Doctoral Programme in Environmental and Natural Resources

Access to the Doctoral Programme without supplementary training is open to students with a master's degree in The Environment and Natural Resources or in Environmental Engineering by the USC, as well as to students with other master degrees that the Doctoral Programme's Academic Committee considers are related to The Environment and Natural Resources.

Other profiles: The Academic Committee could propose taking supplementary training, up to a maximum of 15 ECTS credits, from compulsory subjects from the Master's Degree in The Environment and Natural Resources. The specific supplementary training subjects from the Master's Degree in The Environment and Natural Resources that students have not taken and are recommended by their tutor or by the Academic Committee.

A B1 level of English , as per the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages is required.

Specific criteria of admission are the following:

1. Academic transcript: 40%
2. Research experience: 40%
3. Professional experience: 20%

• Admission profile

  The admission profile establishes the knowledge, skills and abilities that students wishing to access this programme must possess and, consequently, the most suitable qualifications for access to the programme and which determine admission and, where appropriate, whether or not PhD students need to undertake complementary training.
  In general terms, those with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the field of science and the environment (e.g. Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Environmental Engineering, etc.) or with degrees related to the programme’s lines of research will be able to access this programme without the need to take complementary courses. For any other profile, the CAPD will study each case individually in order to admit or not potential students and, if necessary, will establish the training complements to be taken. These complements may not exceed 15 ECTS (see section 3.4. Training complements) and must be passed for admission to the programme to be effective.

• Requirements

  Access

  The general access and admission requirements are those set out in Royal Decree 99/2011, of 28 January, which regulates official PhD studies, and as amended by Royal Decree 576/2023, of 4 July. These are:
  1. In general, in order to access an official PhD programme, it shall be necessary to hold an official Spanish Bachelor´s degree, or equivalent, and a Master´s degree or equivalent, provided that at least 300 ECTS credits have been obtained in these two courses as a whole.
  2. Access may also be granted to those who are in one of the following situations:
  a) To hold official university degrees or equivalent Spanish degrees, provided that at least 300 ECTS credits have been passed in these courses as a whole, and accredit a level 3 of the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education.
  b) To hold a degree obtained in accordance with foreign education systems belonging to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), without the need for homologation, which accredits a level 7 of the European Qualifications Framework, provided that this degree entitles access to PhD studies in the country of issue of the same. This admission shall not imply, in any case, the homologation of the previous degree held by the interested party nor its recognition for purposes other than access to PhD studies.
  c) To hold a degree obtained in accordance with foreign education systems outside the EHEA, without the need for its recognition, after verification by the university that it accredits a level of training equivalent to that of the official Spanish university Master´s degree and that it entitles the holder to access PhD studies in the country in which the degree was awarded. This admission shall not imply, in any case, the homologation of the previous degree held by the interested party, nor its recognition for purposes other than that of access to PhD studies.
  d) To hold another PhD or Doctorate degree.
  e) Likewise, university graduates who, after obtaining a place in training in the corresponding entrance examination to specialised health training posts, have passed with a positive evaluation at least two years of training in a programme for obtaining the official qualification in one of the specialities in Health Sciences, may also be admitted.

• Specific requirements

  A compulsory requirement for admission to the PhD programme is the presentation of a report by the student consisting of a reference letter from a lecturer of the programme who i) endorses the potential viability of the future thesis within the framework of a line of research of the programme to which it is linked, and who ii) could act as supervisor if he/she fulfils the necessary requirements for this.
  In the event that the student does not demonstrate a minimum knowledge of Spanish, Galician or Portuguese, he/she must have a minimum knowledge of English (equivalent to level B1), not only because it is currently the common language of scientific communication at international level, but also because part of the courses, both specific and transversal, as well as various activities of the programme can be carried out in this language. The level will be accredited with the corresponding official certification of those included in the list of accreditations recognised by the Centro de Lenguas Modernas (CLM) of the USC for the different levels of the Common European Framework: https://www.usc.gal/gl/centro/centro-linguas-modernas.

• Admission rules

  Students will be selected for admission to the programme on the basis of the following criteria:
  - Academic record (40%): this will be determined by the grades obtained in the master’s degree (or in the Diploma of Advanced Studies or Research Proficiency if applicable).
  - Previous research experience and results (40%): publications, communications and other scientific contributions will be taken into account, as well as their suitability to the research lines of the Master’s programme. Candidates must submit supporting documentation for each merit provided.
  - Professional experience (20%): professional experience related to the research lines of the programme will be valued. Candidates must submit supporting documentation (e.g. certification of employment history, copies of contracts, grants, etc.).
  The same criteria will be applied to admit all students regardless of whether they are full-time or part-time.

