PhD in Politics, Policies and International Relations

General access requirements

In general, to gain access to an official PhD programme the candidate must hold a Spanish degree or equivalent and a Master's degree.

Access may be granted where the following cases apply:

• Hold an official Spanish university degree or a degree from another country in the EEES which grants access to a Master's degree in accordance with article 16 of RD 1393/2007, of 29 October, and have achieved a minimum of 300 ECTS credits in university studies of which at least 60 must be at Master's level. In this case we must remember that the official university degree obtained correspondence to Level 2 of the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education (MECES), for official titles of Graduate or Engineer will be accounted for as a degree of 180 ECTS.

• Hold an official Spanish qualification at graduate level, the duration of which, in accordance with community law, must be at least 300 ECTS credits. These graduates must take compulsory background credit referred to in article 7.2 of RD 99/2011, except where the syllabus of the degree course includes research training credits equivalent to the research credits awarded on Master's courses.

• University graduates who, before obtaining a place as a result of the entrance exam for specialist health courses, have passed at least two years of a programme for an official qualification in one of the Health Science specialisations.

• Holder of a qualification obtained in accordance with foreign educational systems without the need for official recognition, having previously confirmed with the university that this qualification accredits a level of training equivalent to the official Spanish university Master's degree and that it would serve as a means of access to a PhD in the country in which it was awarded. This admission does not under any circumstances imply official recognition of the previous qualification or recognition for any purpose other than access to PhD studies.

• Holders of another Spanish PhD qualification, obtained in accordance with the previous university's rules.

• Holders of a degree who also have the Diploma of Advanced Studies obtained in accordance with the provisions of RD 778/1998, of 30 April, or have achieved research proficiency under the terms outlined in RD 185/1985, of 23 January.

• Hold an official university degree which has obtained correspondence to leve 3 ot the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education (MECES), for official degrees of Architect, Enginner or Bachelor.

Admission to the PhD programme is decided by the Rector and depends on having passed the bridging courses, where they exist.

Specific access requirements

In addition to the general requirements for admission to doctoral studies, the PhD programme in Political Science, Public Policies and International Relations has its own prerequisites.

These are as follows:

• A minimum grade of 7 out of 10 on the master's degree dissertation.
• Knowledge of English, which is the working language of the programme (with a certificate showing level B2).
• Personal interview with the academic committee of the programme, to evaluate applicants' motivation, capacities and aptitudes.

Selection criteria

The programme applies the following selection criteria and weighting.

• Relevance and excellence of the academic record, which should include studies in theory and methodology of the social sciences (40%).
• Mobility (degrees from other universities or stays of over 3 months at other universities) (10%)
• Interview with the academic committee of the programme (30%)
• Grants or other funding for doctoral studies (PIF, FPU, FI or similar) (20%)

Within a maximum of 30 days, the programme's academic committee will notify applicants in writing of the decision on admission to the programme, and will inform them of any bridging courses that they will need to take during their first year on the programme.