Annual assessment
Important Notice:
Students enrolled on a doctorate programme are assigned a “@estudiante.uam.es” account. All official communications will be sent to this account only. If you regularly use other e-mail accounts, we recommend that you establish mail forwarding in your accounts. The download section at the end of this page includes guidelines on how to complete the necessary steps.
Once admitted on a Doctorate Programme, each academic year all PhD students will formalise an enrolment form for the subject entitled ACADEMIC TUTELAGE. This subject will be assessed every year.
Every year both PhD student and his/her Supervisor will draw up reports (following the standard forms), which are confidential, and will submit them through SIGMA within the timeframes provided.
A follow-up and assessment of PhD student research will be completed by the Academic Committee or the corresponding Doctorate Programme, or by a panel designed by the Academic Committee.
The coordinators of doctorate programmes will forward the Academic Committee’s assessment, Positive or Negative, to be included in the PhD student’s academic record.
If a negative assessment is issued, the PhD student will be reassessed in the timeframes established for an extraordinary assessment. During this period, he/she will draft a new Research Plan complying with the requirements indicated in the Academic Committee’s report and register it through the University’s Sigma academic management system. If this second assessment is successfully completed, he/she will be allowed to enrol in the coming year. If the outcome of this second assessment is negative, the PhD student will be definitively deregistered from the programme.
Assessment deadlines for the 2018/2019 academic year
Enrolled in June 2019 (Groups XX11):
1st announcement: Delivery of reports until 30 April 2019. Assessment by the Programme’s Academic Committee, until 30 May 2019.
2nd announcement: Delivery of reports until 1 September 2019. Assessment by the Programme’s Academic Committee, until 30 September 2019.
Enrolled in October 2018 (Groups XX12 / XX22):
1st announcement: Delivery of reports until 1 September 2019. Assessment by the Programme’s Academic Committee, until 30 September 2019.
2nd announcement: Delivery of reports until 22 December 2019. Assessment by the Programme’s Academic Committee, until 30 January 2020.
Enrolled in February 2019 (Groups XX13 / XX23 / XX33):
1st announcement: Delivery of reports until 22 December 2019 Assessment by the Programme’s Academic Committee, until 30 January 2020
2nd announcement: Delivery of reports until 30 April 2020 Assessment by the Programme’s Academic Committee, until 30 May 2020
Content of the assessment of the “Academic Tutelage” subject:
In order to carry out this individualised follow-up, the Academic Committee will consider the following four documents: the Research Plan, the Activity Document, a report from the PhD student and a report from the supervisor, ratified by the tutor, where appropriate.
1. PhD student’s report
The PhD student will draft a confidential report to be submitted to the Academic Committee before each assessment date; it will be uploaded onto the Sigma platform, following these instructions. Instructions for attaching the Research Plan, Training activities and Annual Reports
2. Supervisor´s report
The supervisor of each thesis will issue a confidential report, which will be approved by the co-supervisor and tutor, in order to be presented to the Academic Committee before the applicable assessment date. This report will be uploaded onto the Sigma platform following these instructions: See instructions
Monitoring and annual assessment of the research work of PhD students.
The monitoring and annual and individualised assessment of the research work of each PhD student must be coordinated by the Academic Committee of the Programme. To do so it will analyse the following documents: the Activities Document, the PhD Student Report, the Supervisor's Report (ratified, where appropriate, by the Tutor) and how all this information corresponds to the Research Plan. In addition, the Academic Committee may interview the PhD student, Supervisor, and where appropriate the Coordinator and Tutor with the aim of clarifying aspects in relation to the progress of the thesis.
The PhD Student and Supervisor must prepare these reports (both confidential) every year (following the model) and submit them through SIGMA within the timelines indicated for the purpose.
Assessment by the Academic Committee:
The Academic Committee will coordinate the annual assessment of all the PhD Students on the Programme, on the dates stipulated for each PhD Student group. The aim of the assessment is to check that the thesis is progressing at the expected rate. This assessment may be positive or negative. If it is negative, the Academic Committee must issue a report giving reasons for the decision (see model).
The Academic Committee will analyse the following aspects, among others:
1) With respect to the research plan:
- Whether the proposal is innovative or relevant, an aspect to be given extra weight if the planning is affected by temporary leave or changes in level of dedication.
- Whether the proposal is explained clearly.
- Whether the hypotheses or proposals for the study are clear, verifiable and may be carried out.
- Whether the objectives are clear and attainable.
- Whether the methodology is appropriate.
- Whether what is proposed is sufficient for a thesis; or conversely, whether the proposal is to cover a field that is too broad.
2) With respect to the activities carried out:
- Compliance with the educational activities included in the Doctorate Programme.
- Attendance at national or international congresses where the PhD student presents and defends the research being carried out, in the form of a communication or post.
- Stays with foreign or national research groups that are recognised internationally.
- Attendance at courses to improve knowledge and skills.
- Knowledge of foreign languages, particularly English (or a language appropriate for each area of research) as a language of scientific communication at international level.
- Periodic presentation of research by the PhD student to colleagues in the same group.
- The research capacity and autonomy of the PhD student.
- Active participation by the PhD Student in writing articles on the area of his or her research or with own contributions in collective works.
- Participation by the PhD Student in activities publicising the research targeted at the public in general.
- Participation in university teaching activities in the area of his or her research (in cases where this is available).
- Other activities that may contribute to the PhD student's studies that the Committee may consider worth taking into account.
Results and grade in the academic record issued by the annual Tutorial Courses:
The Doctorate Programme Coordinator must submit his or her qualifications and, where appropriate, reports to the Doctorate School within the deadlines established.
In the case of a negative assessment, the PhD Students will be assessed again four months later, on an exceptional basis, in the following assessment period by the Academic Committee. During these months the PhD Students must respond satisfactorily to the requirements expressed by the Academic Committee in its report. If the students pass the extraordinary assessment, they must complete the annual enrolment in the first period available; if they do not pass the assessment, they will be definitively excluded from the Programme.
The Academic Committee must take into account for the purpose of its internal quality guarantee procedures that the positive assessment of the third tutorial courses involves the approval of the deposit of the thesis, unless an extension or postponement of the term for completing it is requested, under the provisions of paragraph 8.2.