Doctoral Program in Law 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.

1. SKILLS

Basic skills

CB11 - Systematic understanding of his or her field of study and mastery of research skills and methods related to that field.

CB12 - Ability to conceive, design or create, implement and adopt a substantial research or creation process.

CB13 - Ability to contribute to the expansion of the frontiers of knowledge through original research.

CB14 - Ability to carry out critical analysis and evaluation and synthesis of new and complex ideas.

CB15 - Ability to communicate with the academic and scientific community and with society in general about his or her fields of knowledge in the ways and languages commonly used in his or her international scientific community.

CB16 - Ability to foster, in academic and professional contexts, scientific, technological, social, artistic or cultural advancement within a knowledge-based society.

Personal skills and abilities

CA01 - Perform in contexts where there is little specific information.

CA02 - Find the key questions to answer to solve a complex problem.

CA03 - Design, create, develop and undertake novel and innovative projects in their field of knowledge.

CA04 - Work both as a team and independently in an international or multidisciplinary context.

CA05 - Integrate knowledge, deal with complexity and make judgments with limited information.

CA06 - The criticism and intellectual defense of solutions.

Other skills

CO01 - Have acquired advanced knowledge at the frontier of knowledge and demonstrated, in the context of internationally recognized scientific research, a deep, detailed and well-grounded understanding of theoretical and practical aspects and scientific methodology in one or more research fields.

CO02 - Have made an original and significant contribution to scientific research in his or her field of knowledge and that this contribution has been recognized as such by the international scientific community.

CO03 - Have demonstrated that he or she is capable of designing a research project with which to carry out a critical analysis and evaluation of imprecise situations in which to apply his or her contributions and knowledge and work methodology to carry out a synthesis of new and complex ideas that produce knowledge deeper of the research context in which he or she works.

CO04 - Having developed sufficient autonomy to initiate, manage and lead innovative research teams and projects and scientific collaborations, national or international, within his or her thematic field, in multidisciplinary contexts and, where appropriate, with a high component of knowledge transfer.

CO05 - To have shown that he or she is able of carrying out his or her research activity with social responsibility and scientific integrity.

CO06 - To have justified that he or she is able to participate in the scientific discussions that take place at the international level in his or her field of knowledge and to disseminate the results of his or her research activity to all kinds of audiences.

CO07 – To have demonstrated within his or her specific scientific context that he or she is capable of making progress in cultural, social or technological aspects, as well as promoting innovation in all areas in a knowledge-based society.

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

Admission Requirements to the Law Doctoral Program

The student who requests the admission to the Doctoral Program in Law shall address a letter of motivation to the Program Academic Committee within the deadline as stated in the academic calendar in accordance with the procedure issued annually in the Aragonese Official Gazette (BOA).

This request will be assessed according to the following weighting criteria:

1) Accreditation of sufficient legal training (minimum 60% and maximum 80%).

· The law graduate or the graduate who has completed an Official Master's Degree in Law will obtain a minimum weight of 70% and a maximum of 80% according to their academic record.

· The law graduate who has completed an Official Master's Degree in the macro-area of ​​ social and legal sciences which is not in Law, but has similar content, will obtain a minimum weight of 60% and a maximum of 70% based on the aforementioned content affinity.

· The student who has completed a Bachelor's Degree or College Degree in the social and legal sciences macro-area which is not in Law and an Official University Master's Degree in Law, will obtain a minimum weight of 60% and a maximum of 70% depending on the affinity of contents between the degree studied in the first instance and the law degree.

· The student who has completed a Master's Degree in Law in countries outside the European Higher Education Area, which enables access to doctoral studies in Law in the country of issuance, will obtain a minimum weight of 60% and a maximum of 70% based on the affinity of contents between the degrees already studied and the Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Law earned from Saragossa University.

2) Curriculum Vitae Presentation (maximum weight 20%).

The curriculum should include the academic background of the person concerned and, where appropriate, their professional or work experience. It will be rated according to the following criteria:

1. Academic record of the candidate in Degree and Master: up to 60 points.

2. Candidate's research experience (scholarships, communications to congresses, publications, and research papers): up to 30 points.

2.1. Scholarships (up to 10 points).

-Competitive predoctoral research scholarship (FPU / FPI)): 10 points.

-Other scholarships: maximum 5 points.

2.2. Publications (up to 10 points).

2.3. Communications at congresses: 5 points.

-Communications at national congresses: 2 points.

-Communications at international congresses: 3 points.

2.4. Research papers (TFG and / or TFM), legal opinions or reports (up to 5 points)

3. Other merits (up to 10 points)

3.1. Language skills: up to 5 points (English, French and German: B1 = 2 points; B2 = 3 points; C1 = 4 points; C2 = 5 points)

3.2. Motivation to access the program: up to 5 points

It is demanded for candidates to complete a minimum score of 30 point in this section to overcome admission.

To be admitted to the Doctoral Program in Law a student must achieve a total weighted score of 80%.

The admission will expire in one month as from the time it was granted if the applicant fails to enroll in the doctoral program. In this case, the interested party, if she or he want to start their studies, must request admission to the program again. Possible vacancies left will be filled by the Academic Commission by going to the corresponding waiting list.

In the event of vacancies still available, applications for admission will be handled after the deadline until the number of places offered by the program during the ongoing academic year is covered.

Places offered: 30

Preferential Entry Profiles:

1) The recommended entry profile is that of a student with a Bachelor's Degree or Law Degree who has completed an Official Master's Degree in Law at any university institution integrated into the European Higher Education Area.

2) They may also be admitted without the need to take supplementary training: 

• The law graduate who has completed an Official Master's Degree in the macro-area of ​​social and legal sciences that is not in Law, but has similar content.

• The student who has completed a Bachelor's Degree or College Degree in social and legal sciences macro-area that is not in Law and an Official University Master's Degree in Law.

• The student who has completed a Master's Degree in Law in countries outside the European Higher Education Area, which enables access to Doctorate studies in Law in the country of issuance.

Teaching language:

A B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is required as a specific admission criterion for the students whose vehicular mother tongue is different from Spanish.

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.

In accordance with the provisions of the verification report of the doctorate program in Law, 2 of the following 3 activities must be taken by students as specific training throughout their research period and until they defend the thesis: 

1. AE: Academic English. Transversal activity of the Doctoral School (30 h.). The activity's general objective is to provide doctoral students with basic tools and skills for academic communication in English in the research context.

2. ST: Transversal activity. To be chosen from among the activities of the offer of transversal activities of the Doctoral School of the University of Zaragoza; until completing 30 h.; the organization is approximate, it will ultimately depend on the choice of the doctoral student based on the specific offer of the course. This offer covers cross-cutting issues, which ranges from communication skills to scientific information management, through innovation, entrepreneurship, research and society. The offer includes both face-to-face and non-face-to-face activities. 

3. IE: Research stay at foreign Universities or research centers. The stay can be done in the second year / third year for full-time students and during the third year / fourth year for part-time students (160 hours). A minimum stay time of one month is recommended, starting from the third year of the research period. The stay has been carried out in a prestigious foreign academic and / or research institution, and is aimed at completing the research training in the legal field. Its purpose is the inclusion by the doctoral student of an international and comparative-law dimension to his / her research work.  
  

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.