36 monthsProgramme duration
2,001 EURTuition Fee/year
SepStarting Month
Programme overview
Main Subject
Agriculture and Forestry
Degree
PhD
Study Level
PHD
Study Mode
On Campus
The doctoral programme in Agri-Food Technology and Biotechnology was
born of the UPC’s earlier programme in Agri-Food Biotechnology and
Sustainability (Royal Decree 778/1998), which was started in the 2003-04
academic year.
In fact, this programme arose as the result of
the academic collaboration between the Barcelona School of Agricultural
Engineering (ESAB) and the UPC that aimed to delve into studies and
research in the agri-food field. This collaboration was established
before the year 2000, at a time when the ESAB was not a stand-alone
institution, but rather one dependent academically and financially on
the Diputació de Barcelona.
The doctoral programme is currently
associated with the UPC’s Department of Agri-Food Engineering and
Biotechnology, and it collaborates with some of the professors from the
UPC’s Department of Chemical Engineering, who, due to the nature of
their particular research work, fit better into our programme’s
framework. The programme also collaborates with researchers from other
universities and research centres (the IRTA and the CSIC). The
Department of Agri-Food Engineering and Biotechnology was created in
2001 specifically to integrate ESAB personnel into the UPC. As
previously mentioned, classes began under the name Agri-Food
Biotechnology and Sustainability, and later, once legislative changes
were passed by the EHEA, the name was changed to its current one:
Agri-Food Technology and Biotechnology.
The need for the
programme is warranted by the large amount of agri-food trade in
Catalonia, especially in the province of Barcelona, where it exceeds 60%
of all trade. Given the growing sophistication affecting the agri-food
industry and the high level of complexity and multidisciplinary nature
of some of its technological aspects (sensors, packaging, logistics,
tools for molecular analyses and detection, etc.), there is demand in
the industry for personnel specialised in innovation and research. The
fact that this doctoral programme is offered from a polytechnic
university, such as the UPC, means that the technological aspects that
are not specific to research in our Department, but which are covered by
other UPC centres and departments, can be easily handled. For example,
other UPC bodies conduct research into the fields of chemical
engineering, electrical engineering, applied physics, mathematics,
communication and signal theory and business management and
administration.
It is for this reason that the research performed
by the groups that make up this doctoral programme can be directed at a
large number of sectors, including,:
• Sustainable agriculture and food quality
• Environmental engineering
• Plant pathology
• Aquaculture production systems
• Computational biology and simulations
• Agriculture economics (in collaboration with the University of Lleida)
• Weed control and plant ecology (in collaboration with the University of Lleida)
• Food technologies
• Precision agriculture (in collaboration with the University of Lleida)
All
of these sectors are currently growing notably, both in production and
in the innovation and complexity of the technologies that they use. The
only way to prepare personnel specialised in research in these fields is
through this doctoral programme.
The doctoral programme in
Agri-Food Technology and Biotechnology is clearly warranted, not only
because of its direct relationship with the industrial sector closest to
home, but also because of the existence of other similar programmes
across the USA and Europe (e.g., at TI Eindhoven, U. di Bologna,
Nottingham, Alberta University and the University of British Columbia,
among others). Many Spanish universities offer programmes with similar
contents (the Miguel Hernández University of Elche and the Universities
of Cádiz, Vigo, Oviedo, Valladolid, etc.). More specifically, in
Catalonia, the Universities of Lleida (UdL), Tarragona (URV) and
Barcelona (UB) offer doctoral programmes with similar contents, and we
maintain close scientific ties and teaching collaborations with them.
The
main objective of the programme is to train specialists in research
techniques that are specific to the fields of agricultural and
food-related technology and biotechnology. These specialists should be
able to implement and carry out the most advanced and most
technologically competitive techniques and protocols in their fields.
Finally, these specialists should be able to form part of the business
world as academics and be renowned worldwide.
Other Universities
Universities with joint supervision agreements:
• Lebanese University, Lebanon
• Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Brazil
Programme overview
Main Subject
Agriculture and Forestry
Degree
PhD
Study Level
PHD
Study Mode
On Campus
The doctoral programme in Agri-Food Technology and Biotechnology was
born of the UPC’s earlier programme in Agri-Food Biotechnology and
Sustainability (Royal Decree 778/1998), which was started in the 2003-04
academic year.
In fact, this programme arose as the result of
the academic collaboration between the Barcelona School of Agricultural
Engineering (ESAB) and the UPC that aimed to delve into studies and
research in the agri-food field. This collaboration was established
before the year 2000, at a time when the ESAB was not a stand-alone
institution, but rather one dependent academically and financially on
the Diputació de Barcelona.
The doctoral programme is currently
associated with the UPC’s Department of Agri-Food Engineering and
Biotechnology, and it collaborates with some of the professors from the
UPC’s Department of Chemical Engineering, who, due to the nature of
their particular research work, fit better into our programme’s
framework. The programme also collaborates with researchers from other
universities and research centres (the IRTA and the CSIC). The
Department of Agri-Food Engineering and Biotechnology was created in
2001 specifically to integrate ESAB personnel into the UPC. As
previously mentioned, classes began under the name Agri-Food
Biotechnology and Sustainability, and later, once legislative changes
were passed by the EHEA, the name was changed to its current one:
Agri-Food Technology and Biotechnology.
