Courses / Department of Informatics Engineering

Doctoral Program in Information Science and Technology

General Objectives of the Course

This doctoral program aims to confer students, both national and international, advanced scientific training in the field of Information Science and Technology and the corresponding research methods, in order to prepare them to conduct scientific research of the highest quality autonomously in multiple contexts. Recognizing that the multiplicity of interdisciplinary spaces in which the area plays a major role provides many opportunities to carry out research projects of high scientific potential and high impact, the program's goal is to explore these
aspects and to help students enter the corresponding international research networks.

Admission Requirements

1—Admission is open to the following candidates:
a) Portuguese bachelor graduates with a final grade of at least 16 (out of 20) whose degree was obtained in the scope of the legislation previous to Law 49/2005 of 30 August, as well foreign applicants with equivalent qualifications.
b) Holders of a Master's degree or equivalent qualification that demonstrably possess an Information Science and Technology academic background.
2—The adequacy of the academic background of such applicants will be assessed by the scientific commission of Informatics Engineering.
3—Exceptionally, the Scientific Council of FCTUC may, upon proposal of the scientific commission of Informatics Engineering, accept the application of candidates holding a scientific, academic or professional curriculum that attests their ability to complete this cycle of studies.

Candidates should check the admission requirements available on this site, in addition to the information provided here.

Professional Goals

Industry and services (research, technological development and innovation); institutions of higher education (academic staff at universities and polytechnic institutes); State Laboratories and Associated Laboratories (research and development).

Mode of Study

Face-to-face

Teaching / Evaluation language(s)

English and Portuguese

Examination Regulations, Assessment and Grading

As assessment is a pedagogical activity inseparable from the teaching process, its aim is to establish the students' competencies and knowledge, their critical sense, ability to recognize and resolve problems, as well as their written and oral presentation skills. Students may only register for exams for classes they are currently registered for under the terms of number 6 of article 4 of the University of Coimbra Pedagogical Policy. The following are examples of assessment items: Oral or written exams, written or practical work, individual and group projects that may require an oral defense, as well as class participation. Assessment for each class may include one or more of the above mentioned items. Grading is based on a scale of 0 to 20 and a grade of 10 is required to pass. Whenever assessment includes more than one item, the final grade is calculated by taking into account the relative weight of each item according to a formula published in the course outline under the terms of number 2 of article 7 of the UC Pedagogical Policy.

Learning Objectives and Intended Skills

Students are expected to acquire in-depth knowledge in Information Science and Technology and to develop abilities and skills that enable them to conduct scientific research autonomously. In addition to becoming acquainted with the scientific literature and to contributing to the advancement of the state of the art in the specific domain of their thesis, the successful student should also possess advanced knowledge in other Information Science and Technology domains, and namely in Informatics, which is the main scientific area of the study cycle. Having completed the Thesis, when faced with a research problem in that area, students should be able to:
- Formulate relevant research questions
- Identify, make use of, and/or develop, appropriate abstractions and methodologies, both theoretical and experimental, when approaching those questions in order to obtain original solutions to the problem under study
- Judge the merits and shortcomings of the solutions found, both in absolute terms and in comparison with alternative solutions
- Convey and discuss, orally and in writing, research results to their peers, but also to non-experts, in an international context.
In order to achieve these objectives, students must develop skills at three levels: instrumental, personal and systemic. In the instrumental area, besides acquiring knowledge in the domain of their studies and developing analysis and synthesis skills and written and oral communication skills, students must also be capable of organizing, planning and making decisions. In the personal area, students should be able to demonstrate critical thinking and the ability to interact with other specialists at an international level. Finally, autonomy in learning, creativity and a concern with quality together with self-criticism and self-evaluation abilities are fundamental systemic skills in research. The curricular structure of the program aims translate these objectives into the study cycle in two phases. The Doctoral Course emphasizes mostly the acquisition of knowledge and the development of instrumental and personal skills, while the preparation of the Thesis appeals also to the systemic skills mentioned above. The degree of fulfilment of these objectives is measured through the monitoring of the results of the students' work, including their success in the Doctoral Course and the scientific articles published throughout the Thesis, and by the results of the student surveys.

Course Coordinator(s)

Henrique Santos do Carmo Madeira
henrique@dei.uc.pt

Recognition of Prior Learning

The recognition of prior learning is carried out according according to the Credits for Previous Learning and Work Experience Policy of the University of Coimbra.

Qualification Requirements and Regulations

The legal framework for the qualification is established by the decrees: Decree-Law nr 74/2006, 24th March, in its current wording

Graduation Requirements

Successful completion of the Doctoral Course (60 ECTS); preparation and public defense of an original thesis (120 ECTS)

Access to Further Studies

N/A

Study Programme

Information Sciences and Technology

Academic year
2021-2022

Course Type
3rd Cycle Studies

DGES Code: 9534

Qualification Awarded: Doutor

Duration: 6 Semester(s)

ECTS Credits: 180.0

Annual Fee: 2750.0

Applications

Call for Applications

Calendar

1st Semester: Start date: 20-09-2021
End date: 18-12-2021
2nd Semester: Start date: 14-02-2022
End date: 21-05-2022

Accreditations

Agência de Avaliação e Acreditação do Ensino Superior: 2019-07-31 a 2025-07-30
Direcção Geral de Ensino Superior: Nº Registo: R/A-Ef 1521/2011/AL02; 2020-06-05