Doctorate in

The criteria to access the Doctorate Programme are described in the following section, and are those set by law to that effect. Therefore, any candidate meeting those criteria should have legal access to the programme. Nevertheless, the recommended profile is defined below, which fits better with the priority research areas defined in the programme:

• The recommended profile is that which access Doctorate after completing a University Master in Applied Linguistics to Language Teaching. Students who have completed the University Master in Applied Linguistics to the Teaching of Spanish as a Foreign Language or the University Master in Bilingual Education given at the Department of Applied Languages in Nebrija University, will have access to the programme. as their respective End-of-Master Projects are already aimed to the Doctorate Programme research lines. The programme can also be accessed once completed any official Master in Applied Linguistics to Language Teaching, Language Acquisition, Bilingualism and similar qualifications, no matter the university where it has been studied, as long as the end-of-master project has a research approach..
• A second acceptable profile would be that coming from an official Master in other linguistic subjects, especially if the study area covered in the end-of-master project is similar to those related to our programme. In this case, the candidate can be offered some complementary training in research methodology in applied linguistics according to the lack of skills determined by the Academic Commission of the Doctorate Programme.
• A third eligible profile would be that coming from qualifications prior to RD 1393/2007 (Graduate). If admitted, the candidate would also have to study those formative complements according to what is set by the Academic Commission of the Doctorate Programme.

Moreover, every candidate for the research period in order to elaborate the doctoral thesis should:

• Prove the acquisition of the research competencies of the Master in Applied Linguistics to the Teaching of Spanish as a Foreign Language (the Master syllabus should be sent in case it was not studied at Nebrija University, altogether with the corresponding academic record and a cover letter from the Master Director/Tutor, and a pdf copy of the end-of-master project.)
• Show a C1 level in the language object of research (Spanish in the case of Applied Linguistics to Spanish Teaching, and English in the case of Applied Linguistics to English Teaching), and a B2 level in the working language of the formative complements they have to carry out, in case they are required, and other formative activities. In order to accredit a level of linguistic competence, the DELE or SIELE B2/C1 certification exams for Spanish and B2/C1 of any of the official ACLES certificates for English will be valid. In the event that the candidate does not have any of these certificates, they can be evaluated through a level test in Spanish or English carried out by Nebrija University during the admission process.
• Be called for a personal interview with the academic coordinator of the Doctorate Programme. This interview can be held by video conference for those candidates living abroad.
• It is highly recommendable, but not indispensable, that candidates to this Doctorate Programme have some teaching experience, especially in foreign language teaching.

Pursuant to Royal Decree 576/2023, dated July 4, amending Article 6 of Royal Decree 99/2011, issued on January 28, which governs official doctoral studies, candidates are generally required to possess an official Spanish Bachelor's Degree, or its equivalent, and a Master’s Degree to gain admission to an official doctoral program. Additionally, admission is granted to individuals who meet any of the specified exceptional criteria:

• a) Candidates must either hold an official Spanish university degree, or an equivalent degree, having earned at least 300 ECTS credits and attained Level 3 of the Spanish Framework of Qualifications for Higher Education.
• b) Individuals with degrees from foreign educational systems within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), without the need for official approval, and that accredit a Level 7 of the European Qualifications Framework, provided the degree allows for doctoral study in the country of issuance. It should be noted that admission under this criterion does not equate to homologation of the applicant’s prior degree, nor its acknowledgment for any purposes beyond entry into doctoral education.
• c) Candidates with a degree from foreign educational systems outside of the EHEA can also be considered for admission without the need for formal approval. The university will verify that the degree certifies a level of education equivalent to an official Spanish university Master’s degree and allows for doctoral studies in the country where the degree was issued. Admission in this category does not constitute homologation or recognition of the prior degree for any purposes beyond doctoral education.
• d) Individuals with an additional Doctorate degree.
• e) Additionally, university graduates who have secured a position in specialized health training and have successfully completed at least two years in a program to obtain an official degree in any of the Health Sciences specialties are considered eligible for doctoral studies.

It has been set the following scale to grant access to the above mentioned Doctorate Programmes:

• (60%) Curriculum Vitae and pre-doctorate training of the applicant. CV will be especially assessed, altogether with the Master syllabus, the academic record gained in Master studies, and the end-of-master project (or equivalent research project).
• (20%) Personal interview with the Doctorate Programme Coordinator, in which a justificatory report will be provided by the applicant. The interview will be about the applicant's pre-doctoral academic studies, their training on research methodology, their research and professional experience in the field of language teaching, their research interests, and their skills in the English and/or Spanish languages. This interview could be carried out by telematic means in case the candidate living abroad.
• (20%) Suitability of the applicant's profile for any of the research areas of the LAELE group (among those included in the OTRI register of research groups), taking into account the applicant's pre-doctoral training and research interests.

