Modification of the duration of doctoral studies

DURATION OF DOCTORAL STUDIES

The maximum duration of doctoral studies is 3 years for full-time students or 5 years for part-time students. This period begins on the date of the student’s initial enrolment for academic supervision and ends of the date of submission of the thesis deposit request.

Enrolment for academic supervision must be completed each academic year, independently of the initial enrolment date.

Once the period for requesting thesis submission has elapsed, the Academic Committee may authorize an extension of the period of doctoral studies, as follows:

  • Full-time: 1 extension of one year, which may in exceptional circumstances be extended by a further year.
  • Part-time: 1 extension of two years, which may in exceptional circumstances be extended by a further year.
Duration of the doctorate for studies commencing in the 2024-2025 academic year:

The duration of doctoral studies will be a maximum of four years, full-time, or seven years, part-time. When the doctoral candidate is a person with  degree of disability equal to or greater than 33% officially recognized in Spain, the duration of the studies is a maximum of six years, full-time, or nine years, part-time. The lenght will be counted from the date on which the first enrollment is formalized until the date on which the deposit of the doctoral thesis is requested. If the period corresponding to the maximum duration of the studies finish without having requested the deposit of the doctoral thesis, the academic committee of the program may authorize an extension of one more year if the doctoral candidate requests it.

The academic supervision registration will be formalized for each academic year, regardless of the date of the first registration.

CHANGE OF TIME COMMITMENT
 

Temporary withdrawal from a Doctoral Programme

 

 If the student withdraws for a period of less than one academic year, under any of the circumstances set out above, in order to enrol the following academic year:

  • they must complete the full enrolment process
  • They must request approval of their research plan or register for annual supervision and assessment of the research plan.

If they fail to do so they will not be permitted to enrol.

IMPORTANT

  • If a student requests temporary withdrawal from the doctoral programme on personal grounds prior to approval of the research plan, they will be understood to have left the programme and will need to re-apply.
  • During a period of temporary withdrawal from the programme, the student loses their status as a trainee researcher.
  • If a student fails to pay the enrolment fee by the stated deadline, they will be understood to have withdrawn temporarily from the programme, leading to the automatic suspension of rights without prior notice by the University of Barcelona. The temporary suspension of rights may remain in place until the end of the academic year.
  • The period of temporary withdrawal for any of the reasons set out in this article is recorded in the PhD student’s transcript and suspends the calculation of the periods of time required for the dedication regime.
  • In the case of withdrawals that involve several academic years, at the beginning of the academic year, during the enrolment period, the PhD student must report whether he/she is still on leave.
  • Doctoral students who find themselves in any of these situations must inform their directors and tutor, and must submit the application with the corresponding supporting documentation.

Requests for temporary withdrawal may be submitted directly to the General Registry of the UB or as a general request (generic instance ) via the Secretary’s Office for Students and Teaching Staff, together with the supporting documentation, in the following circumstances:

Illness:

Temporary termination communication (article 27.1 and 27.2 of the regulations until academic year 23-24, and article 14.1 since 24-25)

This must be notified at the onset of the condition and accredited by the corresponding medical report issued by the Catalan public health service, the equivalent body in other autonomous regions of Spain, or the civil service insurer MUFACE, where applicable. This temporary period of withdrawal must be stated in the doctoral student’s academic record and will be not be taken into account when calculating the duration of the doctoral programme

Other circumstances provided for in the applicable regulations

Temporary termination communication (article 27.1 and 27.2 of the regulations until academic year 23-24, and article 14.1 since 24-25)

Risk during pregnancy or breastfeeding, maternity, adoption, guardianship prior to adoption or fostering, paternity and, where protective measures are required, gender violence). Notification must be given at the onset of the condition and accredited as stated in the applicable regulations (consult the SED).  This temporary period of withdrawal must be stated in the doctoral student’s academic record and will be not be taken into account when calculating the duration of the doctoral programme.

Personal Reasons

Temporary termination for personal reasons

Students who have started studies until academic year 23-24 may not submit more than one request during their period of doctoral study and may not request more than one academic year, which can be extended for a further consecutive year. The request should be submitted BEFORE COMPLETING ENROLMENT.The period of withdrawal will be stated in the student’s academic record and subtracted from calculations pertaining to academic performance regulations. Requests will not be authorized during extensions of the doctoral programme granted under exceptional circumstances, except in exceptional cases, at the discretion of the Academic Committee.

Students who have started studies from the academic year 2024-2025:

may request periods of temporary withdrawal from the programme for personal reasons up to a total of two years, which may be for non-consecutive periods. If the student wishes to apply for a temporary withdrawal of more than one year for personal reasons, without having accepted the research plan, he/she must notify the academic committee of the doctoral programme, and it is understood that he/she is abandoning the studies. To restart their studies, they must reapply for admission to the doctoral programme.
Permanent withdrawal from a doctoral Programme La baixa definitiva impossibilita al doctorand a continuar en el programa on estava matriculat o i comporta el tancament del seu expedient.

Permanent withdrawal is final. As such, the student may not continue with the programme and their academic record is closed. Students may not request admission to the same programme until at least three academic years have passed. However, the student can apply for access and admission to another doctoral programme at the University of Barcelona.

The grounds for permanent withdrawal from a doctoral programme are as follows:

  • The student expressly requests to withdraw from the programme.
  • The periods applicable to academic performance requirements for doctoral studies, including any extensions, have expired.
  • A request to extend the duration of doctoral studies under the terms of Article 26 of these Regulations is denied.
  • A full academic year has elapsed during which time the student has neither enrolled nor requested temporary withdrawal from the doctoral programme.
  • The student has not applied for authorization of the research plan within the stated period.
  • The research plan has not been authorized by the academic committee, in accordance with articles 33 and 34 of these Regulations (for  students who have begun studies until 23-24 academic year) or article 25 (for students who have begun studies since 24-25) or unfavorable annual monitoring and evaluation report of the research plan.
  • When the documents established by the Academic Committee of the doctoral programme to carry out the annual evaluation and monitoring of the research plan have not been submitted within the established period.
  • Not having passed the training supplements in the first academic year.
  • The student has failed  any bridging courses set over the course of the first academic year.