Admission and acces

The enrollment in our Doctoral Program has consists in three phases:

1. Admission
2. Access
3. Enrollment

To be eligible for admission to an official doctoral program, applicants must generally hold an official bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent) and a master’s degree, with a combined total of at least 300 ECTS credits across both qualifications. Detailed information is available here for Spanish studies and here for foreign studies, including alternative entry routes. An essential early step in the application process is identifying a faculty member within the program who can support your candidacy. We strongly encourage all applicants to explore the research areas of our faculty and reach out to potential supervisors to discuss research alignment and possible collaboration.

The academic year runs from October to September and includes two admission periods:

• First period: Early May to mid-June, with results announced in July (for an October start).
• Second period: November to mid-January, with results announced in February (for a March start).

For precise dates and a comprehensive overview, please consult the Doctoral Management Calendar. Exceptional admissions may be accepted if there is a justified need to admit candidates who have received pre-doctoral funding. In this case, candidates must contact the Secretariat for Students and Teaching (SED).

Admission

Documentation

The required documentation for admission is the following:

• Bachelor’s degree title or equivalent
• Master’s degree title
• Curriculum vitae
• Motivation Letter: brief statement indicating the candidate’s reasons for applying to the doctoral programme and expectations of the experience (approximately one page)
• Proof of language proficiency in English (official certificate or signed letter certifying English minimum level B1 or equivalent)
• Research proposal indicating the full-time or part-time dedication (use dedicated template available at the forms section)
• Thesis advisor proposal signed by the supervisor(s). At least one of the supervisors must be linked to one of the program’s the research lines. All the co-supervisors must hold a doctorate degree and have accredited research experience (use dedicated template available at the forms section)
• Academic records (bachelor and master) detailing the subjects studied and the corresponding scores (not needed in case of UB students), together with any other documentation accrediting the candidate’s merits (compiled in a single pdf file)

Additionally,  candidates with foreign studies must submit:

• For foreign studies from the European Higher Education Area (EHEA):  document accrediting level 7 of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and document proving that the studies give access to the doctorate at the country of origin
• For studies outside the EHEA: Document proving that the studies give access to the doctorate at the country of origin

Deadline: there are two application periods every academic year (see calendar).

Submit to: Online Registration (HDK0Z – Mathematics and Computer Science)

Resolution: The Academic Commission will evaluate each applicant in accordance with the Admission Guidelines. Candidates will be notified of the decision via email.

Access

Once a candidate has been admitted, will have to use again the online webform to register the access application (an email with further instructions will be sent to guide the process).

• Students with foreign degrees will have to pay a fee for equivalence of bachelor and master titles specified in the Prices Decree of the Government of Catalonia for each academic year (see Equivalence of foreign studies for the access to doctorate programs at the Enrolment – Economic Information).
• In case of the official certifications, or degrees are from outside EHEA, the legalization will also be required to obtain access to the program – see requirements of the legalizations
• In case of documents not expedited in any of the program languages (Catalan, Spanish or English), an official translation to Catalan or Spanish is required – see translation requirements

To obtain definitive access, candidates have to provide to the Secretariat for Students and Teaching (SED) the following documents:

• Originials or certified electronic copy of the degree titles, certificates and academic transcripts
• Copy of National Identity Card or Passport
• Commitment agreement signed by candidate, tutor and supervisors (available at the forms section under Access and Enrolment)