Doctoral Program in Physics 2022–2023

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:

1. Develop in contexts in which there is little specific information.
2. Find the key questions that must be answered to solve a complex problem.
3. Design, create, develop and undertake innovative and innovative projects in their field of knowledge.
4. Work both as a team and independently in an international or multidisciplinary context.
5. Integrate knowledge, face complexity and formulate judgements with limited information.
6. The criticism and intellectual defence of solutions.

• Acquisition of the necessary tools to understand the literature in the area of Physics of his/her specialization.
• Development of the capacity for analysis and criticism of experiments and theoretical developments in Physics.
• Skills to open new lines of research in Physics.
• Competencies for theoretical and/or experimental teamwork in Physics research.
• Aptitudes for the management of scientific research projects.

The requirements for access to doctorate studies are set in RD 99/2011 and can be consulted in the corresponding Instruction of the Doctorate School (pdf). In general, an official Spanish Bachelor's and Master's degrees or equivalent are required, with a minimum global extension of 300 ECTS credits.

Candidates with university degrees issued by a country of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) may request admission directly (info). If the degree is issued by a country outside the EHEA, the application for access with a non-homologated foreign degree must be submitted (info).

Those interested can expand their information in the administrative section of the Doctoral School (web) or the administration of the program (see contact data in the program general information section).

Preferred profiles: Graduates, Architects or Engineers who were in possession of the Diploma of Advanced Studies obtained in accordance with the provisions of RD 778/98 of April 30 or had reached the research proficiency regulated in the RD may be admitted to doctoral studies. 185/1985, of January 23. This doctoral program is aimed at students who have completed a master's degree in physics, but students who, meeting the general requirements, have completed a degree, bachelor's degree and/or master's degree in experimental sciences or engineering may also be admitted. Depending on the previous training of the student, two admission profiles are defined:
Profile 1: Students who have completed 60 credits of a generic master's degree in Physics or specialized in some of its disciplines.
Profile 2: Students who have completed 60 master's credits in other experimental sciences or engineering.

Regardless of the admission profile, the student must have acquired the following skills, abilities and knowledge in the degree prior to the Doctorate:

• basic knowledge in various branches of physics
• ability to obtain and handle information,
• Capacity for analysis, abstraction and synthesis.
• ability to apply the scientific method
• ability to communicate and present work (oral and written)
• capacity for autonomous study, planning and decision making,
• ability to plan and execute, under supervision, a research project
• Sufficient knowledge of English for oral and written comprehension (level B1). To be admitted to the Doctoral program, candidate students must submit an application within the period established annually in the academic calendar and according to the procedure established by the University of Zaragoza that is published annually in the BOA, and that the Academic Commission of the Program of Doctorate will value. In the admission and selection criteria, the previous academic training of the applicant and, where appropriate, her previous professional experience will be taken into account.
If deemed necessary, a personal interview will be conducted.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Preadmission: In order to apply for some pre-doctoral grants, it is necessary to have a preadmission certificate for the doctorate. This certificate in no case exempts from carrying out the final admission procedures described below.

To qualify for the preadmission certificate, the following documentation must be submitted to the administrative headquarters of the program sad488@unizar.es.

• Copy of an identity document. • Academic record of degree and approved credits of the master. • A letter from the candidate stating their motivations and preferred lines of research to carry out her/his doctoral thesis project.

Admission:

The application should be sbmitted:

• During the ordinary term: through the virtual secretariat.
• During the extraordinary term: the application form for admission should be completed and submitted, together with the rest of the required documentation (see below) in the electronic register, in any of the official register offices indicated in art. 16, Law 39/2015 or via e-amil in the Physics doctorate office sad488@unizar.es
  
  

• Copy of an identity document.
• Academic degrees (bachelor's degree and master's degree). • Academic record (degree or bachelor's degree and master's degree). • Curriculum vitae. • Certification of knowledge of languages ​​(if you have one) • A letter from the candidate stating their motivations and preferred lines of research to carry out her/his doctoral thesis project. The letter should include the names of the proposed tutor, that should belong to the Teaching Staff, and director (they can be the same person) and record their approval and signature.

