Final admission of a PhD student to a doctoral programme involves assigning a tutor, appointed by the academic committee of the doctoral programme. This will be a doctor with accredited research experience, respecting as far as possible the interests expressed by the doctoral student and tutor, who will formalise acceptance of the rights and duties in their relationship, which will be included in the supervision commitment document signed between the doctoral student and the university. The tutor will guide and monitor the doctoral student's activities and will ensure the student's interaction with the academic committee.
Article 20 of the internal regulations of the University of Valladolid Doctoral School sets out the duties of a thesis tutor:
- To assist their doctoral students in their training process, providing information, guidance and learning resources.
- To help set out their doctoral students’ curricular itinerary.
- To sign the documented commitment that establishes the supervisory functions with regard to their doctoral students, in the manner established by the university.
- To regularly review the personalised activity document of their doctoral students.
- To periodically report on and endorse the research plan of their doctoral students.
- To attend to the needs of any of their doctoral students who have disabilities, in accordance with the guidelines established by the university.
- Any obligations established in general legislation, in the regulations of the region and in the University of Valladolid statutes and regulations.
Under art. 19 of the internal regulations of the University of Valladolid Doctoral School, tutors have the following rights:
- Full integration into the structure and activities of the Doctoral School, in accordance with the rules defined in these regulations for the school's doctoral programmes.
- Any rights recognised in general legislation, in the regulations of the region and in the University of Valladolid statutes and regulations.
Within a maximum period of six months from enrolment, the academic committee shall assign each PhD student a PhD thesis supervisor, who may or may not coincide with the tutor referred to in the previous section. Any Spanish or foreign doctor with accredited research experience, regardless of the university, centre or institution in which they provide their services may be assigned.
Having heard the doctoral candidate, the academic committee may modify the appointment if there are justified reasons.
The supervisor of the doctoral thesis will be responsible for the coherence and suitability of the training activities, the impact and novelty of the subject matter of the doctoral thesis in their field and for guiding the planning and, where appropriate, its adaptation to that of other projects and activities in which the doctoral student is enrolled.
The thesis may be co-supervised by other doctors when there are academic reasons, such as interdisciplinary subjects or programmes carried out in national or international collaboration, after the prior authorisation of the academic committee. This authorisation may be subsequently revoked if, in the opinion of the academic committee, co-supervision does not benefit the thesis.
Before the end of the first year, the PhD student will draw up a research plan that will include at least the methodology to be used and the objectives to be achieved, as well as the means and time schedule to achieve them. This plan may be improved and detailed throughout their stay on the programme and must be endorsed by the tutor and the director.
Once enrolled on the programme, a personalised activity document will be drawn up for each PhD student for the purposes of the individualised control register referred to in article 2.5 of Royal Decree 99/2011. This document will include all the activities of interest for the PhD student’s development, and will be regularly reviewed by the tutor and the thesis supervisor and evaluated by the academic committee.
The programme's academic committee will annually evaluate the research plan and the activity document together with the reports that the tutor and director must issue for this purpose. A positive evaluation will be a prerequisite for continuing on the programme. In the event of a negative evaluation, which will be duly justified, the PhD student must be re-evaluated within a period of six months, for which purpose a new Research Plan must be drawn up. In the event of a new negative evaluation, the PhD student will be permanently withdrawn from the programme.