Once the thesis defence has been authorised by the UVa Doctoral Thesis Committee, the Doctoral School of the University of Valladolid (EsDUVa) will notify each member of the panel of their appointment, providing them with the necessary documentation prior to the defence:
- The doctoral thesis.
- The doctoral candidate's activity report.
- The reports issued by the external experts.
- Where applicable, the doctoral candidate's response to these reports (improvement document).
The EsDUVa will send the secretary of the panel an email with a link through which they must communicate the academic centre, place, date and time of the defence, or the URL if it is to be held virtually.
This communication shall be made in sufficient time for the announcement of the event to be published on the ESDUVA website at least three working days before the event takes place.
Once the details of the defence have been published, the Doctoral School will send the secretary of the examination board an email with the necessary forms for the event, such as the doctoral thesis defence minutes, the thesis assessment forms and certificates for the payment of service compensation.
Forms of defence
In-person defence
This will take place at any centre belonging to the University of Valladolid. If any member of the panel is unable to attend in person, they will be allowed to participate via videoconference.
Virtual defence
All members will participate in the event via videoconference, with the authorisation of the chair of the Doctoral Thesis Committee.
In this case, the public announcement of the defence will include the URL for accessing the virtual session, without a password, in order to guarantee public attendance. At the beginning of the event, the members of the panel and the doctoral candidate must be correctly identified in order to guarantee the validity of the procedure. Likewise, the necessary material and human resources must be ensured in order to have a stable telematic connection that allows the event to run smoothly and to comply with the requirements for the evaluation and assessment of the thesis.
The doctoral thesis defence will take place in a public session, with no time limit, and may be held in person or virtually during the academic year.
Documents
- The secretary of the panel will complete the minutes of the session, which must be signed by all three members.
- Each member of the panel must issue an individual report using the established template.
- In the case of a virtual defence, the identification document must be completed.
- If a member of the tribunal participates by videoconference and does not have an electronic signature, they may delegate the signature to the secretary of the tribunal by completing and signing the document available at the following link.
- In the case of theses subject to confidentiality agreements, all persons attending the defence must sign a confidentiality agreement.
Deadline
The defence minutes, the reports issued by each member, as well as identifications in the case of virtual defences, confidentiality agreements and signature delegations (if any) must be sent to the EsDUVa within a maximum of five working days after the event.
Requirements for signing documents
All documents must contain either a digital signature or a handwritten signature.
It is not possible to combine both methods.
How to send the minutes and other documentation
- If all documents have been signed digitally, they must be sent by email to: escuela.doctorado@uva.es.
- If all documents have been signed by hand, they must be sent via the GEISER Electronic Registry as a certified copy. This service is available at the registry offices of the Palacio de Santa Cruz, Casa del Estudiante and at the administrative office of the centre where the defence took place.
If the thesis is graded as Outstanding, each member of the panel will receive an email from EsDUVa with access to an anonymous survey in which they must:
- Cast a secret vote on whether to award the cum laude distinction.
- Assess the scientific quality of the thesis, information that will be taken into account if the new doctor applies for the Extraordinary Doctorate Award.
In a public session, chaired by the director of EsDUVa or their delegate, the votes cast by the members of the panel for the award of the cum laude distinction will be counted.
The result of the vote and the average of the scores awarded by the members of the panel will be recorded in an official report, which must be taken into account in the event of applying for the Extraordinary Doctorate Award.
Holding of the examination session
- It will be held via videoconference in a public session.
- It will take place every Monday or, if it is a public holiday, on the first working day thereafter.
- Those interested in attending must notify escuela.doctorado@uva.es before 2 p.m. on the Friday of the previous week.
Publication and consultation of results
- The awarding of the cum laude distinction will be published on the University of Valladolid website.
- The average of the assessments issued by the members of the panel may be consulted by the interested party in the SIGMA application, in the section ‘Consultation of enrolment and academic data’. To view it, place the mouse pointer over the ‘cum laude’ grade, where a floating text with the average score will appear.
Application for the degree
From the day after the publication of the results of the examination, the interested party may apply for the Doctorate Degree.