Access profile

In general, any student coming from a numbers-related discipline or holding a master’s degree in Statistics and Operations Research (preferably from the UPC) who earned good (in the top quarter) grades may be admitted into this doctoral programme.

Specifically, it is recommended that applicants hold one of the following undergraduate degrees:
• Bachelor’s degree in Statistical Techniques and Sciences
• Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in Biology
• Bachelor’s degree in Economics
• Bachelor’s degree in Sociology
• Bachelor’s degree in Medicine.

Students must be able to communicate in English, Catalan or Spanish.

Output profile

Doctoral candidates who complete a doctoral degree will have acquired the following competencies, which are needed to carry out quality research (Royal Decree 99/2011, of 28 January, which regulates official doctoral studies):

a) A systematic understanding of the field of study and a mastery of the research skills and methods related to the field.
b) An ability to conceive, design or create, put into practice and adopt a substantial process of research or creation.
c) An ability to contribute to pushing back the frontiers of knowledge through original research.
d) A capacity for critical analysis and an ability to assess and summarise new and complex ideas.
e) An ability to communicate with the academic and scientific community and with society in general as regards their fields of knowledge in the manner and languages that are typical of the international scientific community to which they belong.
f) An ability to foster scientific, technological, social, artistic and cultural progress in academic and professional contexts within a knowledge-based society.

The award of a doctoral degree must equip the graduate for work in a variety of settings, especially those requiring creativity and innovation. Doctoral graduates must have at least acquired the personal skills needed to:

a) Develop in contexts in which there is little specific information.
b) Find the key questions that must be answered to solve a complex problem.
c) Design, create, develop and undertake original, innovative projects in their field.
d) Work as part of a team and independently in an international or multidisciplinary context.
e) Integrate knowledge, deal with complexity and make judgements with limited information.
f) Offer criticism on and intellectually defend solutions.

Finally, with respect to competencies, doctoral students must:
a) have acquired advanced knowledge at the frontier of their discipline and demonstrated, in the context of internationally recognised scientific research, a deep, detailed and well-grounded understanding of theoretical and practical issues and scientific methodology in one or more research fields;
b) have made an original and significant contribution to scientific research in their field of expertise that has been recognised as such by the international scientific community;
c) have demonstrated that they are capable of designing a research project that serves as a framework for carrying out a critical analysis and assessment of imprecise situations, in which they are able to apply their contributions, expertise and working method to synthesise new and complex ideas that yield a deeper knowledge of the research context in which they work;
d) have developed sufficient autonomy to set up, manage and lead innovative research teams and projects and scientific collaborations (both national and international) within their subject area, in multidisciplinary contexts and, where appropriate, with a substantial element of knowledge transfer;
e) have demonstrated that they are able to carry out their research activity in a socially responsible manner and with scientific integrity;
f) have demonstrated, within their specific scientific context, that they are able to make cultural, social or technological advances and promote innovation in all areas within a knowledge-based society;
g) have demonstrated that they are able to participate in scientific discussions at the international level in their field of expertise and disseminate the results of their research activity to audiences of all kinds.

Number of places

12

Duration of studies and dedication regime

Duration
The maximum period of study for full-time doctoral studies is four years, counted from the date of first enrolment in the relevant programme until the date on which the doctoral thesis is deposited. The academic committee of the doctoral programme may authorise a doctoral candidate to pursue doctoral studies on a part-time basis. In this case, the maximum period of study is seven years from the date of first enrolment in the programme until the date on which the doctoral thesis is deposited. To calculate these periods, the date of deposit is considered to be the date on which the thesis is made publicly available for review.

If a doctoral candidate has a degree of disability equal to or greater than 33%, the maximum period of study is six years for full-time students and nine years for part-time students.

For full-time doctoral candidates, the minimum period of study is two years, counted from the date of an applicant's admission to the programme until the date on which the doctoral thesis is deposited; for part-time doctoral candidates it is four years.

When there are justified grounds for doing so, and the thesis supervisor and academic tutor have given their authorisation, doctoral candidates may request that the academic committee of their doctoral programme exempt them from the requirement to complete this minimum period of study.

Temporary disability leave and leave for the birth of a child, adoption or fostering for the purposes of adoption, temporary foster care, risk during pregnancy or infant feeding, gender violence and any other situation provided for in current regulations do not count towards these periods. Students who find themselves in any of these circumstances must notify the academic committee of the doctoral programme, which must inform the Doctoral School.

