Doctoral theses in co-supervision

The cotutela of a doctoral thesis is aimed at scientific collaboration between research teams from the University of Barcelona and other ascribed to a foreign university. After completing studies and defending the thesis drawn up in this regime, the doctorand will obtain the degree of doctor from the two collaborating universities, in accordance with the specific convention previously signed by both institutions and the applicable regulations.

The theses cotutela is developed within the framework of a specific agreement between the two universities concerned, it involves a specific regulation for each doctoral student and is governed by the doctoral regulations and the rules and legislation of the University of Barcelona, applicable in the field of doctoral studies.

Students will have to obtain the usual access and admission in order to be able to join a doctoral programme at the University of Barcelona, through their registration in the chosen program.

During the first course of studies at the UB, the student will have to achieve the approval of his research plan by the Academic Commission of the Programme.

Enrollment of the second course of the studies, the student may begin the procedure application for authorization of theses in cotutela.

The maximum period for applying for authorisation will, in all cases, be before the end of the second year of studies, in the cases of full-time dedication, and before the end of the fourth year of studies, in the cases of part-time dedication.

The application form, completed and signed by the person concerned and the academic leaders of the petition, will be accompanied by the draft convention produced by the foreign university with which the collaboration is planned.

Features that will have to comply with the cotutela agreement with the UB:

• It must respect the current rules, both of the UB and of the other signatory university, in relation to the elaboration and defence of the thesis.
  It must be written in at least one of the official languages of the University of Barcelona and at least it must contain:

a. The co-directors of the thesis and tutors.
b. The periods that the doctorand must carry out research in each of the universities and the activities to be carried out.
c. The dedication time to the thesis (full or partial time).
d. The institution where the defence of the thesis will take place.
e. The commitment of the two institutions to hand over the title of doctor, on the basis of a single defence.
f. Writing language of the thesis.
g. Language of the defense of the thesis.
h. The thesis's maximum defence date, according to the permanence regime in doctoral studies, taking into account carryovers.

You can access the convention models prepared for the University of Barcelona:

Conveni entre la Universitat de Barcelona i un altra Universitat
Convenio entre la Universidad de Barcelona y otra Universidad
Specific agreement between the University of Barcelona and other University

This documentation will have to be submitted to the Program Academic Commission, through the Secretariat of the Faculty of Philology and Communication.

The Doctorate Program Academic Commission will resolve the cotutela request, endorse the corresponding proposal for a convention, and communicate its resolution in writing to the College Secretariat.

In the event of a favourable resolution, the Secretariat will process the proposed convention approved in the UB Convention Office, which will manage the signing of the convention by both institutions and submit a copy of the document signed to all interested parties.

For more detailed information, see Title VIII of the Doctorate Regulation of the University of Barcelona.

All doctoral students who carry out a doctoral thesis under cotutela must have the research plan accepted at the University of Barcelona, in accordance with the established procedure.

The doctorand will have to present the follow-up to the progress of his thesis to the doctoral programme academic committee annually, as laid down in the article
34 of the Doctorate Regulatory Standard in the UB, even the course of stay outside the UB.

Doctorands must prepare the doctoral thesis under the control and responsibility of a thesis director from each of the universities that have signed the cotutela convention.

The thesis must not be longer than that defined by the university in which the work is to be presented and it must necessarily be distributed to the two universities, in accordance with the provisions of the convention. In any case, the time spent at the University of Barcelona cannot be less than 6 months, a period that may be fractional.

During the course of the thesis, doctoral students must enrol at the University of Barcelona and pay full school insurance, if applicable, and the prices corresponding to the specific services and support for learning and the extra-academic services requested. With regard to the concept of direction, tutelage and continuous evaluation of the thesis, it will be paid in accordance with the academic year of stay at the University of Barcelona.

The thesis must be the subject of a single defence in one of the universities, and the corresponding fees for the thesis reading will be paid in accordance with the one established at the university in which the thesis is defended.

In order to defend the thesis at the University of Barcelona, it is necessary to carry out the procedures of application for deposit authorisation, defence and application of the doctoral degree in accordance with the regulatory regulation of the doctorate.

In order to defend the thesis at the foreign university, the procedures for the defence must be carried out in accordance with the current legislation of that country, however, in order to apply for a doctor's degree at the University of Barcelona, the doctorand must meet the following requirements:

1. To have paid the enrolments corresponding to the academic courses in accordance with the provisions of Article 62.4 of the Normativa.
2. Digital media containing:
   • A digital copy of the doctoral thesis
     A summary of the doctoral thesis with a maximum recommended extension of 600 words, in the same language in which it was written.
     English extract with a recommended maximum length of 350 words. If the thesis is written in English, this summary can be done in another language (Catalan, Spanish, etc.).
3. Official certificate of the reading document, which contains at least the reading date, the members of the court with their affiliation and the qualification obtained. In the case where the certificate has not been issued in Spanish, Catalan or English, it must be presented accompanied by the official translation into Spanish or corresponding Catalan.
4. TESEO data record to complete the TESEO database of doctoral theses from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Deporte (see UNESCO codes)
5. Authorization document for publication in UB repository and TDX thesis repository, filled with clear or computerized and signed letter.
   The electronic file opened in an institutional repository has been mandatory since 11 February 2012, in application of Article 14 of the . Therefore, all the thesis read at the University of Barcelona from this date are archived in the institutional repository, Digital Repository of the UB - doctoral thesis, and in the cooperative repository of the TDX theses.
6. Personal and academic data sheet, filled with clear letter or computer and signed.

The degree of doctor obtained at the University of Barcelona will include, in its obverse, the diligence “Tesis in régime of cotutela with the University....”