Pre-enrollment and admission to doctoral studies

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Access the online application for self-pre-enrolment

Enrolment information

Pre-enrollment academic year 

Pre-enrolment for doctoral studies must be completed via the Virtual Secretariat. You can start the process by clicking on Start Pre-enrolment. 
Pre-enrolment period: Tipically from 1 to 30 September. Please check the specific deadlines by clicking here.
Applicants must also upload the required documentation listed below.

Standard Schedule of Procedures (please check the specific deadlines)

• From 1 September to 30 September: Pre-enrolment period for access to Doctoral Programmes.

• October: Review of applications and submitted documentation; resolution and appointment of an academic tutor (where applicable) by the respective Academic Committees; notification to the doctoral candidates and the Doctoral School; and the assignment of the Academic Tutor.

  The results of the assessment can be consulted via the Virtual Secretariat. An official admission letter will be sent to successful applicants.

• November: Formalisation of enrolment by admitted applicants. (Admitted students must enrol within the established deadline).
• Appointment of the Thesis Supervisor(s) by the Academic Committees: Within a maximum period of 3 months from entry into the Doctoral Programme; notification to the Doctoral School and the doctoral candidate.
• Research Plan and Training Plan (Project and development of the doctoral thesis): Before the end of the first year, calculated from the date of enrolment, the doctoral candidate - with the assistance of their Supervisor(s) and Tutor—shall prepare a document that includes a research plan and a personal training plan. The Research Plan, prepared by the candidate and endorsed by their Thesis Supervisor(s), must be approved by the Academic Committee of the doctoral programme and uploaded by the candidate via the VIRTUAL SECRETARIAT.
• Anually: The Academic Committee of the Doctoral Programme shall evaluate the Candidate’s Activity Log, their Research Plan, and the status, development, and progress of their doctoral thesis, based on the Annual Progress Report provided by the Tutor and/or Supervisor.

NOTE: As an exceptional measure and for duly justified reasons, the Academic Committees may agree upon the admission of doctorands on other dates and within different timeframes than those contemplated above. In such cases, the Doctorate School will open an extraordinary timeframe for enrolment.

General Entry Requirements for Doctoral Programmes

Royal Decree 99/2011: As a general rule, for access to an official doctoral programme, applicants must hold an official Spanish Bachelor's degree, or equivalent, and a university Master's degree, or equivalent, provided they have completed at least 300 ECTS credits across both programmes.

Royal Decree 576/2023 Article One, Section 6.2: Likewise, individuals who meet any of the following criteria may also apply for access:

1. Holding an official Spanish university degree, or equivalent Spanish qualifications, provided that at least 300 ECTS credits have been completed across these studies, and certifying Level 3 of the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education (MECES).
2. Holding a degree awarded in accordance with foreign educational systems belonging to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), without the need for its official recognition, which certifies Level 7 of the European Qualifications Framework, provided that said degree qualifies the holder for access to doctoral studies in the issuing country. Under no circumstances shall this admission imply the official recognition of the applicant's prior qualification, nor its recognition for purposes other than admission to doctoral programmes.
3. Holding a degree awarded in accordance with foreign educational systems outside the EHEA, without the need for its official recognition, following verification by the university that it certifies a level of training equivalent to that of the official Spanish university Master's degree and qualifies the holder for access to doctoral studies in the issuing country. Under no circumstances shall this admission imply the official recognition  of the applicant's prior qualification, nor its recognition for purposes other than admission to doctoral programmes.
4. Holding another Doctor’s degree (PhD).
5. University graduates who, having previously obtained a training place through the corresponding entrance examination for specialised health training places, have successfully completed at least two years of training in a programme to obtain the official degree in any of the Health Sciences specialities.

Holding the Advanced Studies Diploma - DEA obtained in accordance with Royal Decree 778/1998, of 30 April, or having achieved the Research Proficiency status regulated by Royal Decree 185/1985, of 23 January.

Holding an official university degree that has been granted equivalence to Level 3 of the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education (MECES), in accordance with the procedure established in Royal Decree 967/2014, of 21 November. This decree establishes the requirements and procedure for the official recognition  and declaration of equivalence to an official university degree and academic level, and for the validation of foreign higher education studies, as well as the procedure to determine the correspondence to MECES levels of the official pre-Bologna degrees of Arquitecto, Ingeniero, Licenciado, Arquitecto Técnico, Ingeniero Técnico, and Diplomado.

By AGREEMENT of 10 December 2013 (PDF 13,7 KB) of the Governing Council of the University of Burgos, which approves the admission procedure to official doctoral studies regulated under RD 99/2011, holders of the traditional pre-Bologna degrees of Licenciado, Ingeniero, and Arquitecto may also apply for access.

Royal Decree 576/2023: Places Reserved for Students with Disabilities

Article One, Section 7.4: Universities shall reserve at least 5 per cent of the available places for students with a recognised degree of disability equal to or greater than 33 per cent, as well as for students with permanent special educational needs associated with personal circumstances of disability who, in their previous studies, required resources and support for their full educational integration.
Applicants must submit the official certificate and assessment of disability recognition issued by the competent authority of the corresponding Autonomous Community (Resolution of 6 February 2017, General Secretariat of the University of Burgos, approved by the Governing Council on 30 September 2016). These students must meet the same general academic entry requirements and the specific admission criteria established by the relevant Master's or doctoral programme as all other applicants.