Doctoral candidates may request periods of temporary withdrawal from the programme for up to a total of two years. Requests must be justified and addressed to the academic committee responsible for the programme, which will decide whether or not to grant the candidate's request.

Extension of studies
If a doctoral candidate has not applied to deposit their thesis before the expiry of the deadlines specified in the previous section, the academic committee of the doctoral programme may, at the request of the doctoral candidate, authorise an extension of this deadline of one year under the conditions specified for the doctoral programme in question.

Dismissal from the doctoral programme
A doctoral candidate may be dismissed from a doctoral programme for the following reasons:

• The doctoral candidate submitting a justified application to withdraw from the programme.
• The doctoral candidate not having completed their annual enrolment or applied for a temporary interruption.
• The doctoral candidate not having formalised annual enrolment on the day after the end of the authorisation to temporarily interrupt or withdraw from the programme.
• The doctoral candidate receiving a negative reassessment after the deadline set by the academic committee of the doctoral programme to remedy the deficiencies that led to a previous negative assessment.
• The doctoral candidate having been the subject of disciplinary proceedings leading to their suspension or permanent exclusion from the UPC.
• A refusal to authorise the extensions applied for, in accordance with the provisions of Section 3.3 of these regulations.
• The doctoral candidate not having submitted the research plan in the period established in Section 8.2 of these regulations.
• The maximum period of study for the doctoral degree having ended, in accordance with the provisions of Section 3.4 of these regulations.

Dismissal from the programme means that the doctoral candidate cannot continue studying at the UPC and that their academic record will be closed. This notwithstanding, they may apply to the academic committee of the programme for readmission, and the committee must reevaluate the candidate in accordance with the criteria established in the regulations.

A doctoral candidate who has been dismissed due to having exceeded the time limit for completing doctoral studies or due to an unsatisfactory assessment may not be Academic Regulations for Doctoral Studies Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya Page 17 of 33 admitted to the same doctoral programme until at least two years have elapsed from the date of dismissal, as provided for in sections 3.4 and 9.2 of these regulations.

Legal framework

• Royal Decree 99/2011, of 28 January, which regulates official doctoral studies (consolidated version)
• Academic regulations for doctoral studies (CG/2023/09/08)

Organization

• Perez Casany, Marta

• Albareda Sambola, Mari
• Codina Sancho, Esteve
• Delicado Useros, Pedro
• Graffelman, Jan
• Langohr, Klaus Gerhard
• Puig Oriol, Xavier

• Department of Statistics and Operations Research (PROMOTORA)

Access profile

In general, any student coming from a numbers-related discipline or holding a master’s degree in Statistics and Operations Research (preferably from the UPC) who earned good (in the top quarter) grades may be admitted into this doctoral programme.

Specifically, it is recommended that applicants hold one of the following undergraduate degrees:
• Bachelor’s degree in Statistical Techniques and Sciences
• Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in Biology
• Bachelor’s degree in Economics
• Bachelor’s degree in Sociology
• Bachelor’s degree in Medicine.

Students must be able to communicate in English, Catalan or Spanish.

Access requirements

As a rule, applicants must hold a Spanish bachelor's degree or equivalent and a Spanish master's degree or equivalent, provided they have completed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits on the two degrees (Royal Decree 43/2015, of 2 February).

Applicants who meet one or more of the following conditions are also eligible for 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 European Qualifications Framework, provided the degree makes the holder eligible for admission to doctoral studies in the country in which it was awarded.
c) Holders of degrees awarded in a country that does not belong to the EHEA, 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 holder eligible for admission to doctoral studies in the country in which it was awarded.
d) Holders of another doctoral degree.
e) Holders of an official university qualification who, having been awarded a post as a trainee in the entrance examination for specialised medical training, have successfully completed at least two years of training leading to an official degree in a health sciences specialisation.

Note 1: Regulations for access to doctoral studies for individuals with degrees in bachelor's, engineering, or architecture under the system prior to the implementation of the EHEA (CG 47/02 2014).

Note 2: Agreement number 64/2014 of the Governing Council approving the procedure and criteria for assessing the academic requirements for admission to doctoral studies with non-homologated foreign degrees (CG 25/03 2014).

