Changes in the PhD Education Policy in Spain: Looking at Their Objectives and Structure

Abstract

PhD education in Spain has changed; the current conception of PhD is different from its initial concept. The PhD education policy in Spain has experienced changes in its structure and conception. Since its membership into the European Community institutional policies at supra-national and national level have shaped and conditioned such changes. Therefore, how have the PhD education policies changed a long time in Spain? In order to explore such changes, the institutional policy approach is introduced to further contextualize the changes in the PhD education policy in Spain. Several legal documents at supra-national level are reviewed to frame the changes of the PhD education policy at national level. In this sense, three main Royal Decrees 185/1985, 778/1998/ and 99/2011 are reviewed to follow the evolution of the PhD education in Spain although other legal documents are used to contextualized. This study shows that PhD education in Spain has experienced rapid changes in their objectives as well as in their structure. Moreover, supra-national agreements practically have guided the objectives and the new structure of the PhD education in Spain.