At the beginning of the third semester (i.e., ideally, as soon as the PhD student has successfully completed all the subjects of the taught part with grades that allow them to pass to the second phase), students should submit an application to the Academic Division, addressed to the President of the Scientific Council, copied to the Coordinator of the 3rd cycle, proposing the theme of their dissertation and choice of supervisor, indicating in which specialist area they intend to present a public examination and individual research programme timeframe, including the list of universities or institutes where it will be undertaken. According to the relevant regulations, PhD students should be accompanied by a supervisor from the third semester onwards.
The submission of this application should be preceded by contact with the supervisor, who the student has asked to oversee their research and who approves the choice of theme and individual research programme. Each PhD student is responsible for choosing their supervisor, although supervisors are free to accept or not. The student’s choice must be approved by the Scientific Council. The supervisor can be chosen from professors at the Faculty  or anyone else that the PhD student believes to be particularly suited to the task, provided they have a PhD.
This application should be made before the development and submission of the dissertation project, considering that this project should be overseen by the supervisor designated by the Scientific Council. In other words, only at  a second stage, after the project is written with the support of the supervisor and revised by them should it be submitted, without further formalities, to the Academic Division.
Finally, during this semester, PhD students must give a talk at the SPEED (permanent seminar on the state and study of law). This is also unconnected with the abovementioned application, although it would also be advisable that this takes place after a supervisor has been designated. This talk does not require an application, simply an enrolment at the SPEED (and the scheduling of the talk, which may take some time, considering the high level of demand).