies and its different Programmes (ICED); the Code of Good Practices for the School and the doctoral programmes; the Doctoral Charter; the Procedure and model agreement to request the mention of doctorate industrial in the thesis or the Regulation of extraordinary doctoral awards. The aforementioned documents, drawn up with the participation and consensus of the various bodies of the Doctoral School, are published on its website.
The regulations section of the Doctoral School's website contains other important regulatory references for doctoral studies such as RD 99/2011 regulating official doctoral studies, the Regulations for Doctoral Studies (2012) and the Regulations on doctoral theses (2014), both from the University of Zaragoza.
Rules of duration and permanence in the doctorate are established in Instrucción de23 de mayo de 2018 de la Escuela de Doctorado relativa al acceso, admisión,dedicación y permanencia en los estudios de doctorado de la Universidad deZaragoza (R.D. 99/2011).
Full-time thesis should be complete in three years, from the date of admission to the doctoral program, although the Academic Committee of the program may authorize the extension of this period for one more year. Part-time doctoral students will have five years from their admission to the presentation of the thesis, and the Academic Committee may authorize an extension for two more years. Exceptionally, an additional year of extension can be added.
PhD candidates may request a change in dedication (full-time / part-time) as well as the temporary withdrawal for justified reasons of the Academic Committee. They can cause a definitive withdrawal and see their file closed in these cases: if the available time to deposit the thesis is exceeded or if they receive two consecutive negative evaluations of the research plan.
These processes are explained in detail on our website (info) and the doctoral students are told how to proceed in cases of temporary withdrawal (info).
Doctoral activity in an academic year is governed by the deadlines established in the specific doctoral academic calendar. This calendar, which is approved well in advance, sets the periods for application for access, admission to programmes, registration at the University of Zaragoza, presentation by doctoral students of the research plan and the activities document, as well as the deadlines for the defence of doctoral theses.
The website of the Doctoral School publishes the calendar for the current academic year, as well as for the two previous years.