The academic programs leading to a PhD degree are the most in-depth specialization studies that can be offered by the different institutions of higher education. The Department of Mining Exploitation and Prospecting has always played a very active role in the training of PhDs, with more than 80 theses defended during the last 10 years in the different programs in which it has participated.
Currently we are immersed in a period of restructuring of doctoral studies that is generating many doubts to all. Doctoral theses may be being prepared by doctoral students who have completed doctoral programs regulated by four different regulations. The following is a brief explanation of the evolution of doctoral studies. According to the applicable regulation, we can observe the following historical evolutionRelated links:
- Royal Decree 185/1985: Establishes the concept of doctoral programs. The doctoral student had to pass 32 credits and obtain the research sufficiency prior to the defense of the reading of the doctoral thesis. The Department's program configured according to these regulations was called "Programa de Doctorado de Minería, Obra Civil y Medio Ambiente" (Doctoral Program in Mining, Civil Works and Environment).
Royal Decree 778/1998: Established a separation of the doctoral program into two periods: teaching (20 credits) and research (12), which culminated with the presentation of a report of the knowledge acquired before a Tribunal appointed for this purpose. Once the research proficiency or Diploma of Advanced Studies was obtained, the doctoral thesis could be defended and the official title of Doctor could be obtained. The Department has two programs designed in accordance with these regulations: "Mining, Civil Works and Environment" and the "Inter-University Doctorate in Project Management".. - Royal Decree 1393/2007: the concept of postgraduate program is abandoned and a clear distinction is made between two cycles: Master's and Doctorate. Doctoral programs are structured in two periods: training period and research period (after passing an official master's degree, or training period, or having the recognized sufficiency, admission can be requested and a thesis project can be presented). The doctoral program under these regulations is the "Doctoral Program in Mining, Civil Works, Environment and Project Management".
Royal Decree 99/2011: This regulation is currently in force and regulates the doctoral programs that will be in force as from the 2014-2015 academic year. The doctoral program most directly related to the Department is the "Doctoral Program in Production, Mining-Environmental and Project Engineering".