Legal framework

• Royal Decree 99/2011, of 28 January, which regulates official doctoral studies (consolidated version)
• Academic regulations for doctoral studies (CG/2023/09/08)

Admission criteria and merits assessment

Students who have completed the UPC’s master’s degree programme in Statistics and Operations Research, having earned marks of at least 7 out of 10, will be accepted into the programme.

Students who have not participated in this specific master’s programme but have completed another one in statistics and/or operations research at another university at a similar level and who have an undergraduate degree in sciences or technology (such as a bachelors’ degrees Statistical Techniques and Sciences, Mathematics, Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Telecommunications Engineering, Biology, Economics or Medicine) will be evaluated on the following criteria (weights in parentheses):
• Academic transcript in undergraduate and mater’s programmes (60%).
• Level of undergraduate and/or master’s studies completed or the universities where they were completed (30%).
• Knowledge of one or more of the languages in which the doctoral programme is taught (English, Catalan or Spanish) (10%).

Students are required to have earned at least 70% of the maximum grade possible in both their undergraduate and master’s studies. Standard university rankings will be used to assess the university the applicant attended (for example, http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings). The Academic Committee may require these students to complete up to 60 credits of bridging courses (subjects from the master’s programme in Statistics and Operations Research).

Training complements

The academic committee for the programme may require that doctoral students pass specific bridging courses. In this case, the committee will monitor the bridging courses and set up appropriate criteria to limit their length.

The courses could involve training in research or transversal education, but in no case will candidates be required to enrol in 60 or more ECTS credits.

Depending on the doctoral student activity report, the programme’s Academic Committee may propose measures, in addition to those established by current regulations, that would disassociate candidates who do not meet the established requisites.

The bridging courses will be agreed upon by the programme’s Academic Committee and each student’s tutor/supervisor. The bridging courses will be made up of subjects from the master’s degree programme in Statistics and Operations Research offered by UPC.

Students who have completed the master’s degree programme in Statistics and Operations Research at the UPC will not have to take any bridging courses.

Students who have been admitted to the doctoral programme and who have completed a different master’s programme will, as a general rule, have to complete some bridging courses (a minimum of 30, usually, and up to a maximum of 60 credits).

Students who have been admitted to the doctoral programme with an “Operations Research” background, will, if they have not acquired the knowledge in their previous master’s studies, have to take general common foundational courses and those covering the foundations of operations research from the master’s degree programme in statistics and operations research: Simulation, Modelling in Mathematical Programming, Optimisation, Stochastic Optimisation, Integer Programming and Combinatorial Optimisation, Large Scale Optimisation, Heuristic Methods in Mathematical Programming, Network Flows.

Students who have been admitted to the programme and who have a background in “Statistics” will have to take, if they have not previously acquired such knowledge in their previous master’s studies, the following common foundational and fundamental statistical courses from the master’s degree programme in Statistics and Operations Research: Probability and Stochastic Processes, Multivariate Analysis, Inference, Generalised Linear Models, Design of Experiments, Bayesian Inference, Survival Analysis, Forecasting and Time Series, Discrete Data Analysis, Longitudinal Data Analysis, Non-Parametric Models, Sampling Techniques.

Enrolment period for new doctoral students

Students enrolling in the doctoral programme for the first time must do so by the deadline specified in the admission decision.
Unless otherwise expressly indicated, enrolments corresponding to admission decisions issued from the second half of April on must be completed within the ordinary enrolment period for the current academic year.

More information at the registration section for new doctoral students

Enrolment period

Ordinary period for second and successive enrolments: first half of October.

More information at the general registration section

Formation activities

The following educational activities make up the doctoral programme in statistics and operations research:

