On this webpage you can find the main changes made to the Academic Regulation of the UC that have an impact on the PhD Degree Courses (3rd Cycle), by means of a summary of the articles that have been changed.
► Check the webpage with the changes introduced by the new RAUC »
Intellectual Property – Article no.26 [amended article]
1 — The ownership and protection of the intellectual property concerning the outcome(s) of the research and development activities resulting from a cycle of studies, a course or another non-degree course is carried out in accordance with the Regulation for Intellectual Property of the University of Coimbra, the Industrial Property Code, and the Copyright and Related Rights Code.
2 — When a cycle of studies leading to a Master’s or a PhD Degree is developed in association with (an)other national or foreign higher education institution(s), or when the activities take place at institutions with their own regulations concerning the protection of intellectual property, the ownership of the intellectual property rights of the obtained outcomes must be regulated by a written agreement between the entities concerned and the student.
Registration for additional training ECTS credits – Article no. 12 [amended article]
1 — The UC allows its students to register for additional training curricular units in the cycles of studies, including the PhD Degrees without course, except for the curricular units: Dissertation, Project Work, Internship Report or other final works of a Master’s Degree Course; Thesis Project, Thesis and the curricular units related to it.
2 — In accordance with the registration rules in an academic year, students may register for two curricular units referred to in the previous paragraph, in the same semester or academic year, if they are registered on a full-time basis, and for one unit if they are registered according to other system.
3 — Within the scope of the same cycle of studies, the students can only register for two additional training curricular units.
4 — The registration for these curricular units does not count towards the ECTS credits limits and it does not entail additional costs. Therefore, the student may select any optional curricular units of his/her cycle of studies or of another cycle of studies of the same or of a lower level.
Registration – Article no. 10 [amended article]
(...) 11 — The non-registration in two consecutive semesters, or an equivalent period, entails the interruption of the academic pathway in the cycle of studies concerned, without prejudice to the provisions regarding the PhD Degrees which are laid down in paragraph 8 of Article 65.
Registration – Article no. 65 [amended article]
(...) 6 — Within the registration deadlines established by a Rector’s Order, the student can request his/her readmission and resume his/her academic pathway if there has not been an interruption longer than two consecutive academic years.
7 — In the case provided for in the previous paragraph, the student may keep his/her supervisor, or he/she may be assigned a new one by the CC/CTC of the Organisational Unit. The possibility of continuing or not continuing the same subject, or of submitting and defending a new Thesis Project depends on the substantiated supervisor’s report and on the approval by the coordination of the PhD Degree Course.
8 — In the event of an interruption of studies for a period longer than the one referred to in paragraph 6, a new application must be submitted, which will be appraised by the CC/CTC of the Organisational Unit that will decide on its acceptance and eventual constraints, as well as on the awarding of eventual ECTS credits if it is a PhD with a Course (taught component).
Supervision and elaboration of the Thesis – Article no. 68 [amended article]
(...) 11 — When there is a replacement of supervisor and/or a change in the Thesis’s subject, and the thesis project has already been defended, the Organisational Unit may request the PhD student to submit a new thesis project. Therefore, the student must apply to improve his/her Grade, in accordance with the requirements established in Article 114.
Academic calendar – Article no. 99 [amended article]
(...) 11 — The special examination period takes place preferably in July, except for the defence of dissertations or other final works of Master’s Degree Courses, and of PhDs Thesis projects, which takes place until the end of October.
Registration for Thesis – Article no.66 [amended article]
(...) 4 — The registration on a part-time basis for the Thesis is possible in accordance with the undermentioned limits:
- a) cycles of studies with a duration of up to 180 ECTS credits: 4 registrations on part-time basis;
- b) cycles of studies with a duration above 180 ECTS credits and up to 240 ECTS credits: 6 registrations on a part-time basis;
- c) cycles of studies with a duration above 240 ECTS credits: 8 registrations on a part-time basis.
5 — The registration for the Thesis, combining the different registration systems, is possible in accordance with the undermentioned limits:
- a) cycles of studies with a duration of up to 180 ECTS credits: 6 registrations;
- b) cycles of studies with a duration above 180 ECTS credits and up to 240 ECTS credits: 8 registrations;
- c) cycles of studies with a duration above 240 ECTS credits and above 4 years: 10 registrations.
(...) 8 — If the limits described in the previous paragraphs are not met, the PhD Student has to send to the CC/CTC of the Organisational Unit to which the supervisor belongs a justification and explanation of the work carried out and the conditions for the submission of the Thesis, along with an opinion report written by the supervisor in which the reasons that led to the non-compliance with the work plan are explained.
