PhD Students

PhD Exams for UC Students

On this webpage you can find information concerning the request for admission to PhD Exam and the corresponding Thesis defence, for the PhD students (3rd Cycle) of the University of Coimbra.

If you are not a PhD student of the UC, you can make a request in accordance with the Special system for the Thesis Submission »
www.uc.pt/en/academicos/doutoramentos/phd_especial

What is the thesis submission deadline?

This deadline is established per academic year for all the PhD students of the University of Coimbra, and it is communicated duly and in time to the Organisational Units, and published on this website.

You may check the academic deadlines for the current academic year on the webpage: https://www.uc.pt/en/academicos/regulamentos/prazos.

What if you do not submit the thesis within that deadline ?

If, until the deadline mentioned in the previous question, you are unable to submit the request for Thesis submission and exam, you will need to register for the subsequent academic year in order to continue your PhD Degree.

How to register for the next academic year ?

The PhD Students who in a certain academic year meet the conditions to submit their theses, and do not submit them until the end of the deadline of that academic year, must register for the following academic year, within the normal deadline established by the Rector's Order concerning the deadlines for the academic year.

What date counts for the thesis submission?

For all intents and purposes, what defines the thesis submission date is the date on which the request for admission to PhD exam was submitted: date on which the request was completed at InforEstudante.

How to deal with the confidentiality of the Thesis ?

If it is necessary to ensure the confidentiality of the thesis and protect its results because there are patent/intellectual property issues involved, the PhD student can ensure the embargo of the thesis within a period, ranging from months to years. This takes place during the request for the PhD Exam, at InforEstudante. The embargo period can be changed later, also at InforEstudante.

Is it necessary to deliver the documents in person to the Academic Services?

No. The whole procedure to submit the thesis may be done remotely by means of InforEstudante, including the submission of electronic copies of the original documents. Providing false information is punishable by law.

What to do if you have any doubts

Besides being able to check the information on this webpage or the "Help" link at InforEstudante (top right corner of the screen), if you have any doubts or any problem concerning this issue, you must contact the Academic Management Services. The In-person assistance is carried out at the Student Hub and, for greater ease and convenience, each PhD Student should opt for the appointment at https://ucstudenthub.uc.pt, by selecting the B button - "PhD Students and Tenure".

Step by step Procedure

As from May 2022 the whole procedure is carried out at InforEstudante by means of the upload of files concerning the Thesis and other data necessary to the submission. In order to begin this procedure you will have to comply with the undermentioned conditions. Otherwise, the system does not allow the submission of the Thesis:

you must have an ORCID Identifier.
you must be registered for a PhD Course at the UC in the academic year in which the request is made.
you must be in a position to conclude the PhD Course, which implies having, in the current academic year and date, the minimum number of ECTS credits of the PhD Course (e.g., a PhD Course with 180 ECTS credits, with a one-year course and 120 ECTS credits for the Thesis, implies that you must have completed all the curricular units and be registered for the Thesis for a minimum of 2 years or an equivalent period).
you must have all the payments to the UC already settled.

[1.] In the academic year in which the PhD Student submits the Thesis, and some time in advance, he/she must access InforEstudante and in the menu "Academic Service", select the option "Submit Dissertations/ Theses".

Then choose the curricular unit (thesis) of the PhD Degree Course for submission, by clicking "Submit Delivery" and with this option the following stages become available:

Define your ORCID Identifier;
Define details of the Delivery;
Submit the requested documents;
Pay the fee;
Seal the delivery.

[2.] In order to proceed, you need to have the ORCID Identifier - Open Researcher and Contributor ID. The ORCID is a unique, global and free of charge digital identifier, aimed at all researchers, which has been created to facilitate the registration of their scientific publications and productions.

For further information check at About ORCID - ORCID.

[3.] Then, you must already have your Thesis and CV in a digital file.

The Thesis is submitted in its final version, except for the small adjustments, corrections of mistakes and typos that may be undertaken after the defence, if it is successful. Only the final version is delivered in paper and will be used for the legal deposit in the National Library of Portugal (BNP).
The Thesis must include an abstract in Portuguese and English with a length between 2500 and 5000 characters, and be elaborated in accordance with the rules of the Visual Identity of the University of Coimbra, available at: http://www.uc.pt/identidadevisual » (in Portuguese)

The Curriculum Vitae is retrieved from the new platform Ciência Vitae » National scientific curriculum management system based on the former DeGóis technological platform.

Note:

The supervisor(s) report(s) is/are retrieved from InforEstudante after submitting the delivery of the Thesis. Therefore, the PhD Student does not need to do anything regarding this/these document(s).

[4.] After submitting all the aforementioned information, you need to pay the fee in order to complete/seal the request.

In accordance with what is established by the Table of Fees and Other Charges of the UC, the payment of the fee concerning the admission to this exam for UC students is €50 [not exempt from checking the original table »]

[5.] After sealing the request, it will be awaiting the Supervisor(s) report(s) concerning the acceptance of the Thesis submission. Then the SGA validates the request and sends it to the Scientific Council of the Organisational Unit that decides about the admission of the PhD Student to the PhD exam.

[6.] If the request is accepted, the Examination Board/Jury is appointed by the Rector or by the person who is delegated by the Rector, and published on the UC webpage http://www.uc.pt/academicos/provas/juris. (dual language webpage PT/EN)

[7.] The SGA communicates to the Organisational Unit, to the jury and to the PhD student the jury’s appointment and informs the president of the jury that he/she has to schedule the meeting.

[8.] The SGA convenes the jury to the meeting, gives secretarial support, and elaborates the dispatch and the minutes.

If the jury’s dispatch requires a reformulation of the thesis, the SGA notifies the PhD student that he/she has 120 working days, from the date he/she receives the notification on, to deliver an electronic copy of his/her reformulated thesis or a declaration in which he/she intends to maintain the same thesis as it was delivered in the first place.

[9.] The SGA convenes the participants. The Secretarial support and the preparation of the Exam are carried out by the SGA or the Organisational Unit.

[10.] The PhD student accomplishes the PhD exam.

After the successful defence of the Thesis, the new PhD holder has 15 working days to deliver exclusively at the Academic In-Person Assistance of the SGA operating in the Student Hub, one (1) hard/paper copy of the thesis for the purposes of legal deposit.

If the student delivers a corrected copy of the thesis after the public defence, he/she has to:

Send, by means of the Online E-mail Form | Académicos UC the electronic copy of the corrected version of the thesis.
After sending the electronic copy, deliver one (1) hard/paper copy of the corrected thesis and an original thesis assessment report written by the supervisor(s) attesting the changes done by the new PhD holder.

Please note that the Thesis to be submitted must comply with the Visual Identity Rules of the University of Coimbra, that is, it must be in accordance with the template (namely cover to be printed) shown at: https://www.uc.pt/identidadevisual/recursos-academicos/ »