The academic commission of the degree is responsible for the admission procedure.

• Completed and signed application form
• Updated Curriculum Vitae
• Certified copy of the Bachelor's (or undergraduate) diploma * **
• Certified copy of the official Master's diploma * **
• Academic transcript for Master's degree (or similar) **
• Academic transcript for Bachelor's degree (or undergraduate) **
• Certified copy of the certificate from the home university confirming eligibility for doctoral studies in the applicant's country based on the obtained degree (for foreign students).
• Photocopy of ID card (for Spanish nationals) or passport (for foreigners)
• A PDF copy of the Master's Final Project (TFM) or Diploma of Advanced Studies (DEA) (if applicable)
• Proof of employment (if applying for part-time admission)
• A recommendation from a potential thesis director or a draft thesis project containing Objectives (and/or Research Questions) / Methodology / Expected Results
• DELE or SIELE B2/C1 Spanish certificate (only for non-native speakers of a Spanish-speaking country)
• B2/C1 certificate from any of the official ACLES certificates for English (only for non-native speakers of an English-speaking country)

* For non-European diplomas: "apostille" on documents issued by countries that have signed the Hague Convention or diplomatic legalization for other cases.
** If the documents are not in Spanish or English, they must be accompanied by the corresponding sworn official translation.

Send the application with all documentation by email to escueladoctorado@nebrija.es

Provisional resolution admission

• September 1 – October 15
  Please email your completed and signed admission application, along with the required program documentation. Refer to the "Application" section on our website for more details.
• October 21
  You will receive an email notification about the provisional decision regarding the admission to the doctorate program.
• October 22 – 24
  A three-day period will be provided, starting from the date of the provisional admission notification, for you to submit any claims via email.
• Until October 25
  All claims will be resolved.
  An email notification will be sent out with the final list of admitted applicants.
• October 21 – November 8
  If you are admitted, please mail the completed and signed application, along with the previously sent documentation, to the following address:
  
  Universidad Nebrija – Escuela de Doctorado
  Campus de La Berzosa
  28240 Hoyo de Manzanares (Madrid).

Please note, if the required documentation is not provided within the specified period, the Doctoral School will cancel your enrollment application.

• October 21 – November 22
  You can self-enroll through the Universitas XXI application.
  Please email the proof of payment for the registration fees and annual tuition fees for the doctorate program to admincp@nebrija.es and escueladoctorado@nebrija.es.
  Students who are admitted but fail to enroll within the period specified by the Doctoral School will forfeit their place in the program.

Doctoral candidates with the recommended or acceptable profiles holding the needed qualifications to enrol in this Doctorate Programme and who have been admitted, but without enough specific training on Research Methodology in Applied Linguistics, should fulfil complementary training actions to their previous studies, up to a maximum of 12 ECTS credits (between 4 and 12, depending on their profile). This specific complementary training is mandatory for those students who access the Doctorate Programme with a graduate degree of at least 300 ECTS credits, unless the syllabus includes Research Methodology credits equivalent to those of a Master course or those accessing with a B.A. qualification (qualifications prior to RD 1393/2007)

The criteria and procedures applied to assess whether candidates have enough specific training on Research Methodology are the following:

• Analysis of their curriculum vitae and syllabus from Level 7 studies (Master or Diploma in Advanced Studies).
• Analysis and valuation of the research methodology carried out by candidates in their end-of-master/diploma project.

Master partial tuition (between 4 and 12 credits) is considered for those candidates without enough previous training on research methodology in Applied Linguistics. According to their previous formation, they will have to complete 4, 8 or 12 credits. Due to its complementary nature, these credits should be fulfilled by students in their first year of their Doctorate studies.

The three subjects proposed as complementary training are the following:

• Research methodology in Applied Linguistics (4 ECTS)
• Analysis and transfer of results in Applied Linguistics I: qualitative studies (4 ECTS)
• Analysis and transfer of results in Applied Linguistics II: quantitative studies (4 créditos)

• Procedures and Assignment of Tutor and Thesis Director
• Commitment

In each academic year, until the reading of the thesis, the student must renew the registration within the established period.

• In the first year the PhD student must pay the registration fee and the annual supervision fee:
  • Full-time: €450 registration fee and €1100 annual supervision fee.
  • Part-time: €980 registration fee and €570 annual supervision fee.
• From the second year until the end of the thesis, you will have to pay the annual supervision fee, full time €1,100 or part time €570.
• In order to be able to defend the thesis, the PhD student must pay the thesis deposit: €1,600.
• Issuing of the doctoral degree: €311.

The Doctoral Commission can also be asked annually for partial exemptions from the doctoral fees for doctoral students who actively collaborate in Nebrija research groups, among others.