- Requirements for access to the program
Those who hold a Licentiate degree in the disciplines specific to the cycle they are applying for, granted by Faculties canonically erected by the competent ecclesiastical authority, may access the third cycle of the Doctorate in Theology. To be admitted to the Doctorate at the Faculty of Theology, it is also required to have passed the Licentiate with an overall grade of outstanding (a score of 9 or equivalent and above) and to have obtained an outstanding grade on the written Licentiate dissertation. In special cases, the President may admit candidates with a lower average, upon the recommendation of the academic committee of the Faculty’s Doctoral program.
- Interview with the President-Dean and registration
Admission to begin the third cycle is the responsibility of the President or their delegate, upon the recommendation of the academic committee of the doctoral program. The Faculty may request additional specific information as needed, as well as the official forms to formalize the admission application. Admission to the doctoral program may include the requirement of specific additional training for the doctorate. The completion of these will count towards the limit established in the section on the duration of studies in these Regulations.
- Appointment of tutor or choice of program director
At the time of admission, the President of the Faculty will assign a tutor to the doctoral student. The tutor is responsible for ensuring that the training and research activities of the doctoral student align with the principles of the program. Before the end of the first year, along with the research program, the doctoral student will propose the appointment of a director for their thesis, which must be approved by the President, who may consult the academic committee of the doctoral program. The director will normally take on the role of program tutor, except when the director does not belong to the Faculty of Theology San Isidoro of Seville; in that case, they will not assume the tutor’s functions, and the tutor assigned by the President at the time of the doctoral student’s admission will be considered the tutor for the entire doctoral program. The director of the thesis and the tutor, if they are not the same person, are responsible for the regular supervision of the doctoral student.
- Specific training activities
The Faculty of Theology will include in its annual programs an official offering of training activities, which will include the student’s participation in one of the research lines established by the Departments and approved by the Faculty Board upon the proposal of the academic committee of the doctoral program. In this regard, the third cycle curriculum includes the completion of up to 12 ECTS credits in doctoral courses, which will count towards the final grade of the cycle.
- Research plan. First approval of the doctoral thesis
Before the end of the first year, the doctoral student must prepare a research plan to be endorsed by the tutor and/or the thesis supervisor, which will be positively assessed by the academic committee of the third cycle. The application for this first approval of the research plan will be made by means of the official form at the general secretary’s office.
- Application for the second approval of the thesis
Once the doctoral thesis has been completed, the doctoral candidate will request approval for its defense by writing to the President of the Faculty of the doctoral program, which must be accompanied by: the approval of the director of the thesis, if the latter has no academic connection with the Faculty of Theology Saint Isidore of Seville, a favorable report will also be required from the tutor; and three copies of the thesis.
- Judgment of the censor of the thesis: second approval
The President will appoint an examiner who will review the thesis and issue a report on it. The President will communicate the name of the appointed examiner to the General Secretariat in writing. The General Secretariat will ensure that a copy of the thesis is promptly delivered to the examiner, who will have a maximum period of one month to complete the review. The examiner will deliver their written judgment of the thesis to the President, providing reasons for its approval or rejection. A copy of this judgment will be sent to the director. In the report, the examiner will state their overall opinion of the work, the method used, and the scientific value of the conclusions. The examiner will also clearly indicate which parts can be presented for defense without further modification and which points or aspects need correction or even a new review prior to the defense. If the examiner’s opinion is negative, the President, in consultation with the academic committee, will submit the thesis to a second examiner, whose judgment, to be issued within a maximum period of one month, will be final.
- Examination of the PhDs of the Faculty
The General Secretariat will initiate the thesis examination period, informing all the doctors of the Faculty. A copy will remain in the General Secretariat, available to all the Faculty’s doctoral professors who wish to examine it. They may submit their observations about the thesis to the President of the Faculty within fifteen working days.
- Public Announcement of the Thesis Committee and the Defense Date, and Submission of Thesis Copies
Once the authorization for the thesis defense has been obtained, the President of the Faculty, in consultation with the academic committee of the doctoral cycle if necessary, will propose experts in the field to form the committee responsible for judging the thesis and will set the date for the thesis defense. The President will appoint the corresponding committee. Generally, the committee will consist of five main members: a President, an Examiner, the Thesis Director, the examiner (if any) or a member, and a Secretary.
Exceptionally, the President may authorize the formation of a committee with three main members. The General Secretariat will publicly announce both the committee and the defense date.
Once the thesis defense is authorized, the student will submit six printed copies of the thesis in accordance with the Faculty’s standards and one digital copy in PDF format to the General Secretariat. No more than three months should elapse from the deposit of the thesis in the General Secretariat until the doctoral thesis defense, unless, for serious and duly justified reasons, the President authorizes otherwise.
- Defense of the doctoral thesis and evaluation of the thesis
Once the committee is constituted, the defense and evaluation will take place in a public session and will involve the doctoral student presenting the work completed, including the methodology, content, and conclusions, with particular emphasis on the original contributions.
The thesis defense will be held on a day considered a business day according to the Faculty’s academic calendar. The doctoral thesis will be evaluated during the defense, which will last approximately two hours.
The doctoral student’s presentation should not exceed thirty minutes.
The members of the committee may ask any questions they deem appropriate, which the doctoral student must answer. Additionally, the doctors present at the public session may ask questions at the time and in the manner specified by the committee’s president.
The committee will issue a report and a final grade for the thesis according to the following scale: “fail,” “pass,” “good,” and “excellent.” The committee may award the distinction of “cum laude” if the final grade is “excellent” and a positive unanimous secret vote is given in that regard.
- Publication of the doctoral thesis
The publication of the doctoral thesis or its extract will not be valid for obtaining the doctoral degree if the text to be published has not been approved by both the thesis director and the examiner. Such approval will be documented in writing with the formula “Vidimus et approbamus ad normam Statutorum Facultatis.” To obtain this approval, the candidate will submit the final version of the text prepared for publication to the General Secretariat, incorporating any indications, if applicable, from the members of the committee.
It is advisable to publish the entire thesis, provided that it is authorized by the reviewers. However, publishing a part or an extract of the thesis is sufficient for obtaining the degree. To determine this part, if there were no special indications from the Committee, it is recommended to seek advice from the thesis director and the examiner. In any case, the publication should include general indices, general bibliography, introduction, and conclusions of the thesis.
For the typographical presentation of the extract, the doctoral student must adhere to the standards established by the Faculty for this purpose.
- Issuance of the title of doctor
For the issuance of the title of doctor, copies of the published thesis or the extract of the thesis required by Veritatis gaudium n. must be submitted to the General Secretariat in accordance with the above-mentioned norms. 37, of which there are currently forty. Once these copies have been submitted, if they meet the requirements, the author will request the title of doctor from the Faculty.
