Doctoral Program in Electronic Engineering 2019–2020

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.

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).

Graduates in an electrical engineering Master's degree are eligible for the program. Among electrical engineering degrees, the preferred master's degrees list is:

-Master's in Electronic Engineering
-Master's in Industrial Engineering (Electrical Engineering)
-Master's in Telecommunication Engineering

Moreover, graduates in Master’s degrees in Physics or graduates in Physics are also eligible.
Additionally, graduates in the following engineering degrees are also suitable for the Program:
-Industrial Engineering
-Telecommunications Engineering
-Related Technical Engineering degrees

Candidates for the PhD program in Electronic Engineering are not required to pass specific tests or exams to be accepted.

Considering that the languages of the program are Spanish and English, a B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CERF) is required for the case of the non-native languages.

Applications to the Program should be addressed to the Academic Committee according to the procedure and schedule of http://wzar.unizar.es/servicios/docto/. In the applications, candidates should include the following information:

• Application form: https://escueladoctorado.unizar.es/es/impresos

• CV of the candidate including the university degrees, courses and experience in the field of electronics.

• Motivation letter describing the personal motivation for choosing the program.

• In the case of part-time studies, a justification letter including the activities programed to be carried out at the same time of the PhD studies.

• Special education needs derived from specific disabilities.

 Apart from this information, candidates could be required to make an appointment in order to evaluate its interest for the different research lines with the purpose of preliminary assigning an advisor.

In view of the presented documentation, the Academic Committee will conclude if the candidate is accepted in the Program. This decision will be adopted according to the following criteria:

• Academic degrees, according to the preferred degrees listed above.

• Academic record of the candidate. It is considered appropriate an average grade of 1.6 points with respect to 4.

Both aspects will be equally considered to make the final decision.

Candidates having these degrees do not require extra training complements.
In the case of more applications than positions, the following criteria will be adopted in order to assign the vacant positions:

• Student record: 80%.
• Electronic Engineering track record: 20%

Regarding the Electronic Engineering track record, the applied scores will be as follows:

• A maximum of 60 points could be assigned regarding the previous professional experience and R&D positions in the field of electronic engineering (10 point per year). This experience should be accredited by means of the corresponding contracts.
• A maximum of 40 points could be assigned regarding other degrees or training in the field of electronic engineering (10 points per credit). This experience should be accredited by means of the corresponding academic certifies.
  
  

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.

In order to guarantee the quality of the PhD, in addition to the above mentioned organization system, other requirements are stablished. Specifically, when the thesis is submitted to the Academic Committee for its approval, this Committee will check if any of the following results has been achieved:

• 2 papers in JCR journals, or

• 1 paper in a JCR journal + 2 papers in relevant conferences in the field, or

• 1 paper in a JCR journal + 1 patent (with published application).

JCR papers must be accepted for publication but can be unpublished. In that case, it is required a copy of the paper, the accepting letter of the Editor, and the DOI code. Regarding conferences, the should be relevant in its field and organized according to a peer blind review system. Moreover, conferences should be listed in the CORE index. Considering patents, the application document should be published. Unpublished applications are not valid. In any case, these results must derive from the research conducted during the PhD period. Results of other activities carried out in parallel are not valid.

In case of these results are not achieved, the candidate can submit two letters, from two experts in the field, highlighting the relevance of the research and informing that the PhD has enough quality. Experts can be recommended by the advisors. In view of these letters and the PhD document, the Academic Committee will make a decision.

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).

Full-time students:

Every year full-time students must course between 25 to 40 hours of learning activities. Activities can comprise either transversal training or specific training and should be choosen from the list below.

Part-time students:

Every year part-time students must course between 20 to 30 hours of learning activities. Activities can comprise either transversal training or specific training and should be choosen from the list below.

The set of courses and activities is listed below

Name: Courses pertaining to the training program for PhD students organized by the Doctorate School of the University of Zaragoza (EDUZ)
Equivalence in learning hours: from 2 to 30 depending of the course
Description: elective activity, transversal
The Doctorate School offers a learning program organized in different modules.The full offer is available in: https://escueladoctorado.unizar.es/es/tr-oferta-actividades-transversales.
This offer comprises both classroom courses and on-line courses
Learning outcomes (some examples):
- Demonstrate good communication skills of research results, both oral and written.
- Big data management capability.
- Capability of schedule a professional career.
- Ability of incorporate the latest technological innovations in a particular research field.
- Ability of put in context the research activity in a particular social framework considering its societal specificities.
Languages: Spanish and English
Recommended planning time: the courses of this activity are spread along each academic course. It is recommended to course some courses every year during the doctorate period.
Supervision: an attending certify is issued in each course. The advisor should accept this activity.

Name: Courses pertaining to the Training program for novel teachers organized by the Education Science Institute (ICE)
Equivalence in learning hours: from 2 to 25 depending of the course
Description: elective activity, transversal
The Education Science Institute of the University of Zaragoza (ICE) offers a learning program organized in different modules. The full information is available in: https://ice.unizar.es/profesorado-novel
Each module can be independently coursed with respect to others. Modules comprise both classroom courses and on-line courses
The learning outcomes are explained in the general information provided in the above mentioned URL.
Languages: Spanish
Recommended planning time: the courses of this activity are spread along each academic course. Courses can be followed in the different campuses of the University of Zaragoza. It is recommended to course some courses every year during the doctorate period.
Supervision: an attending certify is issued in each course. The advisor should accept this activity.

