General information about the doctoral programme

 information updated on february 17, 2025 

 

The UB's doctoral programme in Law and Political Science is regulated by the provisions laid down in Royal Decree 99/2011, the UB Regulations on doctoral studies and the specific provisions approved by the programme’s Academic Committee.

The general access requirements are those applicable to doctoral studies at the UB as set out in the corresponding regulations. In addition, the Academic Committee has established the following SPECIFIC ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS: 

  1. Previous access qualification (between 0 and 3 points), based on the following criteria: 

  • From the following master’s degrees at the UB (3 points): Legal Practice and Representation; Political Analysis and Institutional Counsel; Citizenship and Human Rights; Applied Criminology; Business and Sport Management; Strategic Security Management; Specialized Legal Studies; Cultural Management; Advanced Public Management; Environmental Management and Restoration; Administrative Management; Internationalization; Conflict Mediation.

  • Other related master's degrees, awarded between 0 and 3 points depending on the relevance of the candidate’s studies and their alignment with the Program’s research lines.

  1. Academic record from an undergraduate degree (up to 4 points, based on the average grade). The average grade will be evaluated on a scale of 0 to 4 divided by 2, or 0 to 10 divided by 5. Adjustments will be applied for grades from foreign institutions in accordance with the ANECA program.

  2. Academic record of the master's degree (up to 4 points, based on the average grade). The average grade will be valued on a scale of 0 to 4 divided by 2, or 0 to 10 divided by 5. Adjustments will be applied for grades from foreign institutions in accordance with the ANECA program.

  3. Statement of purpose, research topic, and/or recommendation letters (up to 3 points): 

  • Motivation letter from the theses supervisor and recommendation letters (1 point).

  • Justification of the research topic by the researcher (2 points) (minimum 1500 words). 

The research topic must be presented with the endorsement of the director who will supervise the thesis, who is required to indicate such endorsement in the motivation letter referred to above. The research proposal must include a justification of the topic, a succinct description of the objectives and working hypotheses, and the approval of the proposed supervisor. 

  1. Curriculum vitae (up to 4 points):

  • Previous research experience in any of the fields relevant to the theoretical and practical teachings of the Doctorate (up to 1 point).

  • Previous professional experience in any of the fields relevant to the theoretical and practical teachings of the Doctoral Program (up to 1 point).

  • Previous publications, attendance at conferences, or other activities related to the PhD Program (up to 1 point).

  • Obtaining competitive scholarships for the master's degree (up to 1 point).

  1. Existence of a prior doctoral scholarship (3 points) or having applied for one at the time of admission (1 point). Scholarships equivalent to FI or FPU or competitive scholarships from other countries will be also considered.

  2. Other academic merits: international study or research stays, and proficiency in languages such as French, Portuguese, Italian, or German, etc. (up to 2 points).


Successful applicants, except for those who are required to take a bridging course, are not set compulsory teaching activities as part of the programme, unless otherwise indicated by the thesis supervisor.

Towards the end of the first year of the doctoral studies, between May and June, students will be asked to participate in a research seminar on the line of research in which the thesis is registered, during which they will give a public defence of the research project. The Academic Committee is responsible for the approval of the research project. The corresponding form must be submitted to the Secretary's Office before 16 June, following these guidelines.

Doctoral programmes have a minimum length of two academic years, although research projects of this kind are seldom completed in such short periods of time. The maximum length is four academic years (seven for part-time candidates), plus an ordinary extension year . Thus, usually, full-time candidates take between four and five to complete their thesis and part-time candidates spend between six and eight years. Candidates who combine their doctoral studies with other professional tasks usually enrol as part-time students. According to the programme regulations, under certain circumstances, candidates may apply to the Academic Committee for temporary leave. Candidates who do not complete their project by the established deadline cannot be re-admitted to the same programme.

Candidates must enrol every academic year, in compliance with the general academic calendar and the provisions on academic fees approved by the Government of Catalonia. Doctoral grants are offered by the Government of Spain, the Government of Catalonia and the UB. Candidates may obtain more information on these grants from the UB's grant office.

The Academic Committee accepts new students only during a specific period in the academic year. Applicants wishing to enrol in a doctoral programme must submit all the required documents online. 

Candidates may access current national legislation on doctoral studies, the Regulations on doctoral studies at the University of Barcelona and the specific programme regulations on the programme's website. After admission, students are strongly advised to read the regulations carefully and plan every stage of their research project accordingly. Students wishing to apply for the International Doctorate certification, for example, must obtain authorization by the Academic Committee before they complete research stays at other universities for periods of at least three months.

For queries about the administration procedures granting access or admission to the programme, candidates may contact the staff in the Secretary's Office in person, via email or, exceptionally, by telephone. For academic queries, candidates may also contact the teaching staff assigned to their research project and, if necessary, the programme coordinator.

 

En català: https://www.ub.edu/portal/web/dret/programa-de-doctorat 

En castellano: https://www.ub.edu/portal/web/derecho/programa-de-doctorado