UNIVERSITY OF ALCALÁ MASTER’S DISSERTATION REGULATIONS

As approved by Governing Body at its ordinary meeting of 23

February 2012 As modified by Governing Body at its ordinary
meeting of 1 June 2016

Royal Decree 1393/2007 (29 October), regulating the organisation of official university studies
and as modified by Royal Decree 861/2010 (3 July), stipulates that programmes of study leading
to the award of a University Master’s Degree must be completed with the preparation and
examination of a Master’s Dissertation (hereafter, MD) as part of the syllabus. The MD should
be prepared in the final phase of the syllabus, should be worth between 6 and 30 credits, and
must permit evaluation of competences associated with the degree.

These regulations provide a general framework for all MDs carried out at the University of Alcalá
(hereafter UAH). They may be complemented, in the terms set out below, with specific
regulations tailored to the needs of the master’s degrees as taught and to the requirements
stipulated in their verification memoranda.

Article 1. PURPOSE AND SCOPE

1.1 These regulations contain the basic guidelines regarding the definition, preparation,
supervision, submission, examination, evaluation and administrative processing of master’s
dissertations.

1.2 The provisions of these regulations are applicable to MDs corresponding to the University
Master’s degrees offered by the UAH by virtue of Royal Decrees 1393/2007 (30 October)
and 861/2010 (3 July).

1.3 These regulations provide a normative framework and are no impediment to master’s
degrees’ having their own specific regulations drawn up in application of general state
dispositions. In the case of master’s degrees with their own specific regulations, the present
regulations will be supplementary and of application only to those matters for which the
specific regulations make no express provision.
1.4 The academic commission for each master’s degree may implement the provisions of these
regulations and adapt the guidelines it sets out to the specific requirements of the degree.
In that case, the commission should remit a copy of the specific regulations to the Official
Postgraduate Studies Commission for approval, should their contents be compatible with
these regulations.

1.5 In the case of inter-university degrees, the master’s academic coordination commission will
agree and draft joint MD regulations for approval by the participant universities’ Official
Postgraduate Studies Commissions.

Article 2. NATURE OF MASTER’S DISSERTATION

2.1 An MD requires that a student prepare a project, memorandum or study, which applies or
develops knowledge acquired in the course of the master’s programme.

2.2 Each MD’s contents will be conditioned by the degree’s profile (academic/research,
professional or mixed) as well as its interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary character. In any
case, those contents must be appropriate to the ECTS credit load assigned to the subject
area in the syllabus and to the length of time established in the teaching guide’s schedule
of activities for carrying out the MD.

2.3 The master’s academic commission and the examination panel will monitor MD quality and
homogeneity in terms of requirements relating to preparation and submission.

Article 3. AUTHOR

3.1 MDs must be the individual work of one student.

3.2 Only exceptionally and in view of an MD’s particular characteristics, the degree’s academic
commission may authorise its authorship by various students. In this case, after hearing the
students and their tutor, the commission must give its reasoned approval before work
commences on the MD. That approval must define clear roles permitting the individual
examination and evaluation of each member of the group of students; it must also set out
the assessment and marking criteria
Article 4. THE TUTOR

4.1 The MD must be carried out under the supervision of an academic tutor who takes part in
teaching the degree. The tutor will take charge of explaining to the student the
characteristics of an MD, of helping and providing guidance, of ensuring compliance with
the stated goals, of offering timely and proper appraisal, and of authorising its submission.

4.2 Should the MD be supervised by a professional or doctor who takes no part in the teaching
of the master’s, a co-supervisor will be appointed from among the degree’s teaching staff.

4.3 Students may prepare the whole, or a substantial part, of the MD in institutions or bodies
where they carry out external placements. The MD’s tutor will have to contact the
placement mentor in order to define the MD’s contents, preparation and evaluation. Such
external collaboration will not be authorised by the master’s academic commission should
there be no pre-existing educational cooperation agreement between the UAH and said
institution or body.

