Annual PhD reviews, permanence regime, suspensions of studies and changes direction ant tutoring

Once admitted to the doctoral program, you must formalize a registration each academic year (including a registration for the deposit of the doctoral thesis when the deposit is made as of the 1st October), in order to be certified as a doctoral student. The subject you will be registering for is called annual review, which evaluates the training achieved during the course and the progress of the preparation of the doctoral thesis.

For this reason, the academic committee of the doctoral program publishes each academic year a call for follow-up (check your doctoral program's website, section Review and Thesis), in which a committee made up of three doctors evaluates your progress of the research plan, the development of the document of activities and a report of the director of thesis and the academic tutor. In this report, the director and the academic tutor of the thesis inform, at least, if you have followed the agreed pattern regarding the number of meetings established between yourself and the thesis supervisor and if you have carried out the planned training activities for the academic year.

In exceptional cases (research stays or fieldwork), the Doctoral Commission, with a prior report from the academic committee of the doctoral program, may authorize replacing the oral and face-to-face presentation of the annual follow-up with another format.

To know the date for this evaluation, please contact your doctoral program. 

Failure to submit to an annual follow-up without justification leads to the definitive drop in the doctorate program, since the positive evaluation of the follow-up is an essential requirement so that you can continue in the doctorate program and enroll the following course. If the evaluation of the annual follow-up is negative, you will be re-evaluated in a maximum of six months and, when required, a new research plan will be submitted. 

If you pass the follow-up in this call, the School for Doctoral Studies will enroll you in the next course during the current academic year with no cost. We will let you know once done. However, if the new evaluation is negative, the Doctoral Commission (CAPD), after hearing the doctoral student, will issue a reasoned report and propose the Standing Committee (JPED) the definitive drop in the doctorate program. Against the act of negative qualification, the doctoral student can present allegations to the Standind Committee within fifteen working days from the communication of the result of the evaluation. Against the resolution of the JPED, the doctoral student can file an appeal before the rector.

For the preparation of the thesis you should take into account:

• If the thesis is requested to be presented and defended in a language other than Catalan, Spanish or English. The application must be submitted together with the reports of the director(s) and the tutor, if any, and authorization of the Doctoral Study Commission whenever the requirements are met.
• If the thesis is requested to be presented by compendium of publications. The request must be made and the articles and / or publications must be submitted, together with the mandatory reports of the director(s) and the tutor, if any, and the authorization of the Doctoral Study Commission. This request must be authorized by the corresponding commission of the UAB whenever it meets the requirements.
• If the thesis is requested to be presented in co-supervision. The application must be made and the signed agreement and annex must be submitted, together with the mandatory reports of the director(s) and the tutor and the authorization of the Doctoral Study Commission. 
• If the thesis is requested to be presented for the International Doctor Mention, please check this link.

The UAB offers you online information about intellectual property and open access to the theses and for any other work.

The website Intellectual Property and Open Access contains a collection of frequently asked questions that provide information on intellectual property and open access, of an advisory nature and that can not be considered, in any case, legal advice by the Autonomous University of Barcelona. You can access by doing a search in the box or browsing the thematic folders.

In  process of being prepared. The information is updated in the Catalan version.

Extract from the academic regulations of the UAB, articles concerning students with doctorate initiated in the academic year 2023/24 (Catalan version)

Regulations concerning students with a PhD initiated before the academic year 2023/24 (Catalan version)

Requests for suspensions are to be addressed to your CAPD. There are two types of suspensions: sickness- or maternity-related and voluntary.

The period of temporary leave does not count in the period of time that the doctoral student has to elaborate the doctoral thesis. For this reason, during the period of the leave, the student cannot perform any task related to the elaboration of the doctoral thesis, such as: receive support/advice from the thesis direction and/or tutoring, nor elaborate articles for publication, nor attend or perform the obligatory or optional activities, nor present himself/herself for the follow-up evaluation.

Whatever the type, you do not have to enrol if the suspension period coincides with a whole academic year (1 October to 30 September). However, if the suspension period covers part of one academic year and part of another, you need to enrol for both years.

These requests only affect the doctoral academic record. If you have a scholarship that implies a employment contract with the UAB, you must also contact ajuts.agr@uab.cat to process sick leave, if applicable.

Suspensions due to sickness, maternity or any other cause determined by law

Next update. Consult the version in Spanish or Catalan

Voluntary suspension

Next update. Consult the version in Spanish or Catalan

Withdrawal

Withdrawal from the PhD programme may result from any of the following situations.

• The student does not enrol on the PhD programme in an academic year.
• The student does not submit to the progress review and the Monitoring Committee records a grade of Not Assessable in the review report.
• The student does not pass the second progress review.
• The student asks for the enrolment to be cancelled. Check the academic and administrative calendar to know the deadline to request cancellation of enrollment.
• The student has exceeded the deadline to deposit.

Suspension request form (form in Catalan)

Report template Academic Tutor / Thesis Supervisor

FAQ's  suspension (Catalan version)

When admission to the PhD programme, the student will choose the enrolment status in which he will develop his doctoral thesis, which may be full-time or part-time. The enrolment status chosen and accepted by the PhD programme is registered in the first enrolment (subject 69501). The time for preparing the thesis will begin to count according to this record. Subsequently, the student, if he considers it necessary, may request, during his first two years of doctorate, within the period established by the academic-administrative calendar, the modification of this status, taking into account that it is the Academic Commission of the PhD programme who will accept, where appropriate, the modification of the enrolment status.

Procedure:

The student submits the Request form for changes of enrolment status to the administration of the PhD programme.

Check the academic and administrative calendar to know the term for the current academic year.

The CAPD issues a resolution on the request and reports this to the School for Doctoral Studies so that it can be added to the student's records.

The approved change will take effect on the time remaining to prepare the thesis.

First you need to check at sia.uab.es (Online services and procedures/Research Monitoring) that the supervisor(s) and/or tutor named are those currently working with you on your thesis. If there are any changes or if the information is not correct you should contact the Doctoral Programme Coordinator (Department/Institute responsible for your PhD) as soon as possible.

Document to request the change  in the direction and tutoring of your thesis.

In the event that with this change you incorporate a person from outside the UAB into the management team, you must also attach this form.

Remember that if you modify one of your thesis supervisors or academic tutor, you must sign another commitment document.