In November 1995, in Madrid, during the first Encounter of Social History and Sciences sponsored by COLCIENCIAS, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas de España (Highest Council of Scientific Research of Spain), and   Ministerio de Educación y Cultura de España (Education and Culture Ministry of Spain), the idea to create a Doctorate Program  was presented. Seven of the above mentioned universities assumed the Doctorate proposal and research through a signed Agreement on June 4 th, 19961. In the same year, a second Agreement2 was signed in which the administrative and academic organization was defined. In this way, a human and financial arrangement was agreed as a mechanism to comply the Superior Education Committee's demands, CESU. This process was led by Universidad Pedagógica Y Tecnológica de Colombia, under Dr. Carlos Sandoval's Presidency and Dr. Diana Soto Arango's Academic Coordination. In 2000, this university obtained its Acreditación Previa (Previous Accreditation), and also became the first Departamental Office of the Doctorate.   
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1 The first multilateral Agreement was signed on June 4th 1996 by the following University Presidents: Dr. Manuel Agustín Sierra (University de Cartagena),  Dr. Carlos Collazos Muñoz (University de Cauca), Dr. Guido Echeverry Piedrahita (University de Caldas), Dr. Luis Alfonso Ramírez (University Distrital "Francisco José de Caldas), Dr. Pedro Vicente Obando (University de Nariño); Dr. Edgard Machado (Universidad del Tolima), Dr. Alberto Ossa Ossa (Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira), and Dr. Carlos Sandoval Fonseca (Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia). The proposal of a Doctorate in Education Sciences and Research was presented by Dr. Diana Soto Arango. It was welcomed and revised by Professors Luis Eduardo Weisner and Javier Guerrero of Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia; Professor Jorge Quintero, of Universidad del Cauca; Dr. Albeiro Valencia, of Universidad de Caldas; Dr. Diana Lago and Dr. Alfonso Múnera, of Universidad de Cartagena; Dr. Gerardo Guerrero, of Universidad de Nariño; Dr. Pablo Prado, of Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira; Professor Néstor Cardoza, of Universidad del Tolima.

2 The second Agreement was signed on December 17th, 1996 by the Presidents of the same Universities who had signed the first Agreement.
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The Presidency of RUDECOLOMBIA has been in charge of: Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, lead by Dr. Carlos Sandoval until January, 2000; lead by Dr. Osmar Correal until May 2000 and lead by Dr. Olmedo vargas until February, 2001. Then Dr. Danilo Vivas of Universidad del Cauca was in charge of this position until February, 2005. After that, Dr. Carlos Salamanca Roa of Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia became President of it until July 30th, 2005. During his administration, the Education Sciences Doctorate was reorganized officially and its auto-evaluation process then started. For the time being, Dr. Enrique Arango, of Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, has the Presidency of Rudecolombia and its auto-evaluation process continues. It is worthwhile to mention that Dr. Arango began the opening of new research lines generating new lines of doctoral formation.

The National Ministry of Education granted the Doctorate Program approval through Resolution 2333 issued on July 3 rd, 1998, and also gave it the ICFES Code 73103. On June 12th, 2000, the Doctorate Program obtained its Previous Accreditation granted by Resolution 1591 of the Ministry of Education. In 2005, seven universities of the Red Founders obtained the Registro calificado (Qualified Register): Caldas: 111273700001700111100; Cartagena: 120573700001300111100; Cauca: 111073700001900111100; Nariño: 120673700005200111100; Tolima: 120773700007300111100; Tecnológca de Pereira: 111173700006600111100; Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia: 110673700001500111100. For the time being, the Doctorate Program has undertaken its auto-evaluation process in hopes of getting its Acreditación de Alta Calidad Académica (Academic High-Quality Accreditation).  

The Committee of University Presidents, highest organism of RUDECOLOMBIA, has approved the following Program Regulations: General, which was issued on November 28, 1998, and modified twice on October 16 th, 2000 and on August 5th, 2003. A new General Regulation was approved on July 16th, 2005, which is presently being applied for students. On April 8th, 2006, both the Centro de Excelencia "Vendimia" ( Excellence Center "Vendimia") and the Post-Doctorate was approved as well.  

Among the universities participating in RUDECOLOMBIA, the following Agreements have been signed: 1) June 4 th, 1996; 2) December 17th, 1996; 3) July 4th, 1997; 4) September 23rd, 1998; 5) October 28th, 1998; 6) March 3rd, 2000.  

Through the Doctorate in Education Sciences, RUDECOLOMBIA is mainly featured by:

1)     Interinstitutional character of the ten universities mentioned before, located strategically throughout the nation. It is supported by signed Agreements, General and Specific Regulations, and an interinstitutional Academic and Financial Structure. The program is collectively coordinated by both the Presidents' Council and the Curricular Committee. As for its structure, it is administered by a president, who is a President of one university of the net, a national academic Director and a Coordinator in each CADE of the net.

