Requirements and application

Application requirements

The regulations of the Doctorate in Engineering Sciences Program states the following requirements in order to apply to the program:

• Be in possession of the academic degree of Bachelor of Science in Engineering or related sciences and / or Magister granted by recognized universities in Chile or abroad. Notwithstanding this, and exceptionally, the Engineering Sciences Doctoral Committee may consider the admission of graduates in areas other than Engineering Sciences or related sciences, ensuring interdiscipline is promoted.
• Hold a Bachelor’s and/or Master’s degree granted by a Chilean university. Degrees granted by international institutions must be equivalent to those just mentioned.
• Be proficient enough to understand written English, which is fundamental for reading articles, books, and documents, as well as for accessing international databases. Those applicants that are not able to certify their proficiency in English according to the requirements of the program´s regulations (Reglamento de Doctorado de la UC) must take an evaluation exam at the University to measure their proficiency level and register in the appropriate courses to achieve the desired competences.
• This graduate program leans on the continuous work between the advisor and the student in a defined area of specialization, which necessarily requires a certain alignment of interests. Therefore, we highly recommend that interested applicants establish contact with a professor working in their research area prior to applying. In the following link, you may find a list of the professors at the UC School of Engineering grouped by academic areas – https://www.ing.uc.cl/academicos-e-investigacion/academicos-e-investigadores/

Evaluation procedure

The Graduate Studies Committee evaluates submitted applications based on:

• Academic records and transcripts
• Teaching and/or research work
• Letters of recommendation
• Research objectives proposed by the applicant
• Letter of Intent
• Contributions the applicant will offer to the country
• Compatibility between the proposed research line and those existing at the School of Engineering.

Once reviewed, applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria*:

* These criteria may change for future application periods.

Afterwards, members of the Academic Committee for the respective program will score the academic review and distinct aspects of the received application, as per the established management procedures within each program. A final recommendation to accept or reject an application will be made to the University Admissions Commission.

Application process

Applications to the graduate programs offered by the UC School of Engineering are accepted during two yearly application periods, with the application deadlines dependent on the starting semester for the graduate program:

• First semester start (March to July) – studies start in March of the current year and the application process is held between August and October of the prior year
• Second semester start (August to December – studies start in August of the current year and the application process is held between March and April of the prior year

The application period for admission for the second semester of 2024 will be from April 1st to May 29th until 4:00 p.m.).

For inquiries contact us by email at dip@ing.puc.cl

Applications should be completed and submitted through the online application system. Before beginning the application process, we strongly recommend that applicants first carefully read and understand the documents/forms that will need to be completed or submitted to finalize the application process.

Required documents

• Application form and summarized resume. This personal information is completed through the online application platform.
• Two letters of recommendation. Each letter of recommendation should be provided by a professional who, through their personal capacity and knowledge of the applicant, is able to objectively complete the points requested in the letter. It is important that the emails of each reference are available to fulfill this requirement.
• Economic Status Form, completed through the online application platform.
• Academic diploma/degree or its equivalent – original or notarized copy. It is understood as “equivalent” those undergraduate studies carried out in a foreign country, such us Bachelor or Diploma. All documents granted by institutions outside of Chile should be legalized at the corresponding country of origin. Legalization procedures will depend on if the respective country adheres to the Hague Apostille Convention.
• Documents issued by countries adhering to the Hague Apostille Convention. Document verification procedures are stipulated within the cited convention, and, as such, apostilled documents are accepted. More information available here. View members of the Apostille Convention here.
• Documents issued by countries NOT adhering to the Hague Apostille Convention. Documents must be legalized per procedures established by the Chilean Consulate in the country of origin. After legalization and translation, if required, documents must be authorized by the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affaires (Agustinas N° 1320, Santiago.)
• Academic transcript of all completed undergraduate courses. Academic transcript refers to the itemization of the grades – passed and failed – obtained throughout the academic plan, certified by the corresponding authority; and detailing the minimum passing requirements and the lowest/highest scores on the grading scale.
• Student ranking certificate (placement) which explicitly ranks the student´s GRADUATION placement among the total students in her/his generation. This certificate is issued by the corresponding authority at the university of the country of origin and should rank the student’s placement among graduates at the time of graduation. Likewise, the applicant should submit a certificate issued by the institution at the country of origin indicating that they do not provide graduation rankings (Certificado de No Ranking.) The graduation ranking or No Ranking should match the professional degree or equivalent, attached to the application.
• Curriculum Vitae, in any format.
• Health certificate. The applicant should attach a certificate issued by a medical doctor after a health evaluation, attesting to the general good health of the student, compatible with the undertaking of graduate studies. This certificate may be provided in any format.
• Payment receipt for initial application fees. Applications to doctoral programs are exempt from these fees, but applicants must still access the online payment system to obtain the documents required for the application process. To pay the application fees, please first review the instructional guide here and then access the payment system here.
• The documents generated after completing the registration and online payment are:
  • University admission request form.
  • Online payment receipt (only for applications to Master´s program, Doctorate is exempt).
  • Academic record (only for graduates from Universidad Católica)
• Photocopy of Chilean identification card (both sides). In the case of foreign students, we recommend to include a copy of the identification sheet on the Passport, since it is mandatory in Chile for applications to graduate studies scholarships funded by CONICYT (if this document is not available, you may send an image of your DNI, or identification document issued by your country of origin, on both sides.)
• Certificate of health insurance with medical coverage in Chile. All foreign and Chilean students enrolled in the university, either must be affiliated to public health or a private health network, or have hired health insurance. Chilean and foreign residents must present an affiliation certificate to Chilean public health system (FONASA) or a private network (ISAPRE), or other, if applicable. In the case of foreigners that are nonresidents in Chile, a certificate stating medical coverage in Chile should be included.