Name: Courses pertaining to the Continuing learning program organized by the Education Science Institute (ICE)
Equivalence in learning hours: from 2 to 40 depending of the course
Description: elective activity, transversal
The Education Science Institute of the University of Zaragoza (ICE) offers a continuing learning program organized in different modules. The full information is available in: https://ice.unizar.es/formacion/formacion-continua/formacion-continua
Each module can be independently coursed with respect to others. Modules comprise both classroom courses and on-line courses
The learning outcomes are explained in the general information provided in the above mentioned URL.
Languages: Spanish
Recommended planning time: the courses of this activity are spread along each academic course. Courses can be followed in the different campuses of the University of Zaragoza. It is recommended to course some courses every year during the doctorate period.
Supervision: an attending certify is issued in each course. The advisor should accept this activity.

Name: Attending the research symposium of the Institute of Research in Engineering of Aragon (I3A).
Equivalence in learning hours: 20
Description: elective activity, transversal
The Institute of Research in Engineering of Aragon (I3A) organizes an annual symposium with the purpose of share the latest advances of young researches involved in the activities of the Institute. The event is usually programmed the first week of of June. This is an excellent opportunity for the PHD students of the program for presenting their works to its pairs, and, at the same time, it is also a good opportunity to receive feedback from senior researchers. The full information of the symposium is available in: http://i3a.unizar.es/
Learning outcomes (some examples):
- Capability of summarize the most relevant research results.
- Demonstrate good communication skills of research results, both oral and written, even for general non-expert audiences.
- Skills in preparing documents with text and graphics software tools.
- Listening pairs and preparing questions.
Languages: Spanish and English
Recommended planning time: the symposium is scheduled every year. It is recommended to participate in this symposium each year of the doctorate period, especially if there is not opportunities for going to other national or international conferences.
Supervision: the student should present the attending certify and a short summary showing the interest of the conference for the development of the PhD.

Name: Mobility- Research stay in institutes or centers different form the University of Zaragoza.
Equivalence in learning hours: 37.5 hours per week.
Description: elective activity, transversal
Research stays in renown centers are a interesting experience which can boost the acquisition of several learning outcomes.
Learning outcomes (some examples):
- Ability of integration in research teams with different procedures and culture.
- Capability of adaptation to new research environments, usually multicultural.
- Ability to develop autonomous work.
- Demonstrate good communication skills of research results, both oral and written, even for general non-expert audiences.
Languages: English
Recommended time planning: the research stays are not restricted to a specific year or period. However, it is recommended to carry out this activity in the last year or, preferably, in the next-to-last year of the doctorate period.
Supervision: the Academic Committee of the program must approve a proposal of research stay. After the stay, the student should prepare a brief summary of the experience, with special focus on the research results. The local and foreign advisors should issue reports of the stay.

Name: Attending national or international conferences of reference in the research field.
Equivalence in learning hours: from 20 to 40 depending of the conference (national or international) and presentation (oral or poster).
Description: elective activity, transversal
Learning outcomes (some examples):
- Capability of summarize the most relevant research results.
- Demonstrate good communication skills of research results, both oral and written, even for general non-expert audiences.
- Skills in preparing documents with text and graphics software tools.
- Listening pairs and preparing questions.
Languages: Spanish and English
Recommended time planning: as a guideline, it is recommended to attend conferences from the second year until the end of the doctorate period.
Supervision: the student should present the attending certify and a short summary showing the interest of the conference for the development of the PhD.

Name: Writing and submitting technical papers to journals of reference in the research field.
Equivalence in learning hours: from 20 to 40 depending of the impact of publication.
Description: elective activity, transversal
Several editorials (as the IEEE) consider the possibility of submitting works previously presented in conferences (with additional results) to JCR journals. Students are encouraged to take advantage of this possibility in order to gain visibility of its work.
Learning outcomes (some examples):
- Capability of summarize the most relevant research results.
- Ability to structure adequately research works.
- Demonstrate good communication skills of research results, both oral and written, even for general non-expert audiences.
- Skills in preparing documents with text and graphics software tools.
- Capability of arguing and discussing.
Languages: English
Recommended time planning: students should prepare technical papers from the start of its doctorate period, or when they have valuable results.
Supervision: the advisor of the PhD should evaluate the relevance of the publication.

Name: Attending brief courses, invited talks, seminars, workshops or webinars of the different research lines.
Equivalence in learning hours: up to 40 depending of courses.
Description: elective activity, transversal
In the electronics field, many companies, manufacturers or universities regularly organize seminars or workshops mainly oriented to researcher or technicians.
Learning outcomes (some examples):
- Capability of recognize the latest technologies.
- Ability of selecting the relevant information in a field.
- Capability of continuing learning.
- Ability of incorporate the latest technological innovations in a particular research field.
Languages: Spanish and English
Recommended time planning: this activity is appropriate for the whole doctorate period.
Supervision: the student should present the attending certify and a short summary showing the interest of the activity for the development of the PhD.

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).

The doctoral program has different facilities in the two campuses where the research team is developing its current activity. Some examples of these facilities are:

• 3 full equipped power electronics labs with digital oscilloscopes, differential voltage probes, current probes, dc power supplies (up to 12 kW), ac power supplies (up to 15 kVA), PCB design center, soldering station, electronics loads, computers with different simulation tools.
• 1 full equipped induction heating lab with prototyping facilities, impedance analyzers for a wide frequency range (from 2 Hz up to 110 MHz), finite element simulation tools, configurable ac source for induction heating uses.
• 3 full equipped labs with facilities for developing applications of domotics and intelligent environments as computer vision systems, simulation workstations, IoT and sensor network development facilities.
• 2 full equipped microelectronic-design labs with computing facilities for design analog, mixed and digital integrated circuits.

Apart from these labs, both the School of Engineering and the Faculty of Sciences offer other general services which are at the disposal of the students. Some examples of these services are libraries, classrooms, meeting rooms, seminars, videoconference services, general mechanical and electrical labs. Moreover, the Institute of Research in Engineering of Aragon also has other facilities as management support, event rooms, and specific labs.