In general, the generic information provided by the University of La Laguna on the doctoral programs it offers is available on its website. This information, which is managed by the Postgraduate Office, covers everything from the procedures for defending the doctoral thesis to the general criteria and requirements for access to the various current doctoral programs, as well as a section on news, regulations and forms related to the doctorate. Through this general link, you can also access specific and detailed information on the proposed Doctoral Program in Regional Development, which will be hosted in the same section of the website of the Faculty of Economics and Business Sciences where information on the current Doctoral Program in Regional Development, Training and Employment is now available.
This second link will provide detailed information on the proposed programme: admission profile, general access requirements and specific admission criteria; objectives, structure and training activities of the programme; contact details of the Coordinator and information on the Academic Committee of the programme; information on the researchers and their lines of research; list of potential tutors and thesis directors; information on the scientific production of the programme; etc.
Likewise, the Doctorate Program will have its own virtual classroom in the Institutional Virtual Campus of the University of La Laguna, in the section corresponding to the Collaborative Work Environments. In addition to the information already published on the website, the virtual classroom of the program will include all information that cannot or should not be published on the website with a general crater, such as news or developments of interest to doctoral students and/or researchers associated with the program, detailed information regarding the holding of conferences, seminars, or the publication of documents and links of interest to the program. In any case, the information offered in the different web resources available will be coordinated. and linked.
Information on the doctoral programme can also be accessed through the Information and Guidance Service (SIO) of the University of La Laguna.
Finally, it should also be noted that the University of La Laguna disseminates information about its doctoral programs at international fairs specializing in doctoral programs, through the Office of International Relations (ORI). The ORI is also responsible for sending this information (pre-registration, access requirements, registration, scholarships and grants, etc.) to people who have shown interest in the programs presented at the aforementioned international fairs.
Admission Profile
Given the transversal nature of the proposed Doctoral Program, which includes two lines of research related to Regional Development (Line 1: Governance, sustainability and territorial development, and Line 2: Transversal, sectoral, energy and transport policies), the recommended entry profile of the program is considered to be that which corresponds to graduates of bachelor's degrees (or equivalent) in the area of Social Sciences, Law and Humanities and, more specifically, and derived from the experience of the previous Doctorate programs in Training, Employment and Regional Development, and Regional Development, Training and Employment, those who have a master's degree in the subject of Regional Development, among which is the Master's degree in Regional Development offered by the University of La Laguna, whose information can be consulted at the following address: link.
Additional entry profiles are also considered: a) students who have the Diploma of Advanced Studies (DEA) corresponding to the fields of Social Sciences, Law and Humanities; and b) postgraduates in any field of knowledge with experience in the formulation, management and execution of public policies who wish to improve or acquire the skills and abilities necessary to be able to carry out substantive research in the field of Regional Development.
In general, we must point out that candidates interested in accessing the program must be interested in obtaining advanced training in the field of regional economic development from a multidisciplinary point of view, be willing to commit to the academic training activities contemplated in the program, and have the ability to synthesize knowledge of a particular discipline, evaluate data critically, drawing conclusions, and apply analytical and critical thinking creatively, allowing them to generate new ideas in the research field of the program.
Likewise, and in relation to language skills, candidates wishing to enter the programme are recommended to have a level of knowledge of the English language that allows them, at least, a comprehensive reading of scientific texts in the thematic areas of the programme in which they are interested in developing their training and research activity, as well as for the presentation of the results obtained in their research at international scientific conferences or meetings, or for undertaking stays at foreign universities and/or centres.
The entry profiles of the proposed program are summarized briefly:
Recommended Admission Profile:
· Students with a Degree in Social and Legal Sciences or Humanities and a Master's Degree (or, where applicable, in possession of the DEA title or research sufficiency) in Regional Development topics.
Additional Admission Profiles:
Each of the additional entry profiles must, where applicable, complete the appropriate training supplements described in section 3.4 of the memory.
Guidance and reception of future doctoral students
The orientation and reception of doctoral students is carried out through a series of contacts (personal and/or via email, as appropriate) between the different actors involved. It begins with contacts between the coordinator and the doctoral student to facilitate their incorporation into the doctoral program. The coordinator will inform the students of everything related to administrative and academic processes, such as the duration of the doctoral thesis, the duties of the tutor, the duties of the director, the training plan, etc.
