Course

Keeping in line with the current regulations for doctorate studies, the doctorate program in social and cultural anthropology at the University of Barcelona is divided into two distinct phases. First, students must complete, within two academic years, the required coursework and projects which, upon completion, confer upon them the Advanced Studies Diploma (D.E.A.) in Social and Cultural Anthropology and official recognition as a researcher. The second part is an individual project which terminates in the doctoral thesis.

First year

In the first year of the program, the students must take courses and are required to complete a minimum of 20 credits, which can be chosen from any of the subjects offered in the doctorate program. Keeping in mind that each course is 3 credits, students must take at least 7 subjects (courses or seminars).

Language requirements: the classes will be taught either in Catalan, Spanish or English depending on the language preferred by the professor; however, the students may express themselves and prepare assignments in any of these three languages, regardless of the language used in class. As such, all students need to possess a high enough level of oral and written comprehension in these languages in order to be able to follow the classes and prepare assignments in one of the three. It is also useful if students can read texts in French.

The University of Barcelona offers free introductory classes to all students who have difficulty understanding spoken Catalan (please see the homepage of the UB’s Catalan Language Service). The School of Modern Languages at the UB also offers English courses for University of Barcelona students.

Upon completion of the first twenty course credits, students may obtain a certificate (Recognizable Certificate of Coursework), which is valid universally and quantitatively and certifies that the student has completed the coursework for a third-cycle university program. This certificate is recognizable in all Spanish universities and permits mobility between them.

Enrollment in the first year of the course costs approximately 1,250 euros.

Second year

Students must have completed a minimum of 20 credits of coursework in order to enroll in the second year.

In the second year, students must register for 12 credits, which correspond to the research project to be completed. This project requires students to collect original, first-hand data using standard anthropological research methods, analyze this data, and prepare a paper presenting the results of the research. The topic must be chosen from among the general lines of research of the department and must conform to the rules established in the attached instructions.

Research credits previously obtained in other doctorate or master’s programs will not be recognized.

Students must publicly defend their research project and findings before an evaluations commission made up of three professors who will mark the paper. Completion of this step confers the 12 credits that make up the second year of the doctorate program.

Here you can view the titles and summaries of the second-year research projects presented by past students of the doctorate program.

The registration fees for the second year are approximately 1,100 euros.

Advanced Studies Diploma (D.E.A.)

Students who successfully complete the second year receive the Advanced Studies Diploma, which is recognized by all Spanish universities and was created in order to allow students who do not want to continue on with the thesis an avenue for voluntarily leaving the program.

Possession of the Advanced Studies Diploma implies the successful completion of the first two years of the program (with a minimum of 32 credits) and a positive assessment by the evaluations committee. A positive assessment also entails official researcher recognition, which can be attested in certificate of advance studies in the field of social anthropology.

In 2004, the fees for the D.E.A. exam were 106 euros and 57 euros for the D.E.A. certificate.

Doctoral thesis

After earning the D.E.A., students who wish to do so may continue on with the second phase of the doctorate program that leads to the presentation of a doctoral thesis and ultimately confers the title of Doctor in Social and Cultural Anthropology.

To this effect, students who would like to continue must ask one of the professors in the department to direct their thesis (or if the thesis director works in another department, then a tutor from this one must be selected), and they must present a research proposal endorsed by their thesis director or—in that case—tutor.

The doctoral thesis must represent an original research project with a subject related to the scientific field of the department.
Time restrictions for registration and presentation of the doctoral thesis have been lifted. Students may register immediately after completing the D.E.A. or they may also wait for a time. However, once students register to do the thesis, they must pay a fee to maintain a relationship with the university (81 euros/year in 2004).

More information regarding the doctoral thesis and formal procedures can be found on the doctorate pages of the UB website and on the homepage of the Faculty of Geography and History.