Education and Cognitive Processes

The access criteria to the PhD program are detailed in the following section, and are those established by the law for this purpose. Therefore, any candidate who meets these criteria would have legal access to the program.

• In addition to the general access requirements set forth in current legislation, the recommended profile for entering this PhD program is that of a graduate in some degree in the area of education (Teachers of Early Childhood Education or Primary Education, Pedagogues, Educational psychologists and other graduates with postgraduate training in degrees related to education), who also provides a university master's degree whose structure contains at least 16 ECTS credits in subjects related to research, including the Master's Final Research Project.

• A second admissible profile will be that of someone who accesses after having completed an official Master's degree that does not meet the requirements indicated above. In this case, if the candidate were admitted, he would also have to complete the necessary training supplements in accordance with what is established by the Academic Committee of the Doctoral Program. To this end, the candidate will be offered training supplements in research methodology for applied education, in accordance with the gaps in training evaluated by the Academic Committee of the Doctoral program.

Likewise, it is advisable to have an English proficiency equivalent to a B2 level, and a B2 level also in Spanish in the case of international PhD students.

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.

The following scale is established for accessing these doctoral programs:

• (60%) Currículum Vitae y formación pre-doctoral del candidato. Se evaluará particularmente el CV, el plan de estudios del Máster, el expediente académico que obtuvo en el programa cursado y el Trabajo de Fin de Máster (o trabajo de investigación equivalente)
• (20%) Entrevista personal con el coordinador del programa de doctorado, que documentará mediante informe justificativo. La entrevista versará sobre la formación académica pre-doctoral, la formación en metodología de investigación, la experiencia investigadora en procesos cognitivos y la experiencia profesional vinculada a la educación, los intereses investigadores del candidato, el nivel de dominio del inglés y/o español. Esta entrevista podrá realizarse por medios telemáticos en caso de que el candidato resida en el extranjero.
• (20%) Adecuación del perfil del candidato a alguna línea de investigación (de entre las que consten en el registro de grupos de investigación de la OTRI), valorando la formación pre-doctoral del candidato y sus intereses investigadores.

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

• Completed and signed application
• Updated Curriculum Vitae
• Certified copy of the Bachelor's (or undergraduate) degree diploma*
• Certified copy of the official Master's degree diploma*
• Certified copy of the curriculum certificate for Master's degree studies (or similar)*
• Copia compulsada del certificado académico del Grado*
• Copia compulsada del certificado de la universidad de origen que acredite la posibilidad de acceso a estudios de doctorado en su país desde la titulación obtenida (en caso de estudios extranjeros).
• Photocopy of ID (Spanish) or passport (foreigners)
• A photo (passport size)
• A PDF copy of your Final Research Project or Diploma of Advanced Studies (if applicable)
• A letter of recommendation (from your Final Research Project director, or from anyone who can refer research experience)
• Proof of work activity (if applying for part-time admission)
• A thesis project outline containing Objectives (and/or Research Questions) / Methodology / Expected Results

* In the case of non-European diplomas: "apostille" in documents issued in countries that have signed the Hague Convention or legalization through diplomatic channels, in other cases
**If the documentation has not been issued in Spanish, it must be accompanied by the corresponding official sworn translation

Send the application with a

• September 1 - 23 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.
• September 30 You will receive an email notification about the provisional decision regarding the admission to the doctorate program.
• October 1 – 3 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 4 All claims will be resolved.
  An email notification will be sent out with the final list of admitted applicants.
• October 1- 18 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 1 - 31 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.

Those candidates admitted to the program but who do not have sufficient specific training in research methodology in applied education must take additional actions to their previous training.

Specifically, they will have to take a maximum of 12 ECTS credits, between 6 and 12 depending on the assessment of the candidate's training made by the Academic Committee of the Doctoral program. Given their complementary nature, these credits must be taken by students during the first year of the doctorate.

The criteria and procedures that will be applied to assess whether or not candidates have sufficient specific training in Research Methodology will be:

• Analysis of his curriculum vitae and the curriculum with which he has completed his Level 7 studies (Master's degree or DEA).
• Analysis and evaluation of the research methodology with which the candidate carried out his supervised Master's degree or DEA research work.

The subjects proposed as a complement to training are the following:

• Introduction to educational research (6 ECTS credits)
• Research design and data analysis in Education (6 ECTS credits))

• 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.