Behavioral Sciences and Psychology

The recommended academic profile for students seeking admission to the program generally includes those who have graduated from a degree in the field of behavioral sciences and psychology, with a curriculum that includes at least 16 ECTS credits in research subjects, inclusive of the Master's Final Project.

However, students applying to the program from master's degrees in the field of health sciences and behavioral sciences and psychology, and/or whose curriculum does not include at least 16 ECTS credits in research subjects including the Master's Final Project, will need to undertake specific complementary training courses.

In terms of capabilities, the recommended entry profile includes students who are capable of understanding and solving problems in the field of behavioral sciences and psychology, expressing knowledge and ideas in an organized and creative manner, and disseminating their knowledge to non-experts. They should be capable of analyzing identified problems with synthesis and self-criticism, communicating fluently both orally and in writing in the program's languages, planning and managing time, searching for and managing information, and adapting flexibly to new situations and changes. They should appreciate multicultural diversity and commit to ethical and deontological standards, pursuing quality and rigor.

Students must also demonstrate a minimum B2 level of English, as per the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, enabling them to fully understand ideas expressed in scientific articles, interact with native speakers with sufficient fluency and naturalness, and produce scientific texts. Non-Spanish speaking students must demonstrate at least the same level (B2) of Spanish.

Furthermore, to gain admission to the Doctoral Program in Behavioral Sciences and Psychology, students must possess MECES 3 knowledge in research in Psychology, behavioral sciences, and health sciences. This includes familiarity with the main research methods and designs used in this discipline, as well as strategies for the analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data.

In general, for access and admission to doctoral studies, the stipulations of Articles 6 and 7 of the Royal Decree 99/2011 of 28 January, which governs official doctoral studies, will be applicable. Applicants must hold official Spanish degrees of Bachelor's Degree, or equivalent, and a Master's Degree. Additionally, individuals who meet any of the following criteria will also be eligible for admission:

• a) Hold an official Spanish university degree, or a degree from another country that is part of the European Higher Education Area, which qualifies for access to a Master's degree as per Article 18 of Royal Decree 822/2021, dated September 28. Additionally, the candidate must have completed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits in official university studies, of which at least 60 must be at the Master's level.
• b) Hold an official Spanish Bachelor's degree, the duration of which, in accordance with Community law regulations, is at least 300 ECTS credits. Graduates must undertake the compulsory complementary training courses referred to in Article 7.2 of RD 99/2011, unless the curriculum of the corresponding degree includes research training credits equivalent in educational value to the research credits from Master's studies.
• c) University graduates who, after securing a position through the corresponding entrance exam for specialized health training programs, have successfully completed at least two years of training to obtain an official degree in one of the specialties in Health Sciences, behavioral sciences, and/or psychology.
• d) Hold a degree obtained in accordance with foreign educational systems, without the need for its homologation, after verification by the university that it accredits a level of education equivalent to that of the official Spanish Master's degree and that it grants access to doctoral studies in the issuing country. This admission will not, in any case, imply the homologation of the previous degree held by the candidate or its recognition for purposes other than access to Doctoral studies.
• e) Hold another Spanish Doctorate degree obtained in accordance with previous university regulations.
• f) Hold an official university degree that has obtained correspondence to level 3 of the Spanish Framework of Qualifications for Higher Education, in accordance with the procedure established in Royal Decree 967/2014, dated November 21. This decree establishes the requirements and procedure for the approval and declaration of equivalence to an official university degree and academic level and for the validation of foreign Higher Education studies, and the procedure to determine the correspondence to the levels of the Spanish Framework of Qualifications for Higher Education of the official degrees of Architect, Engineer, Undergraduate, Technical Architect, Technical Engineer, and Associate's degree.

The criteria for admission to these doctoral programs are based on the following scale:

• Average of the academic record of the Bachelor's degree that qualifies the student for the doctoral program: 35%
• Average of the academic record of the Master's degree that qualifies the student for the doctoral program: 40% *
• Research experience or other merits linked to research: 20%
• Accredited knowledge of a foreign language commonly used in the scientific community to which the doctoral program belongs: 5%. Language certification from level B2 of the European Framework of Languages will be valued.

