Information for new students

Information for new students

PDEC is the Doctoral Programme in Civil Engineering with the largest student number not only in Portugal but also internationally. At the present time, we have 129 students, 84% are international students, from four continents.

Civil Engineering at the University of Minho in the top two positions at national level of the 2022 Shanghai Ranking

Graduation, Master and Doctoral Studies in Civil Engineering at the University of Minho are amongst the best worldwide courses in the Academic Subject of Civil Engineering, according to several rankings:

Important information

Regardless of the funding scheme that supports the PhD student, it is important to take into consideration that the workplan should aim at the conclusion of the PhD programme within 3 years since the first registration, and only in exceptional conditions extending to a maximum of 4 years. Therefore, the Steering Committee of the PhD programme highly recommends that the work plan of the PhD student aligns well with the goals of the research projects in which he is involved, as well as with the FCT research plan, in case the PhD student applies for an FCT scholarship.

Applications to the Academic Year 2023/2024

1st phase: July 01 to September 07, 2023

2nd phase: October 02 to December 07, 2023

3rd phase: January 02 to March 07, 2024

4th phase: April 01 to June 06, 2024

Admission Requirements

Who is eligible for the PhD in Civil Engineering?
Selection Criteria

How to Apply and Register?

Students must check some informal procedures to guarantee their admission and maintenance in the Doctoral Programme:

1st Step

Check the Entry Requirements to apply for the Doctoral Programme in Civil Engineering.

2nd Step

Contact a supervisor from the scientific interest area and question him out about the feasibility of the proposed project.

3rd Step

Check if you have the economic capacity for the payment of the tuition fees. There are economic funding opportunities: students can apply for doctoral grants provided by the Science and Technology Foundation or research grants provided by supervisors. Before enrolling in the Doctoral Programme make sure that economic resources are guaranteed.

Application and Entry Requirements

In order to apply for the Doctoral Programme in Civil Engineering please go to the Academic Portal.

Required Documents
  • Identity Card/Passport + VAT Number (optional)
  • Degree Certificates with transcripts and/or final grade (mandatory)
  • Detailed Curriculum Vitae (mandatory)
  • Motivation letter (of approximately 500 words) with a proposed work plan to be developed in the PhD (mandatory)
  • Reference letter (optional)
  • English language proficiency certificate (optional)
  • Thesis Project Proposal (mandatory)
  • Supervisor acceptance Letter (mandatory)

After the admission, students must then proceed by filling in the necessary data in the Individual Work Plan template, under the supervisor’s guidance. The Individual Work Plan must be submitted to the Doctoral Programme Secretariat for later approval by the Steering Committee and by the Pedagogical Council of the School of Engineering of the University of Minho.

Registration

Students must do their registration online and upload the following documents:

  • Civil and tax identification document
  • Personal health booklet, with proof of valid anti-tetanus vaccine

Students will also have to pay a Registration Fee (126EUR).

Application, Registration and Tuition Fees
  • To ensure enrollment, students are entitled to pay for application and tuition fees, according to the Academic Regulation of the University of Minho.
  • Enrollment is arranged through the Post-Graduation Services of the University of Minho.
  • Students, whose candidacy to the Doctoral Program in Civil Engineering has been accepted by the Steering Committee, can do their registration.
  • Registration dates are opened in accordance with the instructions established by the University of Minho.
  • Registration can also be made on a part-time regime, in which case the student must register in a maximum of 35 ECTS, per academic year.
  • The amount and method of payment of fees are established annually by the Rector of the University of Minho.
  • In the 2020/2021 academic year, the value of the tuition fee of the Doctoral Programme in Civil Engineering will be 2.750 EUR for national students, 3.000 EUR for CPLP students and 3.250 EUR for international students, set in RT-35/2021.
  • According to the same order, the amount of the fee payable by students enrolled on a part-time basis, or by students who need to complete a maximum of 30 ECTS credits to conclude the curricular component, is determined as follows: 25% of tuition fee x [1 +3 x (no.# of ECTS to perform / 60 ECTS)]
  • If a student needs to renew his/her enrollment in the Doctoral Programme for the purpose of concluding his/her Thesis, the fee will be calculated on a proportional-basis according to the number of months until the delivery of the Thesis, which will jointly consider the corresponding number of academic quarters.
  • If the payment deadline is exceeded or in the event of a subsequent delay, legal interest will be charged. All administrative actions, including issuing certificates, will be suspended.