2)     International relationship. The Doctorate Program has been strengthened with signed Agreements, which have facilitated both students and teachers interchange and practices as well;   its  internationalization evidenced through international tutoring, an expert on a specific topic who accompanies each student since the beginning of his/her second year; students' practices abroad; enrolment to international reds; participation in international congresses and symposiums coordinated by RUDECOLOMBIA; opportunities to publish in indexed magazines and in internationally accredited collections; opportunities to attend courses taught by both national or international Professors; active participation of three international jurors in the doctoral thesis defence. The program participates and leads international reds.   

3)     Flexibility and curricular interdisciplinarity. Students may take courses in any site where the program is offered nationally or in universities overseas under a signed agreement. Students carry out academic practices nationwide. The studies plan of the Doctorate in Education Sciences comes to be offered to people after their Master's  Degree and is supported by three components of 80 credits, which are discriminated as follows: a) basic nucleus of pedagogic knowledge (15%); b) fundamental disciplinary area (20%); c) research development and production, tutorials, research groups, thesis seminar (65%). For the time being, three areas are particularly developed: History of Latin American Education; Pedagogy, Curriculum and Didactics; and Educational Thought and communication.

4)     Accompaniment: since their enrolment, the students are assigned a Professor of RUDECOLOMBIA, who becomes a national tutor. At the beginning of their second academic year, the students are assigned their thesis Director as well as their international tutor.

5)     Research and interdisciplinarity strengthened with research groups at A and B category, acknowledged by COLCIENCIAS. These groups have their own dynamics in events and publications, which nourishes the Doctorate's academic activity, with the help of an interdisciplinary model that is applied to the research area and to its curricular structure. This has resulted in new formative research competences and new proposals development, such as the Excellence Center "Vendimia" as well as the Post-doctorate project.

It may be deduced from the contribution that it has given to the country:

1.       Setting up a red of doctors, appointed since 1997, with research on the areas of Education History, Pedagogy, Curriculum and Didactics, Pedagogic Thought and Communication, all related with national institutions.

2.       Organization of Research groups in the doctorate lines, among others: "History of Latin American University" HISULA, "Illustration in Colonial America" HILAC, in the area of Education History. These groups were classified by COLCIENCIAS in A-category and have international presence in events and publications. Similarly, Pedagogy, Curriculum and Didactics areas, Educational Thought and communication register research groups inscribed in COLCIENCIAS, with international activities.

3.       Publications, which are classified in: 8 collections, 3 magazines and 2 bulletins. These publications have had international impact for their academic quality and edition. International editorials are in charge of their distribution, and the Magazine "Historia de la Educación Latinoamericana" (Latin American Education History) is printed in both Spanish and English and can be read at RUDECOLOMBIA website as well.

4.       Change of mind as for the academic level and research dedication in each of the institutions participating in the Doctorate. This change has permitted to reflect upon the importance of a third formation cycle and on giving its regulation duly supported before the Academic Councils of the participating universities. The program has evolved as to its curriculum and it is placed within the "thought globalization" policies.

5.       Institutional Academic Development: linking the Doctorate's research groups and projects to the undergraduate and graduate programs in each university of RUDECOLOMBIA has resulted in new academic programs led to Master's Degree, accreditation of the already existent programs related to the Doctorate Program, organization of the Excellence Center "VENDIMIA", and the post-doctorate program that develops the research categories of "Vendimia".

6.       Educational Regional Development through the Doctorate in Education Sciences, crystallized in research development as well as consulting to educational institutions, such as Escuelas Normales (Teaching-Training Schools).

7.       Model of academic and administrative organization of work in net, which is supported by a development plan and academic route until 2019. Presently, it is the only one Doctorate Program in Colombia that may show a successful net-work model in Colombia, which becomes a model in Latin America.

8.       Twenty two graduates who are leading national and international research, leading Doctorate academic programs, advising the Ministry of Education, and pioneering new research lines in the country.   

In short, organized as an academic supportive strategy for the Colombian university to develop their institutional accreditation government policies, RUDECOLOMBIA has marked a course for academic-administrative organization in Colombia and Latin America. It is worthy to consider that it has also built a cooperation academic culture lead by the Presidents of RUDECOLOMBIA and its teaching team. Dialogue, Respect to the cultural diversity of each institution, solid financial relation, a curricular model and the creation of an academic community that has been strengthened with the research groups interrelated with the international peers are certainly outstanding and meaningful features within the cooperation model.    All what has been mentioned above was done headed in the right direction to create nation from the university and the Colombian region.