Article 5. MATRICULATIONS and EXAMINATION SESSIONS

5.1 Matriculation for MDs is carried out in the same periods and in the same fashion as for the
other subjects on the syllabus, namely, by payment of the public fees corresponding to the
credit load. Students must obligatorily have matriculated in all the other subjects required
to complete the degree.

5.2 Matriculation entitles students to two MD examination sessions in the academic year
covered by the matriculation.

5.3 The degree’s academic commission will fix the date of the sessions for each academic year
and with sufficient time for the examination results to be submitted before 30th September
of each academic year.

5.4 When matriculating for the MD, students must satisfy 100% of the cost at their first
matriculation. Students failing to be examined for their MD during the academic year in
which they are matriculated may matriculate newly in the following academic year on
payment of 25% of the fee for the first matriculation.
Article 6. ASSIGNMENT OF SUPERVISOR AND SUBJECT

6.1 At the start of each academic year, the degree’s academic commission will publish the
criteria for assigning subjects and tutors and the basic rules concerning MDs style, length
and organisation.

6.2 Except in exceptional circumstances, duly justified before the Official Postgraduate Studies
Committee, the deadline for the academic commission to assign the supervisor and the
subject will be the start of the final semester. Every effort will be made to make allowance
for the wishes of students and supervisors and to ensure the appropriate and reasonable
assignment of supervisors and subjects.

6.3 Any student wishing to change their supervisor or subject should make a reasoned request
in writing to the degree’s academic director or coordinator within fifteen days of publication
of the final list. A decision will be made regarding the request within fifteen calendar days
and, when applicable, a new tutor or MD subject will be assigned with due attention to the
opinions of the parties concerned. This decision may be appealed within seven natural days
before the university’s Official Postgraduate Studies Commission.

6.4 Any supervisor wishing to change the students assigned to them or the subjects offered
should make a reasoned request in writing to the degree’s academic director or coordinator
within fifteen days of publication of the final list. A decision will be made regarding the
request within fifteen calendar days and, when applicable, a new subject will be assigned to
the student under the same supervisor or a new tutor or MD subject will be assigned, in all
cases with due attention to the opinions of the parties concerned. This decision may be
appealed within seven natural days before the university’s Official Postgraduate Studies
Commission.

6.5 The assignment of a supervisor or a MD subject will only be valid during the academic year
in which the student is matriculated. Nevertheless, the academic commission, may bear in
mind the MD subject and the tutor when adjudicating for subsequent academic courses in
the event of the student’s failing to complete successfully the subject in the year of
matriculation in it.
Article 7. SUBMISSION.

7.1 Every year, each academic commission will establish and publicise the rules regarding the
MDs style, length and organisation, as well as the procedure for submitting the dissertation
before its examination.

7.2 In order to submit their MD, students must present a document showing the supervisor’s
acceptance in line with the procedure agreed by the academic commission.

Article 8. EXAMINATION.

8.1 The master’s academic commission will choose one of the following systems for examining
MDs:

 During various closed periods in the course of the academic year, namely January, July
and September.
 Throughout the academic year, until September.

8.2 The period for submitting MDs will be fixed and the full calendar of examinations will be
published with sufficient time before the date set for the examination.

8.3 Students will defend their MD in person and in public, before the examination panel
designated by the academic commission and set out in the subject’s teaching guide.

8.4 The master’s academic commission will appoint as many examination panels as may be
necessary. Each will have a minimum of three members, from whom will be appointed a
chair and a secretary. At least one of the members of the examination panel must be a
member of the UAH’s teaching staff.

8.5 In exceptional circumstances, at the duly motivated written request of a student subject
and provided that technical, administrative and economic conditions are no hindrance, the
examination may be conducted from a distance either on-line or by any other means which
guarantees the MD’s public examination.

