Área Académica de Doctorado en Ingeniería
Escuela de Ciencia e Ingeniería de los Materiales
Escuela de Física
Escuela de Ingeniería Agrícola
Escuela de Ingeniería en Computación
Escuela de Diseño Industrial
Escuela de Ingeniería Electrónica
Escuela de Ingeniería en Producción Industrial
Escuela de Matemática

TEC-UCR interuniversity program

The graduate coordination program of the Tecnológico de Costa Rica (TEC) and the Engineering Faculty of the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR) start a new Doctoral Program in Engineering.  This program has the objective to educate and train graduate students for leadership in the field of engineering.  The doctoral program responses the ever increasing student demand for technologically advanced and relevant programs in our country and the region. The TEC and UCR  goals are to educate people, develop new knowledge and technologies, and to provide one outreach program that result in engineered systems to increase productivity and profitability to improve the development of national and international productive sector as well in the society in general.

Research Focus

The research is the main focus of the program. The research component helps students place an early focus on his or her research. Research is used as a mean to improve advancing knowledge, proficiency, and technological applications to solve real problems in engineering areas.  

The submission of a high-quality research deliverable, as evidenced by a portfolio consisting of at least an exam committee-reviewed and publishable article, and possibly other work products as approved by the exam committee.  In order to validate the results, the final student´s research product will be also evaluated for national and international scientific community as well for the productive sector.

Objetivos

The strategic objectives of the program are:

  1.  Develop effective industry-university relationship from the perspective of an efficient solution of the real problems of industry and contributed knowledge and generated by the university, through its human and technological capital.
  2. Encourage high-level research applied to lead to innovative processes or products that respond to national and / or international needs.
  3. Deepen the training of doctoral students in the social, cultural and ethical fields, relating the knowledge learned during their scientific formation with their commitment to society.
  4. Considering the lines of the strategic objectives, specific objectives that give sustenance to the above objectives arise.

Within the specific objectives of the doctoral program, the following are listed:

  1. Form academic researchers in the fields of engineering that during their doctoral studies, they collaborate with the research activities of universities, and that upon graduation they can integrate with leadership roles in the academic activities of universities.
  2. Provide an option for postgraduate studies high level to the graduates in different master's programs in engineering in the region.
  3. Form a critical mass of researchers in different branches of engineering for the locally installed productive sector incurs in knowledge-based economic activities, as well as promoting new technology-based companies, so that the country's capabilities in high value-added activities are strengthened.
  4. Manage resources for research into participating universities and promote the creation of strategic alliances with the productive sector and the international academy so that these consolidate their position as highly active universities in engineering research.
  5. Strengthen baccalaureate programs, bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering, both from Costa Rica and from the region, through the training of teachers and high level researchers.
  6. Strengthen the lines of research of research centers and academic units of the ITCR and the UCR in the branches of engineering.
  7. Assist with the positioning of the country as a provider of services of high-level research in the fields of engineering.
  8. Strengthen the social and ethical commitment of the doctoral student with the country and the world.

Perfil profesional

Researchers’ profile

Graduates of the interuniversity PhD program in engineering are autonomous researchers, specialists in engineering, who can generate new knowledge to solve problems of society, in general, and of the productive sector, in particular. They are ethically and professionally committed to their work.

Graduates will be qualified to work in the following positions:

  • Management.
  • Consolidated researcher.
  • Director of research and development.
  • University professor.

Graduates can carry out the following activities:

  • Planning and carrying out research.
  • Troubleshooting in the productive and academic sectors.
  • Leading successful work teams.
  • Acting as agents of change who can contribute to improve the quality of life in their societies.

Requisitos

The requirements of the doctoral program are:

  1. Bachelor degree or licentiate in engineering field or related areas as Mathematics of Physics.
  2. Academics Master degree in an Engineering field or related area. Students who hold a Professional Master must prove experience in research providing publications, paper and others.  
  3. Copy of the certificate of master degree program. Certificates issued in a foreign country must have the official country recognition up to Costa Rican consular approval process.
  4. It is advisable to have research experience to help in the development of the doctoral project.
  5. The students must have at least twenty hours per week available for doctoral studies and research.
  6. Financial evidence if you are using personal or outside funding or loans to pay for tuition and or others study expenses.
  7. The program official language is the Spanish. Applicants with different native language must prove proficiency. Language certificate must be issued from a recognized entity.
  8. An acceptance letter from the advisor professor.  The advisor must be a researcher from TEC or UCR and working in related topics of the applicant project.
  9. Resume of the advisor professor.
  10. Research Proposal: The document must include Definition and problem statements. Describe in this part the scientific and technological products which the project wants to achieve.
    1. Objectives
    2. Theoretical framework  (State of Art)
    3. Methodology
    4. Planning Activities for the whole program.
    5. Bibliography
    6. Advisor Acceptance letter
  11. Certificate of English Proficiency (B1 in the four abilities according to the Common European Framework. The certificate must come from a recognized institution.
  12. Two recommendation letters from professors who witness the applicant ´s abilities to pursue a doctoral degree.
  13. The advisor could request a specific examination related to the research topic. Based on that result he could sue for other leveling courses. The leveling courses do not exceed the 30% of an academic master program.  These courses could be taken in other universities before the approval of the ADDI.
  14. Other requirements could be demand for the Universities (TEC or UCR).

Invesment

The program consists of 60 credits. The cost of an internship is an important part of the total cost of the program, and it is the responsibility of the doctoral group (headed by the director of the doctoral project) to find the location for the internship and the financial means to cover its cost.

  • Cost per credit: US $113.64; plus ₡22.735 enrollment fee, each semester.
  • Approximate value of the entire program: $6,000; plus tuition fees.

Admisión

The persons with interest to apply to this program in TEC must submit the documents to the Dirección de Posgrado Office at the central campus of the Tecnológico de Costa Rica. The submitted documents that are copies will be revised with the original documents. Additionally to the requisites requested above, please add the following documents:

  2. Two passport photographs
  3. Copy of personal ID, passport or DIMEX
  4. Copy of academic transcript of the master studies
  5. Copy of research proposal submitted at VIE, CONARE, and other founding institutions
  6. Sworn statement sign by the applicant in which he/she commits itself to work in the program at least 20 hours a week.

Study plan

Semester 1 (C10H28) Semester 2 (C10H40) Semester 3 (C10H40) Semester 4 (C10H36) Semester 5 (C10H40) Semester 6 (C10H40)
Doctoral Reseatch I (DR-1101) (C4H16) Doctoral Research II (DR-1102) (C10H40) Doctoral Research III (DR-2101) (C5H20) Doctoral Research IV (DR-2102) (C8H32) Doctoral Research V (DR-3101) (C10H40) Doctoral Examination (DR-3201) (C10H40)
Research in Engineering (DR-1001) (C3H6)   Intership (DR-2201) (C5H20) Engineering Research (DR-2301) (C2H4)    
Development of Research Projects (DR-1002) (C3H6)          

SCHOOLS RELATED TO THE PROGRAM