Referencing the data from the TESEO database, the number of doctoral theses per university and year has been counted. The result is a statistical table showing 73 Spanish universities and their output from 1977 to 2014. These statistical data may be useful for comparing scientific production in terms of doctoral theses among different universities and analyzing their evolution. The data can be downloaded in the following file.

Given the vast amount of information and potential studies that can be derived, the sample selected consists of doctoral thesis data from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. The graph in Figure 1 clearly indicates that the most productive years are 1987, 1990, 1993, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2010, and 2014. The peak values occur in periods ranging between 3 and 4 years, which corresponds to the average time required to complete doctoral theses. Significant declines in production are also observed in the years 1984, 1992, and 2013, with registered outputs ranging between 165 and 410 works.

Fig.1. Doctoral Theses at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (1977-2014)

Fig.1. Doctoral Theses at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (1977–2014)

If all doctoral theses from each university are summed, we obtain the ranking of universities with the highest number of doctoral theses; see Figure 2. The Universidad Complutense de Madrid leads the list with 22,373 doctoral theses, closely followed by the University of Barcelona with 20,550 investigations.

Fig.2. Universities with the Most Doctoral Theses

Fig.2. Universities with the Most Doctoral Theses

The subsequent universities on the list achieve barely half the output of the top two. This is due in part to the founding dates of the universities and partly to demographic and socio-economic factors in the regions where they are located. The data file reveals that in 1977, only 24 universities had doctoral theses registered in TESEO; see Figure 3.

Fig.3. Data Archive of Doctoral Thesis Production by University and Year

Fig.3. Data Archive of Doctoral Thesis Production by University and Year

To facilitate access to all data, the following dynamic graph has been developed, allowing comparison of doctoral thesis production across Spanish universities.

TESEO Article Listing