• If asking for admission in the  extraordinary term: the form "Admisión en estudios de doctorado" (there is an english version) filled and a report stating the reasons to ask for admission time-barred (e. g. access to a research contract or other circumstances)

In view of the documentation presented, the Academic Committee of the program will determine if it is necessary to meet additional requirements, including passing specific tests.
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If the Doctorate is in some special situation of a professional, familiar or personal nature, the Commission will admit the completion of the Doctorate in a part-time basis according to the rules stipulated by the University of Zaragoza. Main access qualifications:
Official University Master's Degree in any area of Physics, from a higher education institution in the European Higher Education Area or from foreign countries if the Master' Degree allows access to Doctorate studies in Physics in the country of expedition.
Those who posses at least 60 ECTS at the master's level in Physics, and have an official university degree in Science and/or Engineering, will also be eligible. Selection criteria:
In the event that the number of applications exceeds the number of admissions offered, the Academic Committee will assess the suitability of the candidate according to the following scale:

Adequacy to the program: up to 30 points • Bachelor's degree in Physics: 20
• Bachelor's degree in other experimental sciences or engineering: 15
• Master in Physics: 10
• Master's degree in other experimental sciences or engineering: 7 Academic record: up to 40 points
• Note of the degree/bachelor's degree (scale 0-10) * 3
• Master's degree (scale 0-10) * 1

Curriculum vitae: up to 25
• Work experience in physics: 5 points per year full time
• Publications in journals with impact factor (IF): nº points= FI Knowledge of languages: up to 5 points
• Knowledge of English: basic-B1 (1), medium B2 (3), high C1 or higher (5)

Complementary courses: In the case of students who have completed an official University Master's degree in some area of ​​Physics, the equivalence of ETCS and their admission to the doctorate (Profile 1) may be carried out. In the other cases (Profile 2), and following a report from the tutor, the student during the training period will take the courses stipulated by the Academic Committee until completing the credits not recognized.

Doctoral students, as researchers in training and students of the University of Zaragoza, have to formalize every year the enrollment with the corresponding rights to the academic tutorship while continuing their doctoral training. The enrollment period will be set  in the academiccalendar approved each year by the Doctoral School. 

As a general rule, enrollment will be done online through the Secretaría Virtual ofthe University of Zaragoza. Previously a personal identification number (NIP) and password will have been obtained in the identity management service. Face-to-face registration will be allowed to those who cannot do it online, by going to the doctoral school during public service hours. PhD students must submit every year in which they enroll, documentation about their previous studies, depending on whether they have been taken in countries of the European Education Area or outside that space.

Full and up-to-date information on the enrollment procedure, including key points, is provided on the website of the Doctoral School, as well as prices, discounts and insurance, legalization and translation of documents and some others practical details.

The procedures for the supervision of doctoral students are set in article 11 of Royal Decree 99/2011, which regulates doctoral studies and the rules about Thesis (Reglamento sobre Tesis Doctorales de la Universidad de Zaragoza). The doctoral student admitted to the program has to enrol each academic year in academic tutelage at the University of Zaragoza. The Academic Committee of the program will assign a Thesis Director and a tutor, who may or may not be the same. The Thesis Director will be the person in charge of the overall management of the doctoral student's research tasks, of the coherence and adequacy of the training activities, of the impact and novelty in his/her field of the subject of the doctoral thesis and of the guide in other projects and activities where the doctoral student is involved. The tutor is responsible for the adaptation of the training and the research activity to the principles of the program and the Doctoral School and will ensure the interaction of the doctoral student with the Academic Committee of the program, the body responsible for supervising the progress of the research and training and the authorization of the thesis presentation of each doctoral student of the program.

The supervisory functions of the doctoral students will be documented in the Doctorate Letter which, once the registration is made, will be signed by the doctoral student, its tutor and its director, the program coordinator and the director of the Doctoral School. Those interested can expand the information on the thesis supervision in the administrative headquarters of the program (see contact information in the general information of the program) or by consulting the program coordinator.