Following the application for admission and verification of official enrolment in the programme, and after hearing the opinions of the students and the teaching staff who support the application, where applicable, each doctoral student will be assigned a tutor by the Academic Committee of the Doctorate within a period of no more than 15 days from his/her admission to the programme. International students who speak non-Spanish will be assigned a tutor with knowledge of English. The tutor will arrange an appointment with the student to assess the student's abilities and prior training and to design the training plan during the doctoral program. After hearing the tutor and the student, the Academic Committee will appoint one or more thesis directors within a period of no more than 1 month from the enrolment of the doctoral student.
Languages of the training process
Spanish and English.
Additional information
Furthermore, the Postgraduate Office of the University of La Laguna provides general information on official master's degrees, degrees from the University of La Laguna and all the information necessary for future doctoral students. There is also a specific and separate section for the Doctorate which includes, in addition to information on existing programmes at the ULL, a section on news in which the university community is informed, among other things, of changes in regulations and the steps in the different administrative procedures linked to the doctorate. Finally, students can consult the section of Scholarships and Grants from the ULL website those resources or available for Master's and Doctorate students.
In general, to access an official doctoral programme it will be necessary to be in possession of official Spanish degrees of Bachelor's Degree, or equivalent, and of a University Master's Degree. Likewise, those who are in any of the following situations may access the programme:
To be admitted to the Doctoral Program in Regional Development, it is necessary to meet the general access requirements already indicated in the previous section.
Regarding admission to the program, 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. Given that the proposed program does not include specific or additional admission requirements, the Academic Committee, respecting the general access requirements outlined above, will take into consideration the following aspects -with the indicated weightings- when evaluating and resolving applications for admission to the Doctoral Program:
The Regulations for Official Doctoral Studies at the University of La Laguna establish that admission to doctoral programs may include the requirement of specific training supplements, in accordance with the admission profiles established for the corresponding doctoral program. These training supplements Specific training will be considered, for the purposes of public prices and the granting of scholarships and study grants, as doctoral level training and its development will not count towards the credit limits established in the previous section on access requirements.
Eventually, after assessing the applicant's curriculum, additional training courses more specific to the disciplines covered by the doctorate may be required. Thus, in those cases in which the Academic Committee considers that the candidate's previous training is not sufficient or is not appropriate for access to the doctoral programme, additional specific training may be required.
Students with specific training deficiencies are required to take additional training courses. Students who are required to take additional training courses must sign the corresponding additional training proposal prepared by the Academic Committee prior to approval for their admission to the program. This proposal will include a clause stating that failure to pass the additional training courses will prevent approval for the defense of the doctoral thesis. The student's tutor must submit a report to the Academic Committee in which he or she confirms that the aforementioned additional training courses have been fully or partially passed.
The Regulations for Official Doctoral Studies at the University of La Laguna establish that admission systems and procedures must include, in the case of students with special educational needs arising from disabilities, appropriate support and advisory services, which will assess the need for possible curricular adaptations, itineraries or alternative studies. Admission of students with special educational needs.
Regarding admission systems and procedures adapted to students with special educational needs, we can say that the ULL has services that provide support to the group of students with special educational needs derived from their disability.
5% of the available places will be reserved for students who have been recognised as having a disability of 33% or more, as well as for those students with permanent special educational needs associated with personal circumstances of disability, who during their previous schooling have required resources and support for their full educational normalisation.
The Academic Committee will carefully evaluate applications from students with specific educational needs arising from their disability. In such cases, the admission process will establish the support mechanisms necessary for the student to successfully complete their studies and any possible curricular adaptations will be analyzed on an individual basis.
The announcement of the granted place will be deemed to have been made through the publication of the lists of admitted applicants on the websites of the ULL Postgraduate Office, so no individual letter will be sent. However, the student must collect the admission decision from the Postgraduate Office.
Dedication regime
The doctoral programme provides for part-time doctoral studies. The admission criteria and procedures for students who opt for this study modality will be exactly the same as those for full-time students. Students may change from part-time to full-time study modality or vice versa, upon request and approval by the Doctoral Academic Committee.
By definition, all students who enroll in an official 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 enrolment in doctoral studies by the academic committee of the corresponding doctoral programme. An appeal against this decision may be submitted to 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 official doctoral programme will issue a report in this regard authorising or denying such a change. An appeal against this decision may be submitted to the Rector within one month of its notification.