8.6 Students must explain the goal, method, contents and conclusions of the MD during the
time specified in the examination notification and respond to the subsequent questions,
comments and suggestions made by the members of the examination panel during the time
specified in said notification.
Article 9. EVALUATION AND MARKING.

9.1 The mark obtained will only be recorded in the exam report when there is proof that the
student has completed the remainder of the degree’s credit load.

9.2 The evaluation criteria will be those set out in the relevant teaching guide and will attend
to these and other aspects:

- Originality

- Definition of the object of study.

- Clear delimitation of the dissertation’s goals.

- Familiarity with and proper use of relevant literature.

- Methods appropriate to the problem treated.

- Argumentation used to obtain the results and conclusions.

- Contribution to field of knowledge.

- Language and style.

- Presentation and defence before the examination panel.

9.3 The examination panel will ponder the mark to be awarded in view of the supervisor’s
assessment of the dissertation together with other aspects of its public examination and in
the proportion determined by the academic commission.

9.4 The mark will be awarded on a numerical scale from 0 to 10, including decimals, and will be
accompanied by the corresponding qualitative grade:

• 0 – 4.9: Fail.

• 5.0 – 6.9: Pass.

• 7.0 – 8.9: Good.

• 9.0 – 10: Excellent.

9.5 The mark proposed by the examination panel will be formalised in an individual
report signed by all its members unless the academic commission has another
system in place for report signing.

9.6 In its individual report, the examination panel may advance a justified unanimous
proposal for an MD with a mark of 9 or above to be awarded the distinction
“Matrícula de Honor” (“Merit”).

9.7 The master’s academic commission will meet in the first 15 calendar days of
October each academic year to decide the award of “Merit” distinctions, bearing
in mind the examination panel’s proposals and, where necessary, students’ all-
round academic records and, to modify the relevant reports as appropriate. These
distinctions cannot amount to more than five per cent of students matriculated
in the relevant MD subject area, unless the number of students matriculated is
below 20, in which case a single “Merit” may be awarded.

9.8 If the final mark is a fail, the examination panel will make whichever
recommendations it deems opportune, either face-to-face or in writing, to the
student and the supervisor with a view to improving the MD before its
examination in the next examination session.

Article 10. REVIIEW OF MARKS.

10.1 The final marks for MDs will be reviewed in accordance with the UAH’s Learning
Evaluation Processes Regulations, as approved by Governing Body on 24 March
2011.

Article 11. ACCESS TO MASTER’S DISSERTATIONS

11.1 Once an MD has been examined, the director of the master’s will send an
electronic copy to the library for deposit in the e-BUAH institutional open archive,
thereby giving the MD international visibility and accessibility.

This deposit is voluntary and requires the written permission of the MD’s author
and supervisor in the authorisation form attached to the copy. Both the MD’s
 author and its supervisor may impose a moratorium of no more than two years
before its open publication.

11.2 MDs for whose deposit in the e-BUAH institutional open archive permission has
been refused will be deposited in the library for consultation.

11.3 The supervisor must preserve a paper or electronic copy of supervised MDs for
a period of four years, in so far as they are documents giving rise to a mark.

Additional provision

All gender-neutral denominations used in these regulations to designate single-

member organs, officers and members of the university community will be
understood and used in masculine or feminine gender in accordance with the sex of
the office-holder or the persons referred to.

Final provision.

Once approved by Governing Body, these regulations will take effect on the day
following their publication in the UAH’s Official Bulletin.

Dates and presentations

1. Presentation March Deliveries February 24th presentations March 1 to 15

2. Presentations June Deliveries June 3th presentations June 15 to 30

3. Presentations September Deliveries September 14th presentations September 24 to

30

All TFM will be in office IDOE before 12:30 a.m.

You need to deliver 4 copies in paper and 1 copy in CD, Pendrive, CD and Pendrive will
be for archive IDOE1

1 Due to pandemic, deliveries could be by mail this year, ask before