Possibility to apply for a scholarship

Through research centres associated to our Ph.D in Civil Engineering, namely ISISE and CTAC, the university awards scholarships and research scholarships to holders of bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate degrees to obtain scientific training in research projects. The scholarship is typically one year in length, renewable for up to three years, and cannot be awarded for periods spanning for less than three consecutive months. These research scholarships are awarded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), https://www.fct.pt/index.phtml.en, or other financing institutions. FCT is the Portuguese public agency that supports science, technology, and innovation, in all scientific domains, under the responsibility of the Ministry for Science, Technology, and Higher Education.

Call for PhD Research Studentships

There is also an annual FCT Call for Ph.D. Studentships aim to support researchers, in all areas of knowledge, who wish to develop research activities leading to a Ph.D. degree.

Ph.D. studentships are aimed at applicants enrolled in, or that comply with the requirements to enroll in Ph.D. studies, and who wish to carry out research activities towards this degree, in any scientific domain.

In this case, the Foundation makes some requirements so that the international student/researcher can apply, like Degree and Diploma Recognition. For students that have obtained their academic degrees in non-Portuguese high educational institutions, the major part of the research projects supporting research grants, as well as to be in the competition for an FCT grant, the candidates must have their academic degrees recognized by a Portuguese high educational institution.

FCT Regulation for Research Studentships and Fellowships

How should you proceed?

For academic degrees issued by an anon-Portuguese higher education institution, in order to apply the scores established in Table 1 of the Evaluation Guide to calculating the classification of sub-criterion A1 (academic career), you must submit the recognition of your degree and the conversion of the final grade to the Portuguese grading scale, or alternatively, the equivalence to Portuguese qualifications.

To obtain the recognition of foreign academic degrees and diplomas, as well as the conversion of the respective final grade to the Portuguese grading scale, you should contact a Portuguese public higher education establishment, or the Directorate General for Higher Education (Direção Geral do Ensino Superior, DGES). The DGES website has more information on how to proceed: http://www.dges.gov.pt/en.   

Partial funding for the degree recognition application

In view of the financial difficulty of many candidates to cover the costs of the process, the Steering Committee of the Doctoral Programme in Civil Engineering (PDEC) has decided to support these researchers effectively with the partial payment of their degree recognition.

Important links regarding scholarship legislation and regulations:

https://www.fct.pt/index.phtml.en

https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/regulamento.phtml.en

https://www.fct.pt/faq/pr.phtml.en?idFaq=5EAB95FB-21DD-4C0B-BDF3-A1315244302D

Life on Campus

Play Video

Living in Guimarães

Guimarães is a Portuguese city located in the district of Braga, in the northern and sub-region of Ave (one of the most industrialised sub-regions in the country). It has a population of 52 182 inhabitants, spread through an urban area of 23,5 km², in 20 parishes. It has a population density of 223,9 inhabitants per km².  It is the centre of a municipality with 242,85 km² and 162 572 inhabitants (according to 2006 statistics), sub-divided into 69 parishes. Most of the population reside in the city and its suburbs. The municipality is bordered, in the north, by Póvoa de Lanhoso; in the east, by Fafe; in the south by Felgueiras, Vizela and Santo Tirso; in the west by Vila Nova de Famalicão and in the north-west by Braga.

On December 13, 2001, the World Heritage Committee, at its 25th session, inscribed the Historic Center of Guimarães on the UNESCO World Heritage List. To this end, the connection of Guimarães to the foundation of Portuguese nationality was taken into account, the construction techniques developed there in the Middle Ages that were transmitted across borders and also the fact that Guimarães illustrates the evolution of various types of construction, namely from the 15th to the 19th centuries.

The quality of life of the population of Guimarães, together with the preservation of the heritage legacy, are constant concerns of the Municipality. The requalification also contributed to the Historical Center of Guimarães becoming a pleasant place, very frequented by students, tourists, but also by people from Guimarães. Here, there are permanent recreational and cultural activities that make the Historic Center even more attractive.

FAQ's

Through its schools and research centers, the university awards scientific initiation scholarships and research scholarships to holders of bachelors, masters, or doctorate degrees to obtain scientific training in research projects. The scholarship is typically one year in length, renewable for up to three years, and cannot be awarded for periods spanning for less than three consecutive months.

These research scholarships are awarded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT). FCT is the Portuguese public agency that supports science, technology and innovation, in all scientific domains, under responsibility of the Ministry for Science, Technology, and Higher Education. In this case, the Foundation makes some requirements so that the international student/researcher can apply, like Degree and Diploma Recognition.

  1. You should contact a Portuguese higher education institution that provides courses in the same or similar field of study;
  2. The request must be made on the appropriate form, available on the website (https://www.dges.gov.pt)
  3. You should pay equivalence/recognition fees published annually by the higher education institutions in Diário da República