PhD in Education

General characterization

Degree pre-requisites

Length: 3 years/6 semesters. Student must accomplish 180 ECTS.

The PhD degree (60 ECTS) is focused on acquiring skills and knowledge in four areas:
a) Reflection on the educational phemomena and issues underlying them;
b) training in research methodologies in education, aimed at providing conceptual and operational tools for the study of educational phenomena;
c) training in two subjects, one in each half of the 1st year of available course specialties;
d) The writing of a thesis, guided by a teacher, that may take many different shapes, according to the regulation.
After concluding a PhD, the doctoral student will in future focus on developing an original research work (120 ECTS), under one of the specialties, framed in the lines or research projects of one of the three research centers involved in this doctoral program.

Conditions of admittance

To enter the doctoral studies cycle, the applicant must meet the conditions set by national legislation and UNL/ISPA regulations, meeting at least one of the following conditions: -holding a master´s degree, or equivalent, especially teachers and educators of all levels of education, education and training professionals, social workers and educators from the health areas; -holding an undergraduate degree and a particularly relevant academic or scientific curriculum recognized by the Scientific Council (CC) of the associated institutions; -holding an academic, scientific or professional curriculum recognized by CC at member institutions. Candidates are selected taking into account the academic and scientific curriculum; professional curriculum; interview; and a text with a max. of 5 pages describing the scientific, personal and/or professional motivation for the course.

Evaluation rules

The study course leading to the doctoral degree includes the completion of a doctoral program that consists of curricular unit aimed at training for research; the realization of an original thesis, designed especially for this purpose, appropriate to the branch of knowledge or expertise. The seminar curricular units type are classified on a scale of 0-20. The final classification of the PhD course is expressed by approved or not approved formulas. In case of approval, the final classification of the PhD course is expressed in the range 10-20 on a scale of 0-20, doing the arithmetic average of the marks in which the curricular units with 10 ECTS. The final classification of the thesis is expressed by formulas approved or refused by justified nominal vote with no abstentions.

Structure

Paths

• Especialidade em Psicologia e Educação
• Especialidade em Literacias e Educação
• Especialidade em Formação e Supervisão de Professores
• Especialidade em Educação, Sociedade e Desenvolvimento