• Title extinction

  The PhD programme may be terminated for any of the following reasons:
  • Failure to pass the accreditation renewal process established in article 10 of RD 99/2011.
  • Failure to accredit compliance with the requirements established by the state or regional regulations in force.
  • A proposal is made to terminate the programme as part of the degree review and improvement process in accordance with the procedure approved by the university.
  • The occurrence of any exceptional situation that prevents the correct development of the PhD programme.
  Termination shall have the following effects:
  • It will entail the loss of its official status and its removal from the RUCT.
  • It will not be possible to enrol new students in the PhD programme.
  • In any case, all affected students must be informed of the termination and of the consequences for the development of their studies.
  The University shall adopt the necessary measures to guarantee the academic rights of the students who are taking these studies under the terms established in the resolution for the termination of the study plan, and shall approve the procedure for the termination of the PhD programmes within the University.

• Ecotoxicology and environmental biomonitoring

  Teachers	Area
  Carlos Real Rodriguez	Ecology
  Jesus Ramon Aboal Viñas	Ecology
  Jose Angel Fernandez Escribano	Ecology
  Montserrat Díaz Raviña	International PhD School of the University of Santiago de Compostela (EDIUS)

• Animal and plant ecology

  Teachers	Area
  Carlos Real Rodriguez	Ecology
  Jesus Ramon Aboal Viñas	Ecology
  Jose Angel Fernandez Escribano	Ecology
  Ignacio Garcia Gonzalez	Botany
  Jose Carlos Rubén Retuerto Franco	Ecology
  Sergio Rodriguez Roiloa	International PhD School of the University of Santiago de Compostela (EDIUS)
  Margarita Lema Marquez	International PhD School of the University of Santiago de Compostela (EDIUS)

• Contamination and soil recovery

  Teachers	Area
  Maria Josefa Fernandez Sanjurjo	Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
  Maria Del Carmen Monterroso Martinez	Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
  Sarah Fiol López	Physical Chemistry
  Esperanza Alvarez Rodriguez	Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
  Juan Antelo Martínez	International PhD School of the University of Santiago de Compostela (EDIUS)
  Remigio Paradelo Nuñez	Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
  María Ángeles Prieto Fernández	International Doctoral School
  Mª Del Carmen Trasar Cepeda	International PhD School of the University of Santiago de Compostela (EDIUS)

• Environmental archaeology

  Teachers	Area
  Beatriz Loreto Prieto Lamas	Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
  Antonio Manuel Martinez Cortizas	Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
  Patricia Sanmartin Sanchez	Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
  Francisco Xabier Pontevedra Pombal	Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
  Olalla Lopez Costas	Archaeology

• Environmental biogeochemistry

  Teachers	Area
  Xose Lois Otero Perez	Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
  Teresa Maria Taboada Rodriguez	Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
  Beatriz Loreto Prieto Lamas	Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
  Sarah Fiol López	Physical Chemistry
  Antonio Manuel Martinez Cortizas	Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
  Juan Antelo Martínez	International PhD School of the University of Santiago de Compostela (EDIUS)
  Serafín Jesús González Prieto	International PhD School of the University of Santiago de Compostela (EDIUS)
  Francisco Xabier Pontevedra Pombal	Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
  María Ángeles Prieto Fernández	International PhD School of the University of Santiago de Compostela (EDIUS)
  Olalla Lopez Costas	Archaeology

• Soil and environment

  Teachers	Area
  Xose Lois Otero Perez	Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
  Maria Josefa Fernandez Sanjurjo	Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
  Teresa Maria Taboada Rodriguez	Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
  Maria Del Carmen Monterroso Martinez	Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
  Esperanza Alvarez Rodriguez	Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
  Serafín Jesús González Prieto	International PhD School of the University of Santiago de Compostela (EDIUS)
  Remigio Paradelo Nuñez	Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
  Montserrat Díaz Raviña	International PhD School of the University of Santiago de Compostela (EDIUS)
  Mª Del Carmen Trasar Cepeda	International PhD School of the University of Santiago de Compostela (EDIUS)

The proposed offer is in line with the action foreseen in strategic line 1, consisting of the creation of a specialised and competitive postgraduate offer with respect to the national and international university environment, increasing the social prestige of postgraduate studies.
The USC must take advantage of the opportunities offered by the quality of its research, promoting the link between teaching and research, under the coordination of the Postgraduate Centre and the International PhD School. The proposed offer aims to reinforce the prestige of USC’s research career. The incorporation of PhDs in companies will be promoted in order to extend their capacity beyond teaching and research, with the aim of boosting productive activity.
Likewise, the proposal is consistent with the necessary modification of resource management patterns, seeking to optimise the use of resources through internal and external collaboration formulas. Efforts have been made to establish collaborations with foreign researchers and centres, which in the future could be extended to the creation of inter-university degrees.
The proposed offer is in line with the action foreseen in strategic line 1, consisting of the creation of a specialised and competitive postgraduate offer with respect to the national and international university environment, increasing the social prestige of postgraduate studies. The USC must take advantage of the opportunities offered by the quality of its research, promoting the link between teaching and research, under the coordination of the Postgraduate Centre and the International PhD School.
The proposed offer aims to reinforce the prestige of USC’s research career. The incorporation of PhDs in companies will be promoted in order to extend their capacity beyond teaching and research, with the aim of boosting productive activity. Likewise, the proposal is consistent with the necessary modification of resource management patterns, seeking to optimise the use of resources through internal and external collaboration formulas. Efforts have been made to establish collaborations with foreign researchers and centres, which in the future could be extended to the creation of inter-university degrees.