• Tutorial. This involves tutors following-up with students via weekly meetings lasting around two hours. These meetings are mandatory and without them, the doctoral thesis cannot progress.
• Master’s courses and Summer School. These are aimed to supplement candidates’ education if they have not completed the master’s degree programme in Statistics and Operations Research at the UPC. This includes advanced courses taught by visiting professors under the framework of the Summer School for the University’s master’s degree programme in Statistics and Operations Research (School of Mathematics and Statistics). The number of hours could reach those required to complete 60 credits (varying based on students’ backgrounds). In general, they include optional activities, though the Academic Committee or thesis supervisors could require that some of the courses be taken depending on the student’s background.
• Seminars. Candidates will be required to regularly attend the Statistics and Operations Research Department’s seminars so that they may network with renowned researchers on both the national and international level and in order to expose themselves to cutting-edge research problems. Seminars typically last one hour, and the Department organises at least eight of them per year. Attending the seminars is optional.
• Research stays. Doctoral candidates will be able to participate in research stays at other national or foreign research centres in order to educate themselves in specific areas or to carry out research work in order to be awarded the International Doctorate mention. Research stays tend to require a minimum stay of three months and are often optional, but they are required for students who wish to be awarded the International Doctorate mention.
• Attending conferences. Candidates will be able to attend national and international conferences both to give their own presentations and to network with other researchers. International conferences often schedule intensive courses on topics that are of specific interest to doctoral candidates.
• External courses. The Academic Committee communicates to candidates information regarding these intensive courses that are on specific topics that could be of interest to those in the degree programme. For example, the committee reports information on the courses offered by the Barcelona Graduate School of Mathematics (BSGMath). In general, they are optional courses that last for one week
  
• UPC courses. The Academic Committee will inform doctoral candidates about courses of interest to scientific research, such as those organised by the UPC libraries (bibliographic research; training in information skills; learning to identify when and why information is needed; where to find information and how to assess it, use it and communicate it ethically) and the Institute of Education Sciences (improving language and communication skills; and acquiring the set of knowledge, abilities and attitudes needed to interpret and produce messages and communicate effectively in various contexts). In general, these are one- or two-day optional courses.
  

Procedure for assignment of tutor and thesis director

The academic committee of the doctoral programme assigns a thesis supervisor to each doctoral candidate when they are admitted or enrol for the first time, taking account of the thesis supervision commitment referred to in the admission decision.

The thesis supervisor will ensure that training activities carried out by the doctoral candidate are coherent and suitable, and that the topic of the candidate’s doctoral thesis will have an impact and make a novel contribution to knowledge in the relevant field. The thesis supervisor will also guide the doctoral candidate in planning the thesis and, if necessary, tailoring it to any other projects or activities undertaken. The thesis supervisor will generally be a UPC professor or researcher who holds a doctoral degree and has documented research experience. This includes PhD-holding staff at associated schools (as determined by the Governing Council) and UPC-affiliated research institutes (in accordance with corresponding collaboration and affiliation agreements). When thesis supervisors are UPC staff members, they also act as the doctoral candidate’s tutor.

PhD holders who do not meet these criteria (as a result of their contractual relationship or the nature of the institution to which they are attached) must be approved by the UPC Doctoral School's Standing Committee in order to participate in a doctoral programme as researchers with documented research experience.

The academic committee of the doctoral programme may approve the appointment of a PhD-holding expert who is not a UPC staff member as a candidate’s thesis supervisor. In such cases, the prior authorisation of the UPC Doctoral School's Standing Committee is required. A UPC staff member who holds a doctoral degree and has documented research experience must also be proposed to act as a co-supervisor, or as the doctoral candidate’s tutor if one has not been assigned.

A thesis supervisor may step down from this role if there are justified reasons (recognised as valid by the committee) for doing so. If this occurs, the academic committee of the doctoral programme will assign the doctoral candidate a new thesis supervisor.

Provided there are justified reasons for doing so, and after hearing any relevant input from the doctoral candidate, the academic committee of the doctoral programme may assign a new thesis supervisor at any time during the period of doctoral study.

If there are academic reasons for doing so (an interdisciplinary topic, joint or international programmes, etc.) and the academic committee of the programme gives its approval, an additional thesis supervisor may be assigned. Supervisors and co-supervisors have the same responsibilities and academic recognition.

The maximum number of supervisors of a doctoral thesis is two: a supervisor and a co-supervisor.

For theses carried out under a cotutelle agreement or as part of an Industrial Doctorate, if necessary and if the agreement foresees it this maximum number of supervisors may not apply. This notwithstanding, the maximum number of supervisors belonging to the UPC is two.

More information at the PhD theses section

Permanence

The maximum period of study for full-time doctoral studies is four years, counted from the date of first enrolment in the relevant programme until the date on which the doctoral thesis is deposited. The academic committee of the doctoral programme may authorise a doctoral candidate to pursue doctoral studies on a part-time basis. In this case, the maximum period of study is seven years from the date of first enrolment in the programme until the date on which the doctoral thesis is deposited. To calculate these periods, the date of deposit is considered to be the date on which the thesis is made publicly available for review.

