Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

UC offers 39 doctoral programs that cover various disciplines and areas of knowledge:

• Interdisciplinary: Architecture and Urban Studies, Geography, Neuroscience, Psychotherapy (in alliance with the University of Chile), Plant Biotechnology, Biological and Medical Engineering.
• Natural Sciences and Mathematics: Astrophysics, Physics, Statistics, Mathematics, Chemistry.
• Engineering and Technology: Engineering Sciences with a major in Civil Engineering, Industrial and Transportation Engineering, Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Engineering and Technology.
  Medical and Health Sciences: Medical Sciences and Epidemiology.
• Agricultural Sciences: Agricultural Sciences.
• Social Sciences: Political Science, Communication Sciences, Education, Law, Economics, Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology.
• Humanities: Philosophy; History; Linguistics; Literature; and Theology.
• Arts: Arts

UC has an institutional accreditation certificate for 7 years, granted by the National Accreditation Commission (CNA), an autonomous institution that certifies and promotes the quality of higher education in Chile.

The accredited areas are: institutional management; undergraduate teaching; postgraduate teaching; research and community engagement. It is also the number one ranked university in Chile and one of the top 3 in Latin America according to the World University Ranking QS 2020.

The university promotes the internationalization of studies through joint doctoral supervisions and internships in the best universities in the world.
All of the above has made UC the most requested Chilean university by students from Chile and the world, thanks to its academic and educational excellence.

Accreditation is a process that validates and certifies the quality of doctoral programs, based on the criteria established by the corresponding scientific or disciplinary community.
Accreditation is part of the quality assurance and continuous improvement process of the doctoral program, ensuring its compliance and progress regarding the accreditation resolution, while monitored and advised by the Doctorate Management.

It is part of the quality assurance and continuous improvement process of the doctoral program, ensuring its compliance and progress regarding the accreditation resolution, while monitored and advised by a team from the Graduate School.

Yes. Over 90% of our students have scholarships that cover their studies and living expenses.

Thanks to the offer of external sources of funding, such as State scholarships, and internal sources of funding or those provided by the UC Vice-Chancellor’s Office for Research, our students can opt to fund their doctoral studies, short research stays and joint supervisions, among others.

Find information about dates and calls to participate in our Contest Calendar section.

As it is part of the UC brand, the university encourages research in three areas:
Inter-institutional cooperation for research stays and joint supervision of dissertations in centers of excellence.
Recruitment of highly qualified international students.
“Internationalization at home” thanks to the visit of foreign professors.
The Doctoral Administration of Directors offers competitive funds for partial coverage of expenses that allow the students to participate in internships during the development of their doctoral dissertation and joint-supervision.

Find information about dates and calls to participate in our Contest Calendar section.

No. None of our benefits are compatible with the CONICYT Scholarships, nor with national doctorate scholarships or complimentary benefits.

CONICYT provides greater coverage than the internal scholarships offered by the university, hence the importance that you apply, as a first option, to the available external funding alternatives.

It depends on the benefit you are applying for. If you are applying for the Residency and Joint Supervisions, you will need to pass the Doctoral Qualifying Exam. This, however, is not a requirement for international congresses, although an optimal performance in the study program will be expected in order to apply.

Each contest has its own requirements and benefits, so it is recommended to go through each list of rules before applying.
For further information about dates and calls to participate, visit the Contest Calendar.

In case of experiencing problems with access or platform errors, please contact the system support department at converis@uc.cl.

If you have any doubts regarding the rules of a contest, you should contact the area in charge by e-mail: concursosdoctorados@uc.cl

Joint Doctoral Supervision leading to a double degree offers the possibility of obtaining a doctoral degree at both the university of origin and at the host university, under the supervision of two dissertation advisors. This allows the student to complete part of the doctoral research in person at the host university.

For more information on the procedure, please consult the Joint Doctoral Supervision Procedure.

No. However, terms and conditions about the stay and the obtention of the degree must be established in advance through a specific agreement.

Yes. In its ongoing quest to improve its programs and education of excellence, UC has developed the Support Program for Dissertation Supervision. The program seeks to promote excellence in doctoral training at the institutional level, through a support policy for the supervision of dissertations and support mechanisms for those involved in the process.

This program has two main lines of work. The first is an institutional policy that sets the standard for supervision at the doctoral level. The second is the implementation of support mechanisms for students and academics during the dissertation process, such as workshops on topics of interest.

