The Doctoral Program in Sociology of Public and Social Policies (SPPS) seeks to encourage critical reflection and academic research on the construction of a better society and a better democracy in which public space is seen as a non-transferable responsibility of citizens.
This program is linked to the Master in Sociology of Public and Social Policies and is the result of the collaboration among the departments of Psychology and Sociology, Economic Analysis, Accounting and Finance, Criminal Law, Public Economics and Business Organization.
The program activities, research groups and teachers involved intend to help students develop their research work and complete their thesis in the following fields:
Democracy: public and social policies
Design, management and evaluation of public and social policies
Expected learning outcomes are as follows:
- Advanced knowledge and a deep, detailed and grounded understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects, and of the scientific methodology of the field of public and social policies.
- Contribute in an original and significant way to scientific research in the field of public and social policies,
- Ability to design a research project in the field of public and social policies.
- Autonomy to initiate, manage and lead innovative research projects and scientific collaborations, national or international, within their thematic scope, in multidisciplinary contexts.
- Capacity to develop their research activity with social responsibility and scientific integrity
- Participate in scientific discussions in their field of knowledge and disseminate the results of their research activity.
Administrative support:
Belén San Miguel Gaudioso Email: programasdoctorado@unizar.es Phone: (+34) 976 762936 |
Academic support:
María José Bernuz Beneitez
Email: mbernuz@unizar.es
Phone: (+34) 976 762118
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:
At the completion of the Program student should
- Be able to analyze the different dimensions of public and social policies from a multidisciplinary and systemic perspective, both in theoretical and applied levels
- Be able to design responses and models to manage emerging challenges in the public space, in a plural and complex society, through public and social policies
- Be able to assess the praxis of public and social policies from a multidisciplinary and systemic perspective
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: 15
To apply for admission to the SPPS Program, the candidate must submit the following:
- Admission application form for the program
- Complete Curriculum Vitae
- Motivation letter indicating the reasons for wanting to join the program, expectations regarding the program, the research line within the program where the candidate's research would be integrated, as well as whether the candidate will be enrolled full-time or part-time. Candidates applying for part-time enrollment must also submit a report explaining the reasons that lead or require them to opt for this modality.
- Thesis project briefly outlining the research topic to be developed in the thesis, explaining, as far as possible, the objectives and methodology.
- Recommendation from a professor of the program..
The Academic Committee of the Doctoral Program will evaluate and prioritize applications according to the following criteria:
In the case of foreign students whose native language is not Spanish, it may be required to accredit knowledge of spoken and written Spanish comparable to the intermediate level of the Instituto Cervantes DELE.
Admission systems and procedures adapted to students with special educational needs derived from disability
Admission systems and procedures include adequate support and counseling services, which will assess the need for possible curricular adaptations, itineraries or alternative studies in accordance with the provisions of RD 99/2011)
The Academic Committee may ask from candidates to take, in addition to the specific training of the doctoral program, training complements among the subjects of the Master's Degree in Sociology of Public and Social Policies or other pertinent courses up to 30 ECTS. The decision will be made in consultation with the director.
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
Requirements for the deposit of the doctoral thesis
Before requesting the deposit of the thesis, it is necessary to have approved the research plan for the current year, having uploaded the plan and obtained positive report of the director of the thesis onto the Sigma management platform.
A) Comply with the general requirements of the School of Doctorate
B) Fulfill the specific requirements of the Program, which are (work in progress):
1. Conduct a research seminar (after pre-deposit) where the PhD candidate will present their doctoral thesis to the program's professors, doctoral candidates, and the thesis reviewers.
2. Submit the Activities Document, which must include:
- Presentations at national and international conferences (at least one per year).
- An article in an indexed journal (meeting the criteria for CNEAI research assessments). If this is not achieved, a reasoned report from the director must be provided, with a commitment to meet the criteria after the thesis defense (with evidence of this commitment).
- Completion of transversal activities from EDUZ (at least 20 hours).
3. Submit a proposal for five reviewers of the thesis (who will form the future doctoral thesis tribunal), provided by the thesis director:
- The proposal must include 5 experts: suggestions for president, secretary, and member, as well as the first and second alternates, with a reference to at least two publications by each of them, directly related to the thesis subject or closely related.
4. In addition to the favorable report from the director(s), a favorable and reasoned report from one of the members of the tribunal must also be attached.
C) If the PhD candidate opts for a thesis by compilation, the following requirements set by EDUZ must be met. Specifically:
- It will be necessary to have published at least 3 articles in JCR Level 1 (Q1 and Q2) and Level 2 (Q3 and Q4) journals and/or SCOPUS Level 1 (Q1 and Q2) journals, and 1 article in journals indexed in FECYT, DOAJ, or DIALNET databases (C1 and C2).
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.
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.
Students have access to the learning resources of the University of Zaragoza and of the various departments, institutes, and research groups participating in the Program.
The University of Zaragoza has been sensitive to aspects related to equal opportunities, taking as a priority objective to make university buildings and their environment accessible by eliminating architectural barriers. It should be noted that present and future university infrastructures have among their design standards the considerations prescribed by Law 51/2003.
The University has several libraries with ample schedules and easy access. Libraries offer a wide range of services, access to collections in paper and electronic format, and spaces for individual and group work. In particular, the following libraries will facilitate access to documentary funds, bibliographic databases and scientific publications, related to the doctoral program.
Library of the Faculty of Economics and Business, in its Paraíso and Río Ebro campuses
Library of the Faculty of Social and Labor Sciences
The International Relations Service informs and supports the university community about the different international cooperation programs in the field of higher education. It also coordinates the implementation and development of international training activities in which the university participates, and manages mobility programs for students and teachers.
In addition, it welcomes international PhD students and facilitates their integration into the University, offering support and information about the city, accommodation, Spanish and other language courses, medical assistance, grants and scholarships, etc.
The University of Zaragoza is part of the European Network EURAXESS of Aragon, an information point that provides personalized assistance to foreign researchers who travel to Aragon to carry out their research work, as well as to Aragonese researchers who are interested in moving abroad temporarily . This support is about issues such as procedures for obtaining visas, residence cards and their renewals, homologation of university degrees, job offers, Social Security and health care, schooling and other useful information to facilitate the displacement and integration of the researcher in the country of destination.
The updated information on scholarships, financial aid and awards is available on the website of the Doctoral School.
Graduates from the program have at their disposal Universa, the career guidance service of the University of Zaragoza, composed of professional counselors expert in Human Resources development. Universa provides personalized information on job search, company selection tests and curriculum development and cover letters. Training sessions on professional competencies and monographic orientation seminars are organized periodically (international mobility, job search, development of professional skills, effective presentations and interviews, etc.) that help guide and facilitate the labor insertion of graduates.