If a doctoral candidate has a degree of disability equal to or greater than 33%, the maximum period of study is six years for full-time students and nine years for part-time students.

If a doctoral candidate has not applied to deposit their thesis before the expiry of the deadlines specified in the previous section, the academic committee of the doctoral programme may, at the request of the doctoral candidate, authorise an extension of this deadline of one year under the conditions specified for the doctoral programme in question.

Dismissal from the doctoral programme
A doctoral candidate may be dismissed from a doctoral programme for the following reasons:

• The doctoral candidate submitting a justified application to withdraw from the programme.
• The doctoral candidate not having completed their annual enrolment or applied for a temporary interruption.
• The doctoral candidate not having formalised annual enrolment on the day after the end of the authorisation to temporarily interrupt or withdraw from the programme.
• The doctoral candidate receiving a negative reassessment after the deadline set by the academic committee of the doctoral programme to remedy the deficiencies that led to a previous negative assessment.
• The doctoral candidate having been the subject of disciplinary proceedings leading to their suspension or permanent exclusion from the UPC.
• A refusal to authorise the extensions applied for, in accordance with the provisions of Section 3.3 of these regulations.
• The doctoral candidate not having submitted the research plan in the period established in Section 8.2 of these regulations.
• The maximum period of study for the doctoral degree having ended, in accordance with the provisions of Section 3.4 of these regulations.

Dismissal from the programme means that the doctoral candidate cannot continue studying at the UPC and that their academic record will be closed. This notwithstanding, they may apply to the academic committee of the programme for readmission, and the committee must reevaluate the candidate in accordance with the criteria established in the regulations.

A doctoral candidate who has been dismissed due to having exceeded the time limit for completing doctoral studies or due to an unsatisfactory assessment may not be Academic Regulations for Doctoral Studies Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya Page 17 of 33 admitted to the same doctoral programme until at least two years have elapsed from the date of dismissal, as provided for in sections 3.4 and 9.2 of these regulations.

Legal framework

• Royal Decree 99/2011, of 28 January, which regulates official doctoral studies (consolidated version)
• Academic regulations for doctoral studies (CG/2023/09/08)

List of authorized thesis for defense

Last update: 15/12/2025 05:46:08.

List of lodged theses

NO RESULTS: there are no theses in this list.

Last update: 15/12/2025 05:31:30.

List of defended theses by year

Select a year: 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025

Last update: 15/12/2025 06:05:07.

Research groups

UPC groups:

• ADBD- Analysis of Complex Data for Business Decisions
• COSDA-UPC-COmpositional and Spatial Data Analysis
• GNOM-Mathematical Optimization Group
• GRBIO-Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Research Group
• IDEAI-UPC-Intelligent Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Research Center
• IMP-Information Modelling and Processing
• KEMLG-Knowledge Engineering and Machine Learning Group
• L'AIRE-Laboratory of Aeronautical and Industrial Research and Studies

External groups:

• Red Nacional de Bioestadística
• Research Group in Survival Analysis (GRASS)

Teachers

Doctoral Programme teachers

• Acar Denizli, Nihan
• Acosta Argueta, Lesly Maria
• Albareda Sambola, Mari
• Algaba Joaquin, Ines
• Castellano Palomino, Marta Janira
• Castro Perez, Jordi
• Cobo Valeri, Erik
• Codina Sancho, Esteve
• Cortes Martinez, Jordi
• Delicado Useros, Pedro
• Fernandez Martinez, Daniel
• Fonseca Casas, Pau
• Gibert Oliveras, Karina
• Ginebra Molins, Josep
• Gomez Melis, Guadalupe
• Gonzalez Alastrue, Jose Antonio
• Graffelman, Jan
• Griful Ponsati, Eulalia
• Grima Cintas, Pere
• Heredia Cervera, F. Javier
• Langohr, Klaus Gerhard
• Linares Herreros, Maria Paz
• Marco Almagro, Lluís
• Montero Mercade, Lidia
• Perez Alvarez, Nuria
• Perez Casany, Marta
• Puig Oriol, Xavier
• Rius Carrasco, Roser
• Rodero de Lamo, Lourdes
• Sanchez Espigares, Jose Antonio
• Sicilia, Gabriela
• Tort-Martorell Llabres, Xavier