The Doctoral Network in Space Sciences, is supported by the two 3rd level degrees offered at the participating universities. It is structured with the ambition of providing research competences in one of the most vibrant areas of science. It includes:
- a Doctoral Course (30 ECTS)
- a Research Component leading to the Thesis (150 ECTS)
The program offers the students the opportunity to choose from a large diversity of research topics. PhD research projects under formal agreements for double degrees or co-tutelage are also possible.
Each components of the training program is organized as follows:
- Doctoral Course: It includes a selection of course units, corresponding to a total of 30 ECTS (part of these can also be obtained through international schools or courses of other doctoral programs in Portugal or Europe). Some examples of the course units are: Advanced Topics on Stars and Planets, Advanced Topics on Galaxies and Cosmology, Topics on Methods and Modeling for Astronomy, Topics on Observations and Instrumentation for Astronomy, Research Seminar or on Development of Research Skills.
- Research Component: The student will be involved in supervised full-time research. This component includes: (1) the definition of a Project for a Thesis in Astronomy (preparation of the proposed plan of research). This task takes place in the first year and includes a public presentation by the student before the end of the first academic year (written report and oral presentation); (2) each student is expected to accomplish a significative amount of original work and new results in terms of internationally competitive research, corresponding to a list of achievements, classified as Supervised Practice in Research and Teaching of Astronomy: (3) a Thesis in Astronomy, ending with the submission and approval of an original thesis, to be evaluated by an international jury.
Every student must submit a yearly report (written and oral presentation with public discussion) on the work progress. This report must be submitted 30 days before the end of the corresponding academic year.