The University of La Laguna has mechanisms for providing information prior to enrolment for PhD students.
The management of the doctoral programs of the University of La Laguna is the responsibility of the School of Doctoral and Postgraduate Studies. In addition to management (pre-registration, enrolment, file management, etc.), the Doctoral School is responsible for disseminating the offer of doctoral programmes at ULL. To carry out these responsibilities, it has the necessary human and technical resources. The website of the doctoral committee contains comprehensive and up-to-date information on doctoral programmes regarding teaching staff, academic committees, lines of research, training activities, statistics, etc. On the same page, students can find management regulations, pre-registration and enrolment calendars, access requirements, calls for applications, application forms, etc.
This website is the main means of disseminating and displaying the ULL's doctoral programmes. In addition, prior to the opening of the registration periods, the ULL publishes the offer of doctoral programmes in local written media. The ULL also takes advantage of its institutional participation in fairs and conferences related to postgraduate teaching, and its relations with other European and Latin American universities, to promote its doctorates. On its website, the ULL also provides information on calls for scholarships, contracts and grants.
Specifically for the PhD program in Biodiversity and Conservation, this website contains academic information about the Program, procedures for the reception and orientation of students, as well as direct access to the email address of the academic director of the Program. Information on the current PhD Program in Biodiversity and Conservation can be found on this website.
At the Faculty of Sciences, talks and seminars are given to students of the most related Degree courses (Degree in Biology and Degree in Environmental Sciences) and Masters in Terrestrial Biodiversity and Conservation in Islands and Marine Biology: Biodiversity and Conservation, both taught in the Biology Section. Information on the master's degrees can be found at these links. These talks and seminars provide information on the ULL's PhD programme in Biodiversity and Conservation as an option for continuing your training.
Direct communication with interested parties prior to enrolment is carried out through the administrative staff of the Doctoral School and the academic heads of the programme. The contact details of the members of the academic committees and those responsible for the lines of research are accessible through the website and through the staff of the Doctoral School. Finally, once admitted, the assigned tutor will welcome and provide individual guidance to the candidate, taking into account their preferences and experience in the different lines and techniques, in order to contribute to their integration into the programme. Candidates may make queries, suggestions or complaints through the Academic Committee of the programme, the Doctoral School, or the channels established through the Internal Quality Assurance System of the ULL.
Recommended Admission Profile
The PhD in Biodiversity and Conservation is aimed at graduates who wish to train as researchers in the areas of terrestrial and marine biodiversity, as well as in the conservation of this biodiversity and its populations.
The following characteristics are recommended as an entry profile: (1) Knowledge of biodiversity and conservation, (2) Ability to observe and analyse data on biodiversity, (3) Ability to search for and use sources of information common in these fields of study, (4) Creative and innovative capacity, (5) Ability to communicate orally and in writing, (6) Ease of understanding and use of new technologies in the field of biodiversity and conservation, (7) Knowledge of foreign languages to access sources of information and to be able to present and discuss work at scientific meetings, (8) Ability to work individually and collectively, and (9) Critical and self-critical sense. In general, it is recommended that they have acquired skills that enable them to develop their research work in one of the research lines of the programme, so the recommended access qualifications are Biology, Environmental Sciences, Marine Sciences or similar. It is considered appropriate for students to have a minimum level of English B1, according to European parameters.
No other access profiles other than the recommended one are contemplated.
Body in charge of the Admission Process
Currently, it is the University's Doctoral School that dictates the general rules and generates the forms with the information that candidates must fill out. This information and its suitability with the admission profiles will be evaluated by the Academic Committee of the Program.
The Academic Committee will be composed as established in the Regulations of Official Doctoral Studies of the University of La Laguna as follows:
The Academic Committee of the official doctoral programme will be composed of a maximum of seven professors and/or researchers participating in it, including the academic coordinator, who will act as its president. The academic committee must include at least one member from each line of research that makes up the doctoral programme, respecting the above limit. In the event that there are more than seven lines of research, at the end of each term of office the academic committee will be renewed, with professors and/or researchers from those lines that did not have representatives in the previous term being included as members. Where appropriate, a rotating system of appointing members will be established.
