Doctoral Degree

This is the reference documentation of the ACREDITA DOCTORADO programme for the universities applying for the renewal of accreditation, for the people who evaluate it, as well as for the rest of the groups interested in it.

Programme documentation:

• Accompanying guide for self-evaluation. Renewal of the accreditation of official doctoral programs taught in non-institutionally accredited centers.  Basic aspects that make up the assessment process for the renewal of accreditation (objectives, scope, process and assessment model) and to guide them during the development of the self-assessment process and in the preparation of the self-assessment report resulting from this process.
• External Evaluation Guide. Basic aspects that make up the evaluation process for the renewal of accreditation (objectives, scope, process and evaluation model) and to guide them during the development of the external evaluation process and in the preparation of the different reports resulting from this process.
• Guidance to develop an improvement plan. Document to support university institutions in the elaboration of an improvement plan, following an evaluation process.
• Decalogue for virtual visits Guidelines for the correct functioning and development of virtual visits to doctoral programmes in the process of evaluation for the renewal of their accreditation.

Other documents:

• Evaluation protocol for the monitoring and renewal of the accreditation of doctoral programmes. The common criteria for action defined by the Evaluation Agencies belonging to the Spanish Network of Quality Agencies (REACU) are identified in order to carry out the monitoring and accreditation of official doctoral studies.
• Alignment of the criteria established by ANECA. Alignment of the criteria established by ANECA in the evaluation model for the renewal of the accreditation of official doctoral studies with the Criteria and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) approved by the Conference of Ministers in May 2015 and with the Criteria and Guidelines for evaluation in the monitoring and accreditation of official doctoral degrees approved by the Spanish Network of University Quality Agencies (REACU).

The phases of the evaluation process from the moment a university applies for the renewal of the accreditation of an official university degree until the final accreditation renewal report drawn up by ANECA is submitted to the Council of Universities are as follows:

• Each year, the university informs ANECA of the degrees it wishes to submit to the accreditation renewal process and a timetable is established jointly by ANECA and the university for the evaluation of the degree, taking into account the deadlines established in the regulations in force.
• For each degree, the university draws up a self-assessment report in accordance with the criteria and guidelines of the accreditation model and provides the evidence on which it bases its assessments. ANECA has prepared the Self-evaluation Guide for the ACREDITA programme with the aim of guiding universities in the preparation of this self-evaluation report which, once prepared, must be submitted in due time through the computer application for the submission of applications for the ACREDITA programme.
• ANECA sets up a panel of experts to study the self-evaluation report and other information available to ANECA. The Agency carries out a visit to the university where it holds hearings with different groups and draws up a report by the panel of experts.
• After the visit, ANECA sends a certificate of completion of the visit to the evaluated university, which must be submitted by the university to the Autonomous Community responsible for the authorisation of the degrees. The Autonomous Community, according to its regulations, will process the application for renewal of the degrees determined by ANECA.
• Through the Accreditation Commission, ANECA assesses the degree, taking into account the self-assessment report submitted by the university, the report of the panel of experts and the rest of the information ANECA has on the degree. ANECA will issue an interim evaluation report to the university for the renewal of accreditation in favourable terms or with aspects that must be modified in order to obtain a favourable report. The report may include recommendations for the improvement of the degree.
• Universities have a period of 20 working days to accept the provisional accreditation report or to make a complaint and/or establish an improvement plan. Once the deadline has expired, the Accreditation Committee analyses the documentation available for the degree and proceeds to issue the final assessment report for the renewal of accreditation, in favourable or unfavourable terms.
• ANECA sends the report to the Council of Universities, which is responsible for issuing a favourable or unfavourable resolution for the renewal of accreditation. The university and the Autonomous Community are informed of the content of this report.

The University may appeal against the verification decision to the Presidency of the Council of Universities within one month of its notification. In the event that the complaint is admitted for processing, it shall be assessed by a committee appointed for this purpose by the aforementioned body. The committee shall examine the file relating to the degree in order to ensure the established guarantees and may ratify the resolution or, if appropriate, accept the complaint and forward it to ANECA.

The Advisory Commission for the Evaluation of Education and Institutions of ANECA is in charge of reviewing the dossier submitted by the Council of Universities and will send the corresponding report within a maximum period of one month. Once the report has been received, the Council of Universities will issue the final decision.