20 Things you must know

  1. Before pre-registration, students should contact a research tutor and a supervisor (the same teacher may assume both roles with the same student) in order to conclude a research agreement. Next, during pre-registration, students must specify their research lines and the names of their tutors and supervisors.
  2. Students must come to an agreement with their tutors and supervisors about the research topic; the language they will use for writing the thesis; how often their meetings will be held and in what language.
  3. Foreign students must attend meetings (face-to-face or online) with their tutors and/or supervisors in order to carry out the activities required for completing their academic training, especially those that are compulsory in their PhD program. Expenses derived from attendance to those meetings are not included in the doctoral fees.
  4. Once all parties have come to an agreement, students may submit the documentation required in the pre-registration and registration stages. All required documentation must be submitted according to the guidelines and deadlines established by EIDUM. For further information, please go to the EIDUM website.
  5. Students may first submit their application for the PhD program in their area of study. The application process is open between July and September* and is the same for foreign students. The application does not necessarily imply the student’s admission to the program. Only those students who meet the admission criteria of their chosen PhD program will be considered for enrollment. In case the number of applications is higher than the number of places available, the selection criteria established by the Academic Committee will be applied.
  6. Once the admission list is published, the enrollment process can start. This list can be consulted on the EIDUM website. The enrollment period starts in October.*
  7. After the registration period, the Academic Committee of the chosen PhD program will appoint the thesis supervisors. The period for the appointment of thesis supervisors ends in January.*
  8. Next, students, tutors and supervisors must sign the Letter of Engagement template available on the website. Letters of Engagement can only be uploaded onto the application once supervisors have been appointed. Students must upload their Letters of Engagement within three months after the appointment of supervisors. The deadline is usually in April.*
  9. Before the end of the first year, students should complete a Research Plan following the template available in the PhD online application. Once finished, the Research Plan can be uploaded onto the PhD online application. It has to be signed and validated by the students, supervisors and tutors. The Research Plan can only be validated after the Letter of
    Engagement has been uploaded.
  10. The Research Plan must be annually updated, signed and uploaded onto the online application. The deadline is usually in July.* It is advisable to upload it in advance.
  11. According to the legislation in force, the Research Ethics Committee of the UM must positively assess the Research Plan when it involves: human beings or biological samples of human origin, personal data that may affect fundamental rights, animal testing, or the analysis of biological agents or genetically modified organisms.
  12. Students must inform their supervisors about the progress of their research, the problems they face and the results obtained. Students are recommended to contact their supervisors at least once every two weeks.
  13. Tutors and supervisors must upload an Annual Review of the students’ progress onto the application. The deadline is usually the first week of September.* It is advisable to submit it in advance. The Annual Review template is available on the EIDUM website.
  14. Doctoral students enrolled full-time in any of EIDUM PhD programs are expected to work on their doctoral research on average a minimum of 37,5 hours per week.
  15. Students must carry out the PhD courses and any other research activities required by their tutors and supervisors. Dates and evaluation criteria for these courses and activities must be consulted on the website of the different PhD programs. Doctoral students are expected to comply with all the requirements of their PhD program. These requirements may include the following: 1) to achieve a certain level in a foreign language before finishing the doctoral studies and before the viva. For foreign students, the language can be Spanish; 2) to publish an article in a journal; and 3) to carry out the activities that are compulsory in their PhD program. These activities may include PhD courses organized by their program or EIDUM, as well as attendance to the International Doctoral Conference that EIDUM organizes annually.
  16. Doctoral students must distinguish between academic activities and academic complements. Academic activities have a PhD level (MECES 4) and include interdisciplinary courses organized by EIDUM and specific courses within a PhD program, as well as other activities, such as attendance to conferences, research stays, etc. Academic complements have a Master’s level (MECES 3) and are appointed during the process of admission to the PhD program when applicants do not fully comply with the admission profile. These are Master’s subjects whose prices are not included in the doctoral fees.
  17. The deadline for registering for interdisciplinary teaching activities organized by EIDUM will be published on the website. This information is sent to the student’s UM e-mail account. Students should apply for the activities they are interested in, and tutors and supervisors must validate their application. Once the students have completed the activities, they will be automatically uploaded in the student’s file.
  18. Those academic activities that are specifically organized within each PhD program (compulsory and optional), as well as those that can be additionally carried out (research stays, attendance to conferences, interviews with supervisors) should be uploaded onto the online application manually by the students, who are then required to request the validation from their supervisor.
  19. Students must produce an original thesis. Before submitting their thesis, the Academic Committee of their program will assess its originality following the procedures established by the University of Murcia.
  20. For further information, please go to the section “frequently asked questions (FAQs)” that can be found on the website of the International Doctoral School

*It is recommended to check the exact deadlines on the website, clicking on “Important dates and deadlines” (“Calendario de seguimiento de programas de doctorado”).