Admission Requirements
Students must meet the legal requirements for access to official doctoral studies established in article 6 of RD 99/2011 or the second additional provision of said Royal Decree:
In general, to access the doctoral program it will be necessary to be in possession of official Spanish degrees of Bachelor's Degree, or equivalent, and a University Master's Degree.
Those who are in any of the following situations may also access the site:
a) Be in possession of an official Spanish university degree, or one from another country that is part of the European Higher Education Area, which qualifies for access to a Master's degree in accordance with the provisions of article 16 of Royal Decree 1393/2007, of October 29, and have passed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits in the set of university studies. officials, of which at least 60 must be at Master level.
b) Be in possession of an official Spanish degree of Graduate, the duration of which, in accordance with Community law, is at least 300 ECTS credits. These graduates must take additional training if necessary, unless the study plan of the corresponding degree includes credits for research training, equivalent in educational value to the research credits from Master's studies.
c) Possession of a qualification obtained under foreign educational systems, without the need for homologation, after verification by the university that it accredits a level of training equivalent to that of the official Spanish Master's degree and that it qualifies the applicant for access to doctoral studies in the country that issued the qualification. This admission will not imply, in any case, the homologation of the previous qualification held by the applicant or its recognition for purposes other than access to doctoral studies.
d) Be in possession of another Spanish Doctorate degree obtained in accordance with previous university regulations.
e) Graduates or engineers who hold the Diploma of Advanced Studies, obtained in accordance with the provisions of Royal Decree 778/1998, of April 30, or who have achieved the research sufficiency regulated by Royal Decree 185/1985, of January 23, may be admitted to the new doctoral studies.
To be admitted to the Biodiversity and Conservation Program, it is necessary to meet the access requirements set out in the previous section. Likewise, the Regulations for Official Doctoral Studies at the University of La Laguna (Resolution of January 17, 2013) establishes that the academic committees of the doctoral programs may establish additional requirements and criteria for the selection and admission of students corresponding to the Program.
In this regard, respecting the access requirements outlined above, the Academic Committee of the Program, the body in charge of the admission process, will take into consideration the following aspects and weightings when evaluating and processing applications for admission to the Doctoral Program:
In the event that the number of applicants exceeds the number of places offered, this scale will be applied as a selection criterion.
In the event that demand exceeds the limit of students established annually for the program, the selection criteria to be used will be the following:
The body responsible for selecting future doctoral students will be the Academic Committee of the Doctoral Program in Biodiversity and Conservation.
Students with specific educational needs
The ULL, through the Vice-Rectorate for Students and Assistance Services, has been developing a Program for the Care of Students with Disabilities (PAED) since 1999. The objective of this program is to guarantee equal opportunities and promote the integration of students with specific educational support needs. PAED, through direct and personalized attention, promotes specific measures for the comprehensive development of these students in an open and accessible environment.
The Academic Committee, with the advice of these ULL support services, will personally assess the need for possible curricular adaptations, itineraries or alternative studies.
Dedication regime
According to the Regulations of Official Doctoral Studies of the University of La Laguna (Resolution of January 17, 2013, Official Gazette of the Canary Islands of January 25, 2013), Article 7:
By definition, all students enrolled in the doctoral program are understood to be full-time.
In order to be considered a part-time PhD student, the corresponding application must be submitted in the manner and within the time limits established for this purpose, justifying the impossibility of carrying out these studies on a full-time basis for reasons of work activity, special educational needs, family care needs, high-performance or high-level athletes, as well as any other reasons contemplated in the ULL's permanence regulations or, where appropriate, in the regulations that develop them.
These applications will be resolved before the period established for enrollment in doctoral studies by the Academic Committee of the corresponding Doctoral Program.
An appeal against this resolution may be filed with the Rector within one month of its notification.
Doctoral students may request a change in their dedication regime for justified reasons. The Academic Committee of the Doctoral Program will issue a report in this regard authorizing or denying such a change.
The recommended entry profile does not require additional training.