The follow-up of the training process leading to the presentation of the doctoral thesis is carried out through the research plan and the doctoral student's document of activities. The research plan is presented before the end of the first year of enrolment and includes, at least, the methodology to be used and the objectives to be achieved, as well as the means and the temporal planning to achieve it. The plan may be improved and detailed later and must be endorsed by the Director and the tutor. The document of activities is the register of all the activities -research stays, courses, attendance to congresses, or others- that the doctorate carries out from his enrolment until the presentation of the doctoral thesis. Annually, the Academic Committee of the program will evaluate the follow-up of the research plan together with the document of activities. The positive evaluation will be an essential requirement to continue in the program. In the case of a negative evaluation, the doctoral student must be evaluated again within a maximum period of six months. Those interested can expand this information in the administrative headquarters of the program (see contact information in the general information of the program) or by consulting the program coordinator.

The Doctoral School offers an annual series of voluntary activities for all doctoral students. This formation has a transversal and interdisciplinary nature. The offer is dynamic and covers the following formative aspects: communication (oral and written), access and information management, and skills for a future social and professional performance.  Information about the activities, admission and enrolment can be found in the website of the Doctoral School  (info).

Title: Attendance at seminars, courses or schools external to the program (compulsory).
Duration: 15 hours
Control procedures: Participation in this activity will be provisionally included in the doctoral student's activities document. The participant will provide a certificate of attendance at the seminar. The evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the national or international character of the school or course and with the active participation of the doctoral student in it (with the presentation of the results of the work or the performance of tests). The academic commission of the doctoral program will assess the information and will award the Qualification of Pass or Fail, which will be included in the activities document.

Title: Attendance at Congresses and Workshops (compulsory).
Duration: 24 hours
Control procedures: Participation in this activity will be provisionally included in the doctoral student's activities document. The participant will provide information on: · Name of the Congress, workshop, etc… · Place and date of celebration. · Title and authors of the contribution · Type of participation: Invited Oral, Oral, panel, etc. In the evaluation of the activity, the national or international character of the event will be valued, as well as the type of participation. The academic commission of the doctoral program will assess the information and will award the Qualification of Pass or Fail, which will be included in the activities document.

Title: Research stays in other Centers (compulsory).
Duration: 40 hours
Control procedures: Participation in this activity will be provisionally included in the doctoral student's activities document. The participant will provide a brief report with the approval of the director on the research stay carried out that includes the objectives sought and the results obtained. With this report, and where appropriate, with the information from the director about the stay, the academic committee of the doctoral program will assess the information and award the Qualification of Pass or Fail, which will be included in the activities record.

Doctoral students enrolled in doctoral programs benefit from mobility aids established in various national and international calls. The calls for the Erasmus + program stand out.

In the Erasmus + Studies mode, doctoral students can choose a wide range of destinations, since most of the agreements signed by the University of Zaragoza with other universities include places for PhD students of all branches.

In the Erasmus + Stays / Practices in companies modality, PhD students access two calls: the one from the University of Zaragoza and the one carried out by the Iberus International Campus of Excellence for the universities that comprise it, the one from Zaragoza among them.

Other mobility calls are specifically designed for Latin American students and for international stays of students with predoctoral contracts. The mobility of doctoral students of the University of Zaragoza is also encouraged with cotutela agreements signed with foreign universities.

The Doctoral School of the University of Zaragoza has rules and procedures to achieve its various goals, which have been written with the agreement of the different levels of the Doctoral School, and are published on its website.

The regulations section of the Doctoral School website contains other important regulations, both national and of the University of Zaragoza, such as RD 99/2011 por el que se regulan las enseñanzas oficiales de doctorado, el Reglamento de los Estudios de Doctorado (2012) y el Reglamento sobre tesis doctorales (2014).

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).

The academic year is governed by the deadlines established in the specific Doctoral School´s academic calendar.

This calendar sets the periods of request for entry, admission to the programs, enrollment at the University of Zaragoza, as well as how the students must present every year the research plan and the activities document, deadlines for defending doctoral theses, etc.

The Doctoral School website publishes the calendar of the current course as well as the two previous courses (info).