Universitat Rovira i Virgili URV (Tarragona)

go back to Main Page, Education, Conferences and Postdocs

• Libraries: as members of the ICIQ we have access to all URV libraries with the ICIQ's ID card and we can borrow books. If you have any problems, mention that there's a URV-ICIQ agreement and ask to see the Library Director.

• Info on the PhD programme: http://www.urv.cat/estudis/doctorat/en_ciencia_tecn_quimica_doc.html

Pay special attention to this section: http://www.urv.cat/gestio_academica/tramits_administratius/en_tramits_doct.html

Contact person: Sílvia Duran (Departament de Química Física i Inorgànica) telephone nr. 977 55 81 37

Thesis bureaucracy, general observations

• Thesis paperwork changes every now and then, so pay attention to ask to URV which rules apply at the moment you would like to submit. Following are described some of the steps that are usually required as a guideline. Take into account that on August most URV offices are closed.

• Most of the procedure concerning the thesis submission process is very well described in the link above. However, there are some aspects that may cause confusion:
  • The first thing is POP ( = octopus in catalan). On the web page it says that you need an authorisation from POP when submitting to the department. This is not accurate! POP is the department and you cannot obtain an authorisation before having submitted the thesis to the department. On the authorisation form you therefore fill out your personal data, hand in the form at the secretary's office and they will fill out the rest.
  • Another thing is the reports from the European experts: at the moment you submit the thesis to the department, you hand in a form with the personal data of the European experts. The university will then send them an e-mail with instruction on what to do. The reports will be sent electronically directly to the doctorate school. You don't have to worry.
• Some days (weeks) in advance of submitting to the department it is advisable to go to the secretary's office at the department of physical chemistry asking what documentation you have to provide. At the moment of writing (September 2010) some additional documentation compared to what is mentioned on the web page is required (e.g the personal data of the jury members. When you go to the secretary's office, you will be given a form explaining exactly what information they need.

Thesis submission, the different steps explained

Step 1, sending an (almost finished) version to the European experts

If you opt for a thesis with the European mention, you will have to get an evaluation report from two European experts (See the URV web page for what requirements the experts must fulfil).

To get the evaluation reports, you would first have to send a copy to each of the European experts. This should be done well in advance of submitting to the department (step 2). Let's say two weeks in advance.

Step 2, submitting to the department

The following documentation is required (The secretary's office can provide you with the forms that can not be found on the internet):

• Thesis application form
• Report from the director of the thesis
• Report from POP (see general observations above)
• Copy of the thesis. Must be signed! (Can be spiral bond, but must be replaced by the final version)
• A list of the data of the jury members (the secretary's office has the form). Important: remember to get their DNI/passport number. Naturally, the date of the defence must be fixed. The defence must be at least one and a half months after submission (check the URV web page for exact requirements).

In case you opt for the European mention:

• Application form for the European mention
• Certificate from the head of the European institution you visited
• Name of the two European experts

Submission to the department must be done before the 1st of every month

Step 3, Submitting to the doctorate school (Between the 1st and the 10th of every month)

• 1 copy of your thesis (can be spiral bond, but must be substituted by the final version before the thesis defence)
• if the thesis is written in English, a 4-page summary in Catalan / Spanish is needed
• TDX form (Electronic form. Fill out and submit before going to the doctorate school).

Once submitted to the doctorate school, an electronic form will be sent to the European experts. The evaluation reports must arrive before the doctorate committee meets (around the 25th of every month, ask the secretary at the doctorate school to know the date of the meeting the month you are submitting).

After submitting to the doctorate school, you will be given a document that you and you supervisor will have to sign. With this document you are granting the university the right to publish your thesis on the internet.

Step 4, Defending the thesis

• Be prepared. Remember to reserve the auditorium well in advance

Step 5, Asking for the document stating that you have become a doctor

At this step you may encounter unexpected difficulties so be prepared!

Documentation to hand in:

• a CD containing the following files:
  • with a pdf of your thesis and a 150 word summary in English and Spanish / Catalan

1) Thesis registration

2) Thesis deposit: remember to check the data you gave when registering your thesis, some things (specially the title!) might have changed.

2.1) Docs for the Department:

- thesis director report

- defence application form

- 1 copy of the thesis (can be spiral bound)

- Thesis jury members' data

- copy of your B. Sc. degree, university data, date of B. Sc.

2.1) If you want to ask for the "European Mention Thesis":

- application form

- certificates to prove you've been doing research in a UE university/research centre for at least 3 months

- 2 reports on your thesis by external European researchers

2.3) Docs for the Escola de Postgrau i Doctorat (can only be handed in between the 1st and 10th of the month).

- 1 copy of your thesis

- if the thesis is written in English, a 4-page summary in catalan / Spanish is needed

- TDX form

• Useful links:

Dealings with the URV university can be frustrating, so we hope the following links are useful:

- Faculty of Chemistry: http://www.quimica.urv.es/

- Master in Theoretical and Computational Chemistry: http://www.urv.cat/masters_oficials/en_quimica_teorica.html

- Student's email account: https://correu.urv.cat/uwc/auth

- Paperwork and bureaucracy: http://wwwa.urv.net/la_urv/10_serveis/sga/alumnes/tramits_administratius/tramit_administratiu_dels_estudiants_menu.htm

- Library Loan: http://picentral.urv.es/gtb/sod/usuario_acceso.php?centro=$URVG&centro=%24URVG&tpurv=usuari

- Intensive Language Courses: http://www.linguistic.urv.net/

- Learning Catalan: http://www.urv.net/dodellengues/apren.html

- Database of Flats and rooms for rent: http://www.urv.net/serveis_universitaris/borsa_habitatge/Busca.html (password: BHURV)