9 —Subsequently to the justification provided for in the previous paragraph, the CC/CTC of the Organisational Unit may decide the continuity of the works and registration or the expiry of the registry referred to in the undermentioned Article, based on substantiated reasons, namely the pertinence, validity, originality and topicality of the Thesis’s subject, as well as the regularity and quality of the work developed by the PhD student.
Appointment and constitution of the Examination Board– Article no. 70 [amended article]
(...) 3 — Whenever there is more than one supervisor, only one may be a member of the Examination Board/Jury, except for the case of a cycle of studies in association with foreign HEIs, in which case, if there is more than one supervisor, two supervisors from different institutions may participate in the Examination Board/Jury, and, therefore, the Examination Board/Jury will be composed of a minimum of seven and a maximum of nine members holding a PhD Degree.
4 — Concerning the Examination Board/Jury members mentioned in subparagraph b) of paragraph 2:
- f) Whenever possible, a representation of women and men between 33% and 40% must be ensured in Examination Boards/Jurys of PhD Exams, except for when the CC/CTC justifies its impossibility.
Implication of the Suspension of a Deadline or a Registration for Final Works of Master´s and PhD Degree Courses – Article no. 219 [new article]
1 – At the UC the undermentioned situations of suspension are taken into consideration:
- a) Suspension of the registration and deadline for Master’s and PhD Degrees final works, as referred to in paragraph 7 and 8 of Article 198 concerning pregnant, and parent students.
- b) Suspension of the deadline for Master’s and PhD Degrees final works due to the exercise of certain positions or duties that are expressly provided for in the Law.
(...) 4 — The provisions laid down in the previous paragraphs are applied to the students that are holders of an FCT scholarship whenever the suspension of the scholarship contract takes place for a period that corresponds to the exercise of these rights that is authorised by the FCT.
Scholarship Holders – Article no. 221 [amended article]
(...) 6 — Concerning an FCT scholarship, it refers to the beginning of the academic year or semester of the registration of the student at the UC, and the special situation of FCT scholarship holder is recorded according to the duration of the scholarship granting period, and the potential renewal, as mentioned in the FCT declaration.
7 — If the scholarship mentioned in the aforementioned declaration is subject to renewal, the scholarship holder student must submit the declaration attesting this situation until 31st May of the academic year to which the scholarship renewal refers or until 30 days after the issuance of the renewal declaration if it is issued after that date.
8 — Whenever the student does not submit the supporting declaration of the scholarship within the deadline referred to in the previous paragraph, the special situation of FCT scholarship holder is annulled concerning the periods of the scholarship that were not proven, and, for all purposes, the student is considered to be in a non-compliance situation concerning the period that was not proven.
9 —Taking into consideration the provisions laid down in paragraph 6, the FCT scholarship holders, who submit their theses and request admission to the PhD Exam in the semester after the end of the scholarship at the UC, neither pay the tuition fee instalments concerning that period nor the subsequent instalments. In order to do so, they must be registered in the academic year and submit their theses until:
- a) 28th February if the scholarship ended at the end of the previous academic year.
- b) 31st August if the scholarship ended in the 1st semester of the academic year.
(...) 11 — For all the scholarship holders, in the event of a change in the initial conditions of the granted scholarship, namely concerning the situations in which the duration, the suspension or the interruption period is changed, the student must prove this change within 30 consecutive days after the occurrence of the circumstances that caused it.
Registration Fee – Article no. 226 [new article]
(...) 5 — The registration fee is deemed to be included in the PhD students’ scholarships whose funding is done by the FCT, provided that the amount of the granted scholarship may comprise the amount of the fee.
6 — Failing the payment of the registration fee in a cycle of studies prevents the student from registering for the subsequent academic year, aslaid down in paragraph 4 of Article 223, and the issuance of documents associated with that cycle of studies.
Rules for Awarding of ECTS credits – Article no. 245 [new article]
(...) 5 — The recognition of training within the scope of the transition between cycles or study programmes of the UC, which is done under the principle that the maximum of training undertaken on the previous academic pathway must be recognised, is included in the scope of the training referred to in subparagraph a) of paragraph 1, and it is applied to each student in accordance with the rules laid down for the procedure of transition.
General Principles of the Awarding of Credits – Article no. 246 [new article]
(...) 6 — Parts of curricular units cannot be awarded ECTS credits.
(...) 10 — The procedure of the awarding of credits at the UC, in cycles of studies in association or situations covered by agreements or protocols established in the UC, complies with the rules established in their creation and the provisions laid down in the respective regulation, provided that they do not conflict with the provisions laid down in this Regulation.