EXPLANATORY NOTE: It is not possible to gain access to doctoral studies holding non-official university Master's degrees or their equivalents.

Royal Decree 576/2023. Admission Criteria (Article One, Section 7)

1. Universities, through the academic committees referred to in Article 8.3 of Royal Decree 576/2023, may establish additional requirements and criteria for the selection and admission of students to a specific doctoral programme. In particular, this may include the requirement of an endorsement from a researcher acting as a prospective doctoral thesis Supervisor.
2. Admission to doctoral programmes may include the requirement of specific bridging courses. These specific bridging courses must be successfully completed during the initial period of the development of the thesis, within a maximum period of one academic year. For the purposes of public tuition fees and the awarding of grants and student financial aid, these courses shall be considered as doctoral-level training.
3. Universities shall guarantee transparent and accessible information regarding admission procedures, and must provide student guidance systems, which must be reflected in the doctoral programme’s verification report. Furthermore, they shall ensure that such information and admission procedures take into account students with disabilities or specific needs, and shall provide appropriate support and advisory services.

Mandatory documentation to be provided

During the pre-enrolment application process, a copy of the following documentation must be uploaded to the online application:

1. Valid and updated official identity document (National ID/ Passport/ NIE).
2. Brief curriculum vitae (CV).
3. The degree certificate qualifying for access to the doctoral programme (Bachelor's degree or equivalent, and a university Master's degree or equivalent), or failing that, an official provisional degree certificate.
4. Official academic transcript of the degree (official list of subjects with grades), which must state the start and completion years of the programme.
5. Application for part-time doctoral study (wherre applicable): Application form for authorisation of part-time status.
6. Students with disabilities (where applicable): Official certificate and assessment of disability recognition issued by the competent authority of corresponding Autonomous Community.
7. Applicants holding a pre-Bologna degree (Licenciado, Arquitecto, or Ingeniero) with a recognized equivalence to Level 3 (Master's level) can obtain their official certificate via the following link.
8. Applicants with a degree obtained abroad: An official certificate issued by their university confirming that these studies qualify the holder for access to doctoral programmes in the issuing country. 
9. Applicants with a degree obtained in non-EHEA countries must  present proof of payment for the foreign qualification evaluation fee required for doctoral admission. For the 2023/2024 academic year, this fee amounts to €210.97. In order to issue the payment document, applicants must contact the Doctoral School at edoc@ubu.es  .The proof of payment must be uploaded to the online application along with the rest of the documentation.
10. Academic admission documents issued in non—Ehea countries must be submitted duly legalised and officially translated, if applicable (Information on the legalisation of documents). Academic admission documents issued in EHEA countries must be submitted with an official translation at the time of the thesis submission.

IMPORTANT: Applicants who have obtained their qualifying degree from the University of Burgos are only required to submit the pre-enrolment application via the Virtual Secretariat, their valid and updated official identity document (National ID / Passport / NIE), and a brief curriculum vitae (CV). The remaining documentation is already held by the University.

Exceptionally, in relation to documents whose relevance so requires, or where doubts arise regarding the quality of the copy—as established in Article 28.5 of Law 39/2015, of 1 October—the Doctoral School may, providing due justification, request the verification  of the copies submitted by the applicant, for which purpose the presentation of the original document or information may be required.

Mandatory documentation to be provided by applicants accessing via Royal Decree 185/1985, Royal Decree 778/1998, or who already hold a doctor's degree (PhD)

• Valid and updated official identity document (National ID/ Passport/ NIE).
• Brief curriculum vitae (CV).
• Degree certificate of Licenciado, Ingeniero, Arquitecto o Doctor (PhD). 
• Official academic transcript of the doctoral studies completed.
• Application for part-time doctoral study (where applicable): Application form for authorisation of part-time status.

IMPORTANT: Applicants accessing with Research Proficiency status or an Advanced Studies Diploma (DEA) obtained from the University of Burgos are only required to submit the admission application via the Virtual Secretariat, their valid and updated identity document (National ID / Passport / NIE), and a brief curriculum vitae (CV). In cases where the academic admission documentation was issued in a non-EHEA country and was not fully legalised and officially translated at the time, it must be provided now, where applicable.

Legalisation of Foreign Academic Documents

In order to be valid in Spain, documents issued abroad must meet the following requirements:

• They must be official and  issued by the competent authorities in accordance with the legal system of the country concerned.
• They must be submitted duly legalised (Information on the legalisation of documents) either through diplomatic channels or, where applicable, by means of the Apostille under the Hague Convention.
• At the time of the thesis submission , applicants must provide the corresponding official translation into Spanish, which may be carried out in any of the following ways:
  • By a sworn translator, duly authorised or registered in Spain.
  • By any diplomatic or consular representation of the Spanish State abroad.
  • By the diplomatic or consular representation in Spain of the applicant's country of citizenship or, where applicable, of the country from which the document originates.

Exemption: Legalisation is not required  for documents issued by the authorities of European Union Member States or signatories to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA). However, an official translation into Spanish must still be provided at the time of the thesis submission.