To how many courses can I have equivalence recognized, as a function of my CV?

According to the PDEEC by-laws (see http:// www.fe.up.pt/pdeec) the Scientific Committee may recognize equivalence to PDEEC courses up to 50% of the ECTS credits required. This means that, in this case, the student would be advised to enroll in two courses plus Individual Topics 1 and 2.

Are classes in English? And the thesis, must it be in English?

Classes are in English except if the audience is constituted only by students who can speak or understand Portuguese. Course materials should be in English. The thesis will be as a rule in English unless the supervisor justifies another option and this is accepted by the Scientific Committee.

Can I be a part-time student?

The Programme has a deadline of 4 years for a student to submit the thesis. The Scientific Committee may grant an additional period of variable length to allow completion. There is no rigid deadline to complete the courses. The general rule is to complete them in 1 year. However, there is a provision stating that a student must submit his work plan within the first 2 years. There is no special provision for part-time students. The Programme bylaws are flexible enough to accommodate many circumstances, depending on the evaluation of the Scientific Committee under petition from the student.

If I choose to complete courses in a part-time regime, can I have a reduction in the tuition fees?

The fee system is flat-rate. Therefore, fees are due irrespective of the number of courses attended in each year.

What is the duration of the doctoral program, PDEEC ?

The duration of PDEEC is four years. The first year corresponds to the curricular year, with eight courses. The following three years corespond to the development of the Ph.D. thesis.

Is there any deadline to submit my TRP - Thesis Research Plan?

The deadline for submitting the TRP is 18 months after starting your Ph.D. Only after finishing all the 8 courses plus the TRP you can be considered a “fully enrolled” Ph.D. student.

What are the values of the Tuition Fees?

The values of the PDEEC tuition fees depend on the student status. In 2015/2016 academic year the full time tuition fee was 6000 Euros for students covered by international student status. It was 3000 Euros, for national students, CPLP* students or foreign students not covered by international student status. For 2016/2017 the tuition fees are not yet defined.

*CPLP – Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries.