Research Plan
Acceptation of appointment as a thesis tutor/advisor
The academic committee of the ARV programme (CAPD) will appoint a thesis supervisor to each doctoral student or doctoral candidate at the time of admission or at the first registration from the list of ARV professors, given the “acceptation of appointment as a thesis tutor/advisor” form.
Commitment agreement
The formalization of the supervision of the thesis will be done through the registration of the research plan and the signing of the commitment form between the student and the thesis supervisor in duplicate.
When there is a co-supervisor of the thesis, the supervisor will submit to the CAPD a cv of the proposed co-supervisor, if he/she is external to the UPC, and an application of co-supervision duely justified with the signature of both supervisors. A new commitment agreement will have to be signed.
Research Plan Enrollment
Within one year of completing their first enrolment, doctoral candidates must prepare a research plan and submit it to the CAPD. The research plan must be endorsed by the thesis supervisor(s) and the academic tutor, if any, and may be improved and made more specific over the course of the candidate’s period of study. This research plan to be approved must be defended, on public exposure, in an examination panel appointed for this purpose by the CAPD.
The registration of the research plan has no cost and can be done at any time of the year, but it is compulsory to be registered of the the tutorials at the same time.
Deadlines
When the doctoral students have written the research plan and wish to defend it publicly, they have to apply for one of the three calls for the presentation of research plans always before the ending of their first year: January, June and September.
| Deadline for deposit | Deadline for defence |
|---|---|
| Until January 15 |
Until February 27 |
| Until June 15 | Until July 30 |
| Until September 5 | Until September 30 |
Documentation
a) The research plan must include, at least, the following information:
- Identification data of the doctoral student and the supervisor (or supervisors) of the thesis, name of the PhD programme and date
- Title of the thesis
- Summary
- State of the art of the subject.
- Objectives of the research plan
- Expected contributions
- Methodology
- Work plan with an estimated calendar (chronogram)
- Bibliography
- Publications made in the field, if any
- List of media (available or not) that are considered necessary and where the work is planned to take place
The memory should not exceed 25 pages including references (without counting, if applicable, the background of the co-supervisor of the thesis) and the cover should follow this model.
The student has to submit the research plan before the deadline of the call on the web https://atenea-phd.upc.edu/login/index.php and the supervisor has to validate it.
Please find manuals for Atenea Phd here:
For doctoral students:
- English: https://serveistic.upc.edu/ca/atenea-phd/documentacio/manuals/manual-doctorand-atenea-phd-revisio_eng_16_30102019.pdf
- Catalan: https://serveistic.upc.edu/ca/atenea-phd/documentacio/manuals/funcionament-estudiantat-atenea-phd.pdf
- Spanish: https://serveistic.upc.edu/ca/atenea-phd/documentacio/manuals/manual-doctorand-atenea-phd-revisio_cas_16_30102019.pdf
For professors:
b) When there is a co-supervisor of the thesis, the supervisor will submit to the CAPD a cv of the proposed co-supervisor, if he/she is external to the UPC, and an application of co-supervision duely justified with the signature of both supervisors. A new commitment agreement will have to be signed.
Examination panel and defense procedure
The examination panel in charge of assessing the research plan will be appointed by the CAPD, at the proposal of the coordinator of the programme and after hearing the thesis supervisor, who has to send the authorization and examination panel proposal form . The research plan will be assessed by an examination panel consisting of three doctors. Fixed the composition of the court, its president will be responsible for setting a date and making the public announcement.
The doctoral student will have 30 minutes to make the oral presentation of the research plan, and the panel will then be able to ask the questions that they may consider appropriate.
The evaluation of the research plan will be based on the written memory, the oral presentation and the oral defense of the issues raised by the court. The following aspects will be especially valued:
- Adaptation of the research plan to the ARV programme
- Scientific-technical interest and originality of the subject
- The objective, work plan and collection and analysis of background in the subject
- Viability
The court will fix the qualification of the research plan, which will be satisfactory or not satisfactory.
Please look for the Doctoral School web for the forms: https://doctorat.upc.edu/en/doctoral-candidates/procedures and regulations: https://doctorat.upc.edu/en/school/legislation-and-regulations
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