PhD in Law

Academic year 2024-25

See the pre-registration, admission and registration deadlines for the 2024-25 academic year.
You may also check this information for the 2023-24 academic year.

Interdisciplinary and specific educational activities

Cross-cutting training programme for PhD students at the University of the Balearic Islands

The cross-cutting training activities proposed will have specific assessment procedures based on objective tests. As a general rule, the supervisor or tutor shall be responsible for including the assessment or successful completion in the PhD activities document.

Cross-cutting Activities

Communication Skills in English: Written and Oral expression (Module I)
Objective
A cross-cutting training activity aimed at attaining advanced skills in English (speaking and writing)
Number of hours
30
Requirements
--
Method
Intensive and cross-cutting
Schedule
Semester one in each academic year
Year
First year
Assessment Procedure
Activities where students can practise their writing abilities in English to attain C1-level skills
Mobility
Not applicable
Communication Skills in English: Written and Oral expression (Module II)
Objective
This 30-hour activity is aimed at students attaining advanced skills in English. Students will work on using English based on immersion in the communication context of the speciality, linking it to situations and documents inherent to each area
Number of hours
30
Requirements
--
Method
Intensive and cross-cutting
Schedule
Semester two in each academic year
Year
First year
Assessment Procedure
Activities where students can practise writing in English to attain C1-level skills
Mobility
Not applicable
Ethics and Integrity in Scientific Research
Objective
This activity aims for PhD students to understand the purpose and objectives of scientific research in any field of research: scientific method; classifying scientific disciplines; ethical problems in scientific research; animal and human experimentation, and the bioethics committee
Number of hours
30
Requirements
 --
Method
Intensive and cross-cutting
Schedule
Semester one in each academic year
Year
First year
Assessment Procedure
Specific assessment tools. Case study examination
Mobility
Not applicable

Specific Activities

Finding, Using and Communicating Scientific Information
Objective
An activity aimed at students acquiring the ability to undertake and manage bibliographic searches on a research topic in different public and private databases
Number of hours
10
Requirements
 --
Method
Mandatory
Schedule
 
Assessment Procedure
Students shall undertake a compilation project on the bibliographic resources available on their research topic. This bibliographic search shall be done under the supervision of their thesis supervisor
Research Seminars
Objective
A specific training activity comprising attendance at seminars given by researchers linked to the PhD programme and renowned guest researchers (preferably from overseas research centres). The aim is for seminars to be held every fortnight during the teaching period where a researcher explains their research work for an hour to all students on the PhD programme. As a general guide, PhD students will need to attend at least ten seminars
Number of hours
 20
Method
Specific and mandatory
Schedule
This activity may be taken over the three (full-time students) or five (part-time students) years of the students' PhD programme
Assessment Procedure
Attendance register. PhD students will need to submit an attendance slip from each of the seminars, signed by the organiser and showing the title, date and duration of the seminar. Where the thesis supervisor deems a seminar to be linked to the thesis topic, students shall submit a report to their supervisor with a critical summary of what was explained and the possible impact it may have on their research work
Seminars Given by PhD Students
Objective
A specific training activity comprising a day for students enrolled on the PhD programme to explain and publicly defend the work they have done over the year to other students and lecturers on the PhD programme. The number of hours for the activity includes preparation time for their exposition, as well as attendance at the other presentations
Number of hours
 20
Method
 Specific and mandatory
Schedule
 
Assessment Procedure
Both the attendance and participation as speakers of PhD students shall be assessed by the PhD programme coordinator
Mobility
Objective

 Depending on the thesis topic, mobility may be focused on:

  • Attendance at specialised courses
  • Attendance at scientific conferences
  • A research stay at another centre. Duration: three months in one or several periods and research centres.

The Academic Commission for the PhD Programme shall encourage training activities at other universities/institutions within the framework of mobility activities, notifying students about them periodically as information comes in. The need to undertake research stays at other centres shall depend on the criteria of each thesis supervisor.

Monitoring of attendance at specialised courses and scientific conferences shall be the undertaken by the corresponding thesis supervisor(s). With regard to research stays at other centres, correct monitoring of the activities to be performed shall be down to the person responsible for the current agreements with other centres, in accordance with the thesis supervisor(s) of the doctorand. The accreditation system at the University of the Balearic Islands shall be used to validate these mobility activities. These regulations shall apply to full-time and part-time doctorands, where the latter are able to do the three months.

Funding is one of the critical aspects of these activities. In this sense, the University of the Balearic Islands has specific programmes to fund travel, stays and registration at conferences for doctorands, where their work is accepted. Moreover, research groups have funds linked to projects that may be used for this purpose. In addition, most PhD grants (both national and international) include the possibility of student mobility to undertake research tasks at other centres.

 Nonetheless, the PhD programme cannot ensure funding, mobility availability for part-time students, or the need/opportunity for a specific activity for specific training of every PhD student. Furthermore, the PhD skills can be completed without having to undertake mobility activities. Due to these two reasons, mobility is not an obligatory activity for students, although it is deemed highly recommendable both for full- and part-time students

Number of hours
 160
Method
 Specific
Schedule
This activity shall be performed during the last two years of the programme, both for full-time students (in their second and third year) and part-time students whose external responsibilities enable them to take a leave of absence (in their third, fourth and fifth year)
Assessment Procedure
Where students undertake a mobility activity, its benefit shall be assessed by the Thesis Supervisor, who shall write a report. The mobility activity and the assessment result shall be included in the PhD activities document.