Requirements for permanence
The duration of doctoral studies will be a maximum of three years for those students on a full-time basis, a period from the admission of the doctoral candidate to the program until the presentation of the doctoral thesis.
If the application for deposit of the thesis has not been submitted after the aforementioned three-year period, the doctoral candidate may request an extension of this period for one more year, which may exceptionally be extended for another additional year under the conditions established in the corresponding doctoral programme. The academic committee of the official doctoral programme will issue a report in each case to the director of the Doctoral School or body to which the doctoral programme in which the interested party is enrolled depends, which will issue the corresponding resolution. An appeal against this resolution may be filed with the Rector within one month of its notification.
In the case of part-time doctoral students, these studies may have a maximum duration of five years from admission to the programme until the presentation of the doctoral thesis. In this case, the extension may be authorised for two more years. This period may also be extended, exceptionally, for another additional year, under the conditions established in the corresponding doctoral programme. The doctoral student must request the corresponding extensions, if applicable. The academic committee of the official doctoral programme will issue a report to the director of the Doctoral School or the body to which the doctoral programme in which the student is enrolled depends, which will issue the corresponding resolution. An appeal against this resolution may be filed with the Rector within one month of its notification.
In the case of doctoral students who have changed their dedication regime during the course of their studies, a factor of 5/3 is established for the change from full-time to part-time dedication and 3/5 for changes from partial to full dedication, for the purposes of the time calculation established in sections one and three of this article.
For the purposes of calculating the periods indicated in the previous sections, absences due to illness, pregnancy or any other cause provided for by current regulations will not be taken into account.
Likewise, the doctoral candidate may request temporary withdrawal from the programme for a maximum period of one year, extendable for up to one more year. This request must be submitted to and justified by the academic committee responsible for the programme. The academic committee of the official doctoral programme will issue a report to the director of the Doctoral School or the body responsible for the doctoral programme in which the interested party is enrolled, which will issue the corresponding resolution. An appeal against this resolution may be filed with the Rector within one month of its notification.
The University of La Laguna also has a Permanence Regulation, which can be consulted at the following link, and that with regard to doctoral studies it only states the following (art. 2): In the case of doctoral studies, the rules for progress and permanence will be adjusted to what is established in the current State Regulations, its regulatory development by the University of La Laguna and, where appropriate, what is provided for in any regulation that develops the provisions of these regulations.
The proposed Program presents the following entry profiles:
Each of the entry profiles mentioned above must, where applicable, complete the training supplements described below.
Applicants who meet the Recommended Admission profile, that is, those with a Degree in Social and Legal Sciences or Humanities and a Master's Degree in Regional Development topics (or, where appropriate, those with a DEA degree or research sufficiency in these topics), will not be required to take additional training courses.
For the additional entry profiles indicated above, however, the completion of the specific training supplements indicated below is required, in order to acquire the basic methodological and instrumental skills to develop their research in Regional Development. In general, such training supplements will consist of following the activities planned in the subjects, considered to be specific to the research specialty in the Master's Degree in Regional Development at the University of La Laguna, which is directly linked to the doctoral program. Thus, specifically:
The Teaching Guides for these subjects (which include information on the content, training activities, evaluation systems and doctoral faculty who teach them) can be consulted here.
The Teaching Guides for these subjects (which include information on the content, training activities, evaluation systems and doctoral faculty who teach them) can be consulted here
Students who enter the programme with the profiles indicated above are required to take the additional training courses indicated by the Academic Committee of the programme, and must sign the corresponding proposal for additional training prepared by the Academic Committee prior to approval for their admission to the programme. This proposal will include a clause indicating that failure to pass the additional training courses will prevent approval for the defence of the doctoral thesis. The student's tutor must submit a report to the Academic Committee in which he/she confirms the total or partial passing of the aforementioned additional training courses.
The training supplements must be completed in the first year of the doctorate; failure to do so will result in the student being dropped from the programme.
The aforementioned specific training supplements may be from subjects or modules of related master's degrees at the ULL, and for the purposes of public prices and the granting of scholarships and study grants, they will be considered as doctoral level training. When they have been carried out previously, their completion does not count for the purposes of the time limit established for the completion of the doctoral thesis. These credits are counted for the purposes of the ordinary requirements for access to the Doctoral Programme.