PhD in Sociology

The doctoral programme in Sociologytrains high-performance researchers in several areas of sociology and social sciences. Completing the doctoral thesis is the main activity of the doctoral student and it consists of an original work of research prepared by the candidate in a specific area of specialization. Each student has at least one thesis supervisor who guides and supports their work.

The doctoral programmes takes four years working full-time or seven years working part-time. Below, there is a sample calendar for the research period:

A research plan is presented, written in any of the programme’s languages, which includes at least the provisional title, objectives, methodology and means and time planning (deadline: 30 April).

It should be noted that the University of Barcelona Doctoral Regulations establish as a requirement the inclusion of a data management plan and the ethical considerations derived from the research (deadline: 30 April).

The programmes’ Academic Committee of the programme sets the timetable, the contents, and the specific requirements to be included in the research plan and the documentation and procedures linked to the presentation. This information is available in the Virtual Campus of the programme, to which the PhD candidate has access once it formalizes the enrolment.

The first-year PhD candidates will have to submit jointly, according to the deadline (30 April), the application of the research plan, the research plan and the list of events to which he or she has participated/attended during the academic year.

Students need to submit the three documents (research plan, research plan administrative form, and record of activities) through the electronic portal of the University of Barcelona.

This research plan will be assessed by an Ad Hoc Monitoring Committee made up of three specialists in the field in question and, if it is to be favourable, the Academic Committee of the Programme will have to resolve the request for acceptance of the research plan before the academic year is completed. Adoption of the research plan is a prerequisite for continuing within the PhD programme.

The PhD candidates will have three more years (six more if part-time) to perform the proposed research and doctoral thesis. At the end of each academic year, the Monitoring Committee will evaluate the progress made in relation to the research plan from a memory of activities (deadline: 30 April).

It should be noted that the University of Barcelona Doctoral Regulations establish as a requirement the inclusion of a data management plan and the ethical considerations derived from the research (deadline: 30 April).

The Academic Committee of the programme sets the timetable, the contents, and the specific requirements to be included in the follow-up report and also the documentation and procedures linked to the presentation. This information is available on the program’s Virtual Campus, which the PhD candidate can access after enrollment.

Second-year and onward students need to submit the three documents (progress report, progress report administrative form, and record of activities) through the electronic portal of the University of Barcelona. 

The Academic Committee encourages students to undertake temporary stays at other universities or research centres throughout the programme. Doctors and students of the Doctoral Programme in Sociology have carried out research stays at universities such as Harvard University (USA), University of California Berkeley (USA), Stanford University (USA), MIT (USA), Columbia University (USA), Cambridge University (UK), University of Leeds (UK), Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal), University of Montreal (Canada), or Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgium), among others.

In this section you can find the style book of the University of Barcelona (CUB) with criteria, recommendations and resources that can be useful for writing, especially, TFG, TFM and doctoral theses.

Link: https://www.ub.edu/cub/criteri.php?id=1512

The programme is aimed at students who wish to start a research career in the field of sociology. Therefore, it is essential that candidates have sufficient training to complete a doctoral thesis. The Academic Committee will particularly value previous knowledge on topics included in the research lines of the doctoral programme.

Early-stage researchers, who want to start a research career in academia or in the professional field by furthering their understanding of sociological analysis of different problems and social realities. In this sense, the programme welcomes doctoral students with a broad educational background in the field of social sciences (e.g., in economics, anthropology, education, political science, social work) and a strong orientation towards sociological research.

Students come from universities all over the world. On average, 40% of students are nationals from other countries. In addition, among the programme’s students, there are holders of predoctoral contracts awarded by Spain, the autonomous communities or the university itself, as well as holders of research scholarships from foreign countries and of contracts through European research projects such as ERC and Horizon Europe.

ACADEMIC YEAR 2026-2027

Applications for the 2026-2027 academic year have two periods:

• First period: From March 16 to April 9, 2026. Resolutions on May 15, 2026.
• Second period: From April 10 to May 7, 2026. Resolutions on June 15, 2026.

To apply for the doctoral programme in Sociology at the University of Barcelona, the candidate must follow two steps: Application Form and References Form.

For further information about the process and the application platform use, please refer to this Application Handbook.

Complete the online application form (the programme will appear on the list once the application period opens) by filling in the necessary information and submitting the required documents in each section:

Section “Personal Details”:

ID/Passport

Section “Academic Details”:

You’ll need to choose an administrative pathway to PhD studies in Spain (more information in the Application Handbook), and support it with some documents, which will depend on the pathway you choose. At this stage, any version of the requested documents is acceptable, including provisional or non-legalised copies.

If you are admitted, these documents will be reviewed, and the correct versions will be required for enrolment. For now, the priority is simply to ensure that each section contains a document, regardless of its current status.

Section “Admission Details”:

Curriculum Vitae

Academic certificates: Submit (merged) in a single pdf

–         Your bachelor’s degree transcript of grades and

–         Your master’s degree/s transcript/s of grades

Research proposal: This document needs to include both your motivation and a detailed description of your interests and goals. Max. 3 pages excl. references. No template available. Free structure.

Master thesis:

·         If your master thesis was written in any Ianguage different from Catalan, Spanish or English, merge it with an extended abstract in English at the beginning.

·         If you are currently working on your master thesis, please send an extended abstract in English — typically around 3 pages.

English certificate: Cambridge English, IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, Linguaskill, Duolingo Test, etc. Not compulsory if you are a native speaker or if you hold a university degree completely taught in English.

Pre-acceptance by a participating professor to supervise the thesis: This document is recommended but not compulsory. Use this template you have a potential supervisor. If you were not able to get pre-acceptance by a professor, please submit a justifying document.

Other academic merits:

·          If you have studied your bachelor’s degree and/or master’s degree outside the Spanish university system, you need to issue the GRADE EQUIVALENCY DECLARATION DOCUMENT/S for each of your degrees. It is done online here, free of charge and can be downloaded right away. Merge both grade equivalency documents in a single pdf.

·          If you have studied both your bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in Spanish universities, please submit any additional document here. Even a blank page.

To provide us with your references, fill in this form and include the names and contact emails of two former professors who endorse your application.

They will be automatically contacted by us and will have two options:

–  Either reply to three short questions about your profile.

–  Or attach a recommendation letter, if they already have it.

Please, contact your referees to make sure they’ll be able to respond in a maximum of seven days after the end of the corresponding application period deadline. No changes in the stated referees will be accepted and this form must be completed just once.

Once you have completed steps 1 and 2, our admissions team will review your application. You will receive an email notifying you whether everything is in order or if any additional documents or information are required.

Please note that only complete applications will be assessed by the Academic Committee.