• Basic skills

  - Systematic understanding of a field of study and mastery of research skills and methods related to that field.
  - Ability to conceive, design or create, implement and adopt a substantial research or creative process.
  - Ability to contribute to the expansion of the frontiers of knowledge through original research.
  - Ability to carry out critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis of new and complex ideas.
  - Ability to communicate with the academic and scientific community and with society in general about their fields of knowledge in the modes and languages commonly used in their international scientific community.
  - Ability to promote, in academic and professional contexts, scientific, technological, social, artistic or cultural progress within a knowledge-based society.
  - Ability to promote Open Science and Citizen Science, in accordance with article 12 of Organic Law 2/2023 of 22 March, as a way of contributing to the consideration of scientific knowledge as a common good, through the evaluation of transversal activities carried out by the PhD student related to different dimensions of Open Science and Citizen Science, as well as the training acquired in these disciplines in the form of micro-credentials or similar.

• Other competencies

  01 - Ability to develop a holistic vision of the environment and the sustainable use of natural resources, knowing the impacts, risks and the technological solutions necessary for their solution or mitigation. Know the methods of study and characterisation of biogeochemical systems and natural resources.
  02 - To identify and provide knowledge of the different types of environmental impacts and their effects, determining the sensitivity to natural or anthropic degradation of soil and water, as well as the loss of biodiversity and the deterioration of associated habitats, with special emphasis on bioindicators, ecotoxicological processes and the biogeochemical processes that regulate the evolution of all the chemical elements that intervene in the biosphere, the habitats and the landscape that derive from it.
  03 - Ability to deepen knowledge of the formation factors, components, properties, genesis, classification, mapping and appropriate uses of soils and ecosystems, as well as their pollution or degradation processes and recovery alternatives based on physico-chemical, mineralogical, edaphic and biotic knowledge of the different biogeochemical compartments and available resources, including waste and by-products.
  04 - Ability to study in depth, in an interdisciplinary way, the environmental impacts caused by human development with special emphasis on those related to the industrial, mining, aquaculture, agriculture and forestry sectors, as well as all those related to the occupation of space by the development of urban systems, productive or recreational activities, creation of infrastructures, etc.
  05 - Ability to research and disseminate knowledge of the palaeoenvironmental processes that have occurred in the biosphere, applying this knowledge to the interpretation and decision-making of the present.
  06 - Ability to acquire specific competences in the line/s in which the thesis project will be carried out.

So far, graduates of the programme have acquired multidisciplinary training and developed a PhD thesis project, associated with one or more of the 6 thematic areas that cover the fields of knowledge of Animal and Plant Ecology, Bioindicators and Ecotoxicity, Environmental Biogeochemistry, Soils and Environment, Soil Contamination and Reclamation and Environmental Archaeology. In addition, they have carried out stays in foreign research centres and were able to obtain the International/European PhD Mention. They are highly specialised and competitive researchers, with the capacity to systematically study the environment and the sustainable use of natural resources, through critical analysis, evaluation and the generation of new ideas from different perspectives. They are also professionals with a great capacity for communication and for promoting scientific progress in professional contexts in order to contribute to a knowledge-based society.
In particular, they have acquired specific skills to:
a) Address the multidisciplinary study of natural ecosystems, identify and publicise the processes of degradation, natural and anthropogenic, with special attention to those related to urban, industrial, mining, farming and forestry activities, assess the extent of their impact on soils, water and biodiversity, and design appropriate solutions for their mitigation and the protection and sustainable use of these resources.
b) Deepen the study of the main biogeochemical cycles, modelling the disturbances induced by human activity and their environmental consequences, from the local to the global scale.
c) Assess environmental quality by monitoring biotic and abiotic factors of ecosystems, including levels of pollutants in soils, sediments, water and living organisms, and their biological effects from the molecular to the community level.
d) Interpret and disseminate paleoenvironmental processes in the biosphere and apply this knowledge to present-day interpretation and decision-making.

The main objective of this Masters degree is to train professionals and researchers in aquaculture; professionals with a solid recognised training at job level and researchers whose training allows them to carry out their research, with cutting-edge technologies, while keeping abreast of problems in production processing.