The need for the
programme is warranted by the large amount of agri-food trade in
Catalonia, especially in the province of Barcelona, where it exceeds 60%
of all trade. Given the growing sophistication affecting the agri-food
industry and the high level of complexity and multidisciplinary nature
of some of its technological aspects (sensors, packaging, logistics,
tools for molecular analyses and detection, etc.), there is demand in
the industry for personnel specialised in innovation and research. The
fact that this doctoral programme is offered from a polytechnic
university, such as the UPC, means that the technological aspects that
are not specific to research in our Department, but which are covered by
other UPC centres and departments, can be easily handled. For example,
other UPC bodies conduct research into the fields of chemical
engineering, electrical engineering, applied physics, mathematics,
communication and signal theory and business management and
administration.
It is for this reason that the research performed
by the groups that make up this doctoral programme can be directed at a
large number of sectors, including,:
• Sustainable agriculture and food quality
• Environmental engineering
• Plant pathology
• Aquaculture production systems
• Computational biology and simulations
• Agriculture economics (in collaboration with the University of Lleida)
• Weed control and plant ecology (in collaboration with the University of Lleida)
• Food technologies
• Precision agriculture (in collaboration with the University of Lleida)
All
of these sectors are currently growing notably, both in production and
in the innovation and complexity of the technologies that they use. The
only way to prepare personnel specialised in research in these fields is
through this doctoral programme.
The doctoral programme in
Agri-Food Technology and Biotechnology is clearly warranted, not only
because of its direct relationship with the industrial sector closest to
home, but also because of the existence of other similar programmes
across the USA and Europe (e.g., at TI Eindhoven, U. di Bologna,
Nottingham, Alberta University and the University of British Columbia,
among others). Many Spanish universities offer programmes with similar
contents (the Miguel Hernández University of Elche and the Universities
of Cádiz, Vigo, Oviedo, Valladolid, etc.). More specifically, in
Catalonia, the Universities of Lleida (UdL), Tarragona (URV) and
Barcelona (UB) offer doctoral programmes with similar contents, and we
maintain close scientific ties and teaching collaborations with them.
The
main objective of the programme is to train specialists in research
techniques that are specific to the fields of agricultural and
food-related technology and biotechnology. These specialists should be
able to implement and carry out the most advanced and most
technologically competitive techniques and protocols in their fields.
Finally, these specialists should be able to form part of the business
world as academics and be renowned worldwide.
Other Universities
Universities with joint supervision agreements:
• Lebanese University, Lebanon
• Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Brazil
Admission Requirements
General entrance requirements
To gain admission to a doctoral programme, applicants must have an official Spanish bachelor’s degree or equivalent and a university master's degree or equivalent, together comprising a total of at least 300 ECTS credits.
You may also gain admission if you fall into one of the following categories:
1. As a rule, applicants seeking admission to an official doctoral programme must hold a Spanish bachelor’s degree or equivalent and a Spanish master’s degree or equivalent, provided they have passed at least 300 ECTS credits on the two degrees.
2. Any of the following applicants may also gain admission:
a. Holders of official Spanish degrees or equivalent Spanish qualifications, provided they have passed 300 ECTS credits in total and they can prove they have reached Level 3 in the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education.
b. Holders of degrees awarded in foreign education systems in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), which do not require homologation, who can prove that they have reached Level 7 in the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education ( https://www.ciencia.gob.es/) , provided the degree makes the holder eligible for admission to doctoral studies in the country in which it was awarded. Admission on this basis does not imply homologation of the foreign degree or its recognition for any purpose other than admission to doctoral studies.
c. Holders of degrees awarded in a country that does not belong to the European Higher Education Area, which do not require homologation, on the condition that the University is able to verify that the degree is of a level equivalent to that of official university master's degrees in Spain and that it makes the graduate eligible for admission to doctoral studies in the country in which it was awarded. Admission on this basis does not imply homologation of the foreign degree or its recognition for any purpose other than admission to doctoral studies.
d. Holders of another doctoral degree.
e. University graduates who, having previously been awarded a training post in the entrance examination for specialised health training posts, have passed and obtained a positive assessment in at least two years of training on a programme leading to an official qualification in a Health Sciences specialisation.
Specific requirements and admission procedure
Each doctoral programme may have specific requirements for admission in addition to the general requirements. The additional specific requirements that must be met for admission are listed on the web pages for each programme ( https://doctorat.upc.edu/en/programmes) .
For the admission procedure and calendar, see this section. ( https://doctorat.upc.edu/en/future-doctoral-candidates/access-and-admission/admission-procedure)
- Candidates are required to submit references or letter(s) of recommendation for acceptance
- Candidates are required to submit an essay(s) for acceptance
Tuition fees
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