* In cases where the qualifying degree is at MECES level 3, the average of the bachelor's and/or master's degree record will be considered, with a weighting of 75%.

The academic committee of the qualification oversees the admission procedure.

• An updated Curriculum Vitae
• A certified copy of your Bachelor's degree diploma*
• A certified copy of your official Master's degree diploma*
• A certified copy of your Master's academic record (or equivalent)*
• A certified copy of your Bachelor's academic record*
• A photocopy of your DNI (for Spanish applicants) or passport (for foreign applicants)
• A PDF copy of your TFM (Master's Final Project) or DEA (if applicable)
• A letter of recommendation (preferably from your TFM director or someone who can vouch for your research experience)
• Proof of work activity (if applying for part-time admission)
• A draft of a thesis project containing Objectives (and/or Research Questions) / Methodology / Expected Results
• Proof of English proficiency equivalent to B2 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)
• Proof of Spanish proficiency equivalent to B2 level of the CEFR (for non-Spanish speakers).

* For non-European diplomas, an "apostille" is required on documents issued in countries that have signed the Hague Convention. In other cases, legalization through diplomatic channels is necessary.

** If the documentation has not been issued in Spanish, it must be accompanied by the corresponding official sworn translation.

Once you have all the necessary documents, please send your application via email to escueladoctorado@nebrija.es

• September 1-30: Send the completed and signed application for admission, along with the required documentation for the program, by email. Please refer to the "Application" section of this website for more details.
• October 7: You will receive an email notification of the provisional resolution of those admitted to the doctorate..
• October 8-10: Following the notification of the provisional resolution, you have a three-day period to submit any claim by email.
• Until October 11: Resolution of claims will take place during this period.
  You will receive an email notification of the final list of those admitted.
  Notificación por correo electrónico del listado definitivo de admitidos.
• October 7-25: If you are admitted, send the completed and signed application, along with the documentation previously sent during the admission process, by post to:
  
  Universidad Nebrija – Escuela de Doctorado
  Campus de La Berzosa
  28240 Hoyo de Manzanares (Madrid).

Please note that if the necessary documentation is not provided within the specified timeframe, the Doctoral School will have to cancel the registration request.

• October 7 – November 8 Self-enrollment through the Universitas XXI application.
  Send proof of payment for the registration fees and annual tuition fees for the doctorate by email to both (admincp@nebrija.es and escueladoctorado@nebrija.es)
  Los estudiantes que resulten admitidos y no formalicen la matrícula en el plazo indicado por la Escuela de Doctorado, perderán la plaza en el programa.Please note that admitted students who do not complete their enrollment within the specified period will forfeit their place in the program.

Note: For students who are currently pursuing Spanish master's degrees and are expected to complete them before the end of the academic year, they must provide proof of this completion to the Doctoral School by a specified date (to be determined). If the necessary documentation is not submitted within this timeframe, the student will not be eligible to enroll in the desired doctoral program.

Students who meet the recommended profile for admission to the doctoral program will not be required to undertake any additional training.

However, if students do not have the necessary prior training required by the program for access to the research line in Behavioral Sciences and Psychology, they will need to undertake specific additional training after admission and registration. The Academic Committee of the program, considering the qualification of the student, will determine the appropriate complementary training courses for students who wish to access the research line in Behavioral Sciences and Psychology. This additional training may include subjects from the University Master's Degrees:

• Procedures and assignment of a thesis tutor and directors
• Commitment document for supervising a doctoral thesis

Each academic year, until the thesis defense, students must renew their enrollment within the specified timeframe.

• In the first year, the PhD student must pay the registration fees and the annual tuition fees::
  • Full-time: €450 Registration Fees and €1,100 annual tuition fees
  • Part-time: €980 Registration Fees and €570 annual tuition fees.
• From the second year onwards and until the end of the thesis, the PhD student must pay the annual tuition fees, full-time €1,100 or part-time €570€
• In order to defend the thesis, the PhD student must pay the thesis deposit: €1,600.
• Issuance of the PhD degree: €311
• Partial exemptions from the PhD fees can also be requested annually from the PhD Committee, for PhD students who actively collaborate in Nebrija research groups, among others.