Doctoral program in Computing

The doctoral programme in Computing was designed to adapt the doctoral programme in Software, created in 1985, to EHEA requirements. The new framework that emerged with the introduction of the Bologna guidelines necessitated the adaptation of postgraduate courses. As a result, in 2005, an integrated master's-doctoral programme was designed to provide rigorous, competitive training for students wishing to undertake research on topics in the areas of computing covered by the programme. The current programme is the result of a process of adaptation to Royal Decree 99/2011, the reconfiguration of UPC master's degrees in the area of information technology, and the restructuring of the Department of Computer Science. In accordance with Royal Decree 99/2011, which regulates official doctoral studies, the programme was validated by the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU Catalunya) in October 2012. The doctoral programme in Computing covers research topics in a set of disciplines related to computing: programming, algorithmics, big data, bioinformatics, visualisation and virtual reality. These topics build on studies for the bachelor’s degree in Informatics Engineering, specialisation in Computing; the bachelor's degree in Mathematics, specialisation in Discrete Mathematics and Algorithmics; the new bachelor's degree in Data Science and Engineering, and other related degrees. The topics that the programme focuses on are covered in two related master’s degrees in which the department has teaching responsibilities—the master’s degree in Innovation and Research in Informatics (MIRI) and the master’s degree in Advanced Mathematics and Mathematical Engineering (MAMME)—and in other related degrees. These areas are also linked to the activity of companies in the IT sector and research topics of interest at the international level.

The need for the course is also evident in the high level of participation of research groups involved in the programme in competitively funded research projects (most with European or national funding), the number of new students the programme attracts each year, and the number of graduates who find employment in industry and at universities and other research institutions.
Graduates are employed at research institutes (including the Alan Turing Institute) and universities abroad. Others have set up companies (e.g. Nelio Software) or hold positions at leading companies in the sector (including Google and Amazon). These results demonstrate that graduates are highly employable.

In order to focus scientific and methodological skills on specific topics, the programme is structured around the core areas that the research groups involved work on. This approach links research to internationally renowned research groups, which makes it possible to maintain the programme’s research areas within the main lines of research over the years. In addition to technical support, each research group offers courses at the master’s level and research seminars. The training programme also includes activities focusing on complementary skills, offered by the UPC Doctoral School. Two related master’s degrees qualify applicants for admission to the doctoral programme in Computing: the master’s degree in Innovation and Research in Informatics, with specialisation in Advanced Computing, Computer Graphics and Virtual Reality, or in Data Science; and the master’s degree in Advanced Mathematics and Mathematical Engineering, with specialisation in Discrete Mathematics and Algorithmics.

The doctoral programme in Computing has provided critical support for much of the research conducted in the Department of Computer Science (CS), formerly known as the Department of Software (LSI). The programme has attracted students from Catalonia and around the world. The positive response from students, the programme’s international dimension, and the quality of doctoral theses produced has allowed the programme to earn and maintain a Ministry of Education quality award (from 2003 on) and then a Pathway to Excellence award (which replaced the quality award) until its expiry in 2013 (MEE2011-0425).

The academic staff for the programme have a proven track record in international research. The five research groups involved in the programme have been recognised as consolidated research groups by the Government of Catalonia, and two of them also obtained financial support in the 2017 call for funding. Two professors on the programme have received the García Santesmases Prize for lifetime achievement, one of the national prizes awarded by the Computer Science Society of Spain (SCIE).