The doctoral programme in law provides an education that, above all else, endows students with the skills and competences that will allow them to plan and carry out research and related tasks or to continue their education on their own throughout their lives. The different subjects that make up this doctoral programme were designed for students to learn the basic systems and inner workings of academic research applied to a specific area (research techniques and expression of information,  confirmation of knowledge and hypotheses, information and data searches, communication and knowledge transfer, and carrying out research and associated problem solving). Similarly, this programme strengthens students' critical capacities and their abilities to undertake research work in such a way that graduates will be able to adapt themselves to various situations and carry out the tasks that they are given in the most efficient way possible.

El programa de doctorat en Dret ofereix una formació que sobretot dota els titulats de competències i habilitats que els serveixin per planificar i executar estudis i tasques d’investigació o per continuar formant-se autònomament al llarg de la seva vida. Les diferents matèries que conformen el Doctorat han estat planificades perquè l'alumne aprengui els sistemes i el funcionament bàsic de la recerca acadèmica aplicada a un tema determinat (tècniques d'investigació i expressió de la informació, validació de coneixement i d'hipòtesis, recerques d'informació i dades, comunicació i transferència del coneixement, així com planificació, execució i resolució de problemes d'una investigació). Així mateix, aquesta titulació fomenta la capacitat crítica de l'alumnat i les seves competències en desenvolupar treballs de recerca, de tal manera que els titulats siguin capaços d'adaptar-se a diferents escenaris i dur a terme les seves tasques de la manera més eficient possible.

After finishing the PhD in Law programme, doctors shall mainly have access to an academic career split between research and lecturing at university. They may also undertake a research career at specialised research centres on R&D&i projects or projects with public or private funding. Finally, attaining their PhD may provide them with additional merits to win a specific place in public administrations or in the judiciary.

The top career opportunities include:

• Teaching and research staff places (PDI). The PDI are responsible for tutoring and training undergraduate and postgraduate students in a specific legal discipline (civil law, criminal law, administrative law, etc.), as well as PhD students by supervising doctoral theses. University lecturers also inform different sector professionals (usually in collaboration with professional associations and other institutions) about new legal issues via conferences, courses, seminars and other symposia where they can pass on their legal knowledge. Finally, but no less importantly, PDI staff undertake legal research that analyses and intends to provide answers to possible contradictions and problems arising from legislation and jurisprudence. This research tends to be published in monographs, journal articles or book chapters, and, albeit less frequently, in opinions requested by individuals or institutions that require a specific legal issue be analysed.
  In terms of accessing teaching and research posts, each university periodically announces different teaching posts. The UIB publishes vacancies on its website at <https://seu.uib.cat/informacio/Convocatories/PDI/PDI-contractat-i-interi>. After being awarded a PhD, the next step in Spain in generally a post as an assistant lecturer with a PhD. In order to attain a post as an assistant or contract lecturer, candidates should have a PhD and accreditation that enables them to apply for this professional category. There are two accreditation agencies in the Balearic Islands: AQUIB accredits lecturers in the Balearic Islands for posts at the UIB (http://www.aquib.org/cat/acreditacio-i-avaluacio-del-professorat/); the National Quality Assessment and Accreditation Agency (ANECA) offers accreditation to work as a lecturer across Spain.
• Additional merits to join public administrations and/or the judiciary. Obtaining a PhD is a merit with a positive weighting for certain legal professions, helping candidates move up the career ladder in public administrations or access the judiciary via the third and fourth category for places.
• Grants for postdoctoral training. There are many postdoc grants both in Spain and internationally that can help PhD holders continue to train with funding. The UIB has a webpage with updated information on available grants, including those regarding postdoctoral training. Please see the following link: https://estudis.uib.es/es/Beques-i-ajuts/.

The top postdoctoral grants include:

• Marie Sk?odowska-Curie Actions: https://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/. The grants include subsidies for young researchers to undertake research and supplement their postdoctoral training at a renowned European research centre or university (or even in other countries). The following page lists the open calls for these grants (MSCA-IF): https://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/actions/get-funding_en.
• Fulbright Scholarships for Spanish Citizens: https://fulbright.es/programas-y-becas/becas-para-espanoles/. These awards are targeted at research stays for young PhD holders. Specifically, they aim to boost and incentivise lecturer and researcher mobility to centres of excellence in the United States. Please see the following link: https://fulbright.es/programas-y-becas/convocatorias/estancias-de-corta-duracion-para-doctores-ministerio-de-ciencia-innovacion-y-universidades/2019-2020/1597/.
• Grants for Juan de la Cierva Contracts: As the ministry website itself states: 'Juan de la Cierva training grants aim to boost employment at Spanish research bodies or R&D centres for young PhD holders for a period of two years. The aim is for these candidates to complement their postdoctoral research training at R&D centres in Spain different from those where they undertook their pre-doctoral training.' Information available at: s https://www.ciencia.gob.es/portal/site/MICINN/menuitem.dbc68b34d11ccbd5d52ffeb801432ea0/?vgnextoid=909662ecfa1de610VgnVCM1000001d04140aRCRD&vgnextchannel=115222e988f75610VgnVCM1000001d04140aRCRD.
• Postdoctoral Contracts in the Balearic Islands. These grants are designed to incorporate research staff into the Balearic Islands science and technology system in research groups, and research and technology development centres or units located in the Balearic Islands. Updated information can be found on the UIB website: https://www.uib.es/es/recerca/ajuts/beques_mobilitat/postdoc_CAIB/.
• Margarita Salas Grants. These grants are aimed at young PhD holders who have obtained their doctorate within the previous two years from the closing date of the application submission deadline. Stays can last between two and three years. Candidates shall join a university or research centre different from the institution where they undertook their pre-doctoral training and obtained their PhD award. Where a stay takes place at centres overseas, the last year of the grant shall be spent at a Spanish university. The first call for applications has not yet been announced, although updated information can be found on the ministry website: https://www.ciencia.gob.es/portal/site/MICINN/menuitem.edc7f2029a2be27d7010721001432ea0/?vgnextoid=dc06de8677847710VgnVCM1000001d04140aRCRD&vgnextchannel=7cfa38c5ad6c4610VgnVCM1000001d04140aRCRD.
• Postdoctoral Contracts in Other Autonomous Regions. Practically all regions have a programme for ongoing post-PhD training.
• Summary of Grants Supported by the FECYT. The Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) website contains updated information on different European, Spanish and regional grants for PhD and postdoctoral training. Please see the following link: https://www.fecyt.es/es/publicacion/researcher-career-path-spain-glance-5th-edition.

Please see 'Useful information > Grants, awards and general aid' for information on available grants, and 'Management of doctoral students > Procedures > Mobility and exchange' for information on how to apply for a stay.

Stays undertaken on the PhD programme by doctoral students

Legislation requires that official Spanish degree programmes receive a positive assessment from the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA, by its Spanish acronym). This process is known as verification, and it serves to ensure that education programmes are properly designed to provide the competencies and reach the learning goals around which the programmes are built.

The European Higher Education Area requires that there be a system in place to ensure the quality of degree programmes.

The doctorate programme is subject to constant assessment and improvement processes that guarantee that it maintains a certain level of prestige and renown in Europe. You can see the results of the assessment processes in the results section.