Doctoral programme in Materials Science and Engineering 48 months PHD Programme By Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) |TopUniversities

Programme overview

Main Subject

Materials Sciences

Degree

PhD

Study Level

PHD

Study Mode

On Campus

The UPC’s Department of Materials Science, the unit responsible for organising and promoting doctoral degree courses in Materials Science and Metallurgy, was created by bringing together the Chairs in Metallurgy and Iron and Steel Technology of the Barcelona School of Industrial Engineering (ETSEIB) and professors from the materials science and metallurgical engineering knowledge area of the Terrassa School of Industrial Engineering and the technical schools of Vilanova i la Geltrú, Manresa and Terrassa. Professors from the textile area have now joined the Department, and the Manresa section is no longer associated with it.

Before the enactment of the University Reform Law (which led to the formation of the Department), the ETSEIB Chairs in Metallurgy and Iron and Steel Technology were already teaching doctoral courses, and several doctoral theses were supervised and defended in this context. At that time, this kind of academic activity was relatively uncommon in higher technical schools.

The formation of the Department and the recruitment of new professors, who brought extensive experience in other areas of materials science (polymers, ceramics and composites), paved the way for the creation and consolidation of a doctoral programme that has now been running for over 30 years. Over this time, the programme has gradually evolved. Its structure and content have been adapted based on the experience gained and lessons learned through programme delivery, the research areas that have taken shape and become firmly established in the Department, and successive changes in the regulatory framework.

The programme offered 15 doctoral courses within the framework of Royal Decree 778/1998. To adapt to Royal Decree 56/2005, almost all of these courses were included in the master's programme in Materials Science and Engineering, which later evolved into the new master's degree in Materials Science and Advanced Materials Engineering (validated in 2019). This master’s degree currently includes 22 subjects (compulsory and optional, distributed over two years of study), and graduates are eligible for direct admission to the doctoral programme. Alternatively, these subjects may be taken as bridging courses by students who need additional training in view of their entrance qualification.

The doctoral programme was recognised with a quality award given by the Spanish Ministry of Education in 2003 (MCD2003-00150), the year the programme was launched, and the award was renewed in the following years (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009). The programme was later granted a Pathway to Excellence award (MEE2011-0471), which remained in effect until 2013. The Pathway to Excellence programme ended in 2013, and a new system for assessing the quality of doctoral programmes has not yet been introduced. In Catalonia, to the best of our knowledge, this doctoral programme is the only one focusing on structural materials that has been granted a Pathway to Excellence award. (The only other programme to receive this recognition focuses on functional materials).

It is also a source of pride for us that our doctoral programme was selected to participate in the Erasmus Mundus Joint European Doctoral Programme in Materials Science and Engineering. This programme, which was validated almost as a matter of course, emerged directly from the UPC’s doctoral programme in Materials Science and Engineering, with the exception of the requirement to take a number of bridging course credits (up to 30) and complete a period of study at one of the other participating universities: Luleå University of Technology (Sweden), Linköping University (Sweden), the University of Lorraine (France) and Saarland University (Saarbrücken, Germany). The Erasmus Mundus doctoral programme is a continuation of the Erasmus Mundus master's degree in Advanced Materials Science and Engineering (AMASE), which is delivered by the same universities and has been renewed three times by the European Commission.

Programme overview

Main Subject

Materials Sciences

Degree

PhD

Study Level

PHD

Study Mode

On Campus

The UPC’s Department of Materials Science, the unit responsible for organising and promoting doctoral degree courses in Materials Science and Metallurgy, was created by bringing together the Chairs in Metallurgy and Iron and Steel Technology of the Barcelona School of Industrial Engineering (ETSEIB) and professors from the materials science and metallurgical engineering knowledge area of the Terrassa School of Industrial Engineering and the technical schools of Vilanova i la Geltrú, Manresa and Terrassa. Professors from the textile area have now joined the Department, and the Manresa section is no longer associated with it.

Before the enactment of the University Reform Law (which led to the formation of the Department), the ETSEIB Chairs in Metallurgy and Iron and Steel Technology were already teaching doctoral courses, and several doctoral theses were supervised and defended in this context. At that time, this kind of academic activity was relatively uncommon in higher technical schools.

The formation of the Department and the recruitment of new professors, who brought extensive experience in other areas of materials science (polymers, ceramics and composites), paved the way for the creation and consolidation of a doctoral programme that has now been running for over 30 years. Over this time, the programme has gradually evolved. Its structure and content have been adapted based on the experience gained and lessons learned through programme delivery, the research areas that have taken shape and become firmly established in the Department, and successive changes in the regulatory framework.

The programme offered 15 doctoral courses within the framework of Royal Decree 778/1998. To adapt to Royal Decree 56/2005, almost all of these courses were included in the master's programme in Materials Science and Engineering, which later evolved into the new master's degree in Materials Science and Advanced Materials Engineering (validated in 2019). This master’s degree currently includes 22 subjects (compulsory and optional, distributed over two years of study), and graduates are eligible for direct admission to the doctoral programme. Alternatively, these subjects may be taken as bridging courses by students who need additional training in view of their entrance qualification.

The doctoral programme was recognised with a quality award given by the Spanish Ministry of Education in 2003 (MCD2003-00150), the year the programme was launched, and the award was renewed in the following years (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009). The programme was later granted a Pathway to Excellence award (MEE2011-0471), which remained in effect until 2013. The Pathway to Excellence programme ended in 2013, and a new system for assessing the quality of doctoral programmes has not yet been introduced. In Catalonia, to the best of our knowledge, this doctoral programme is the only one focusing on structural materials that has been granted a Pathway to Excellence award. (The only other programme to receive this recognition focuses on functional materials).

It is also a source of pride for us that our doctoral programme was selected to participate in the Erasmus Mundus Joint European Doctoral Programme in Materials Science and Engineering. This programme, which was validated almost as a matter of course, emerged directly from the UPC’s doctoral programme in Materials Science and Engineering, with the exception of the requirement to take a number of bridging course credits (up to 30) and complete a period of study at one of the other participating universities: Luleå University of Technology (Sweden), Linköping University (Sweden), the University of Lorraine (France) and Saarland University (Saarbrücken, Germany). The Erasmus Mundus doctoral programme is a continuation of the Erasmus Mundus master's degree in Advanced Materials Science and Engineering (AMASE), which is delivered by the same universities and has been renewed three times by the European Commission.

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).

4 Years
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