There are two ways to participate:

• By attending the workshops and talks offered for both academics and students.
• By resourcing to the content of the UC Support Guide for the Supervision of Dissertations and the support tools posed there, which are anchored in the Converis platform.

We are happy to read your suggestions and comments at apoyodirecciondetesis@uc.cl

The dates are published in the academic program of UC Doctorates and in the UC Course Book. The English Proficiency test corresponds to the acronym CPD0100 and has zero credits. It must be taken by all new students (admitted to UC from the 1st semester of 2015 onwards) during the first semester of their program.
Once the student enrolls in their doctoral program, and when the moment to register for courses comes, they must sign up for CPD0100 and request to be registered in English UC in order to select the date when they will take the test.
For further information, please consult the English Proficiency Protocol.

The student’s official score will be submitted by English UC to their institutional email (UC) three business days after the test was taken, along with the English course that they will have to take (CPD1000 to CPD7000) in order to receive the CPD8000 certification.

The CPD8000 English certification test is measured by the results of the IELTS exam coordinated by English UC, and it is part of the graduation requirements on English language proficiency. It is developed according to the following protocol:

• The IELTS exam dates are published on the UC academic calendar every year. The written part of the exam takes approximately 5 chronological hours and it is taken at Campus San Joaquín. English UC will timely inform further instructions to those students who meet the requirements and have enrolled for CPD8000 as part of their academic load.
• Once confirmed, the exam date cannot be rescheduled, since it is an instance that must be validated by an external international entity.
• Before taking the exam, each student is required to complete 20 hours of independent work training. English UC will send them a link with the material.

The English Validation Protocol applies if a student has previously taken an international proficiency test within the last two years. If the type of test and results that the student submit match the criteria of the Validation Protocol,  the student will be able to opt for the corresponding CPD course.

• Courses are taught at Casa Central and Campus San Joaquín.
• They are sequential; you can’t take two at the same time or skip one.
• They have passing requirements: 75% minimum attendance, and to pass the partial evaluations.
• Students can only withdraw during the authorized period according to the academic calendar, not later.

You must register through Mi Portal UC at the end of the year, during the registration dates of the summer academic season, published on the UC academic calendar.

Yes. Support is provided through Academic Writing (AWC), an English UC service in a self-learning modality, that consists of training the writing skills e for academic purposes according to the difficulty and linguistic level of the user. The student’s work will be evaluated by the teacher and specialist MA Gracielle Pereira, who is also a member of the English UC team.

The Transversal Skills Program also includes Academic Communication workshops in English in the areas of: Academic Presentations, Dissertation Editing, Academic Writing, and others.

Students interested in registering for the Remote Learning: Academic Writing calendar, please email MA Gracielle Pereira.

For more information, check the Transversal Skills Program.

To enroll in an English course, it is required to have taken the CPD0100 diagnostic test (enrolled in your academic load and approved). Only one TAV or TAI course/semester can be taken, both corresponding to intensive summer and winter semesters respectively. The courses are sequential, so they cannot be done simultaneously.

Consult procedure details and specific requirements in the Course Protocol.

The common requirement is to be a doctoral student. The specific requirements of each workshop and/or English course can be consulted in the UC Course Catalog, searching for the Academic Unit Doctorate Administration or under the acronym of CPD.
For workshops, students must register through the Banner UC platform on the dates published on the UC academic calendar, where the registration period for UC courses is indicated.

The requirements and activities are defined by stages, which are indicated below:

First stage: Remote modules, where the student must take and pass the predefined modules in the Postgraduate Student profile. These modules must be completed and passed prior to the face-to-face session, for which you must create an account at www.citiprogram.org

Second stage: Face-to-face modules for reflection and discussion around the minimum ethical aspects of the values ​​inherent to the human person, their rights and security, through cases analysis. The current national legislation, international regulations and the internal regulations of the University regarding our scientific work are addressed.

Topics will be presented in lecture sessions, cases analysis and debates on the meaning of good practices in science and integrity in research.

The workshop has the following approval requirements:

• Approval of the initial test on CITI content (80% correct answers).
• 100% attendance is required in the face-to-face modules to pass the workshop.
• Participation in speeches, analysis and debates.
• Remote certification (80% of CITI test approval)

Students admitted from March 2015 onwards may attend courses and workshops at the Doctoral Directorate.
To enroll, they must meet the approval requirements. Failing these courses and workshops will have the same implications of failing any other activity with the UC acronym; that is, failure could be grounds for removal.