The International Doctorate qualification is based on criteria agreed by the Liaison Committee of the Confederation of European Union Rectors’ Conferences and it requires:
- Request for the International Doctorate qualification.
- Preliminary reports issued by at least two PhD holders from higher education institutions or research centers in countries other than Spain. These external experts may be the same as in the pre-assessment phase.
- Certification of the minimum stay of three months, on official headed paper of the institution or research center at which the period of study or research was carried out. The period of study or research must be approved by the thesis supervisor and authorized by the academic committee for the doctoral program. Students must obtain a certificate from the director(s) of the research group, institution or institutions in question and submit the original, complete with institutional stamp. The details of the period of study or research spent abroad will be included in the doctoral training log.
- The dissertation committee must include at least one doctor from a higher education institution or research center outside Spain. This examiner cannot be the supervisor of the period of study or research at the foreign institution.
- Part of the thesis must be written in a language different from any of the official Spanish languages.
- Part of the thesis defense must be done in an official language of the European Community and different from the official Spanish ones.