Access profile

Students who hold one of the following research master's degree are eligible for admission to the programme without the requirement to complete any bridging courses:
• MBArch (master's degree in Advanced Studies in Architecture-Barcelona) of the ETSAB
• MISMeC (master's degree in Sustainable Intervention in the Built Environment) of the ETSAV
• MBLandArch (master's degree in Landscape Architecture), taught collaboratively by the ETSAB and the Barcelona School of Agri-Food and Biosystems Engineering (EEABB).
If students who hold degrees related to the programme (other than those indicated above) are admitted, the academic committee for the doctoral programme may require that they take specific bridging courses as a condition of admission. The courses required will be determined on a case-by-case basis, according to each applicant’s background and previous training.
The purpose of any additional training will be to ensure that students develop the competencies they will need to complete the doctoral programme.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Have demonstrated that they are able to carry out their research activity in a socially responsible manner and with scientific integrity.

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.

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.

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.

Number of places

10

Duration of studies and dedication regime

Duration
The maximum period of study for full-time doctoral studies is three years, counted from the date of admission to the programme to the date of submission of the doctoral thesis. 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 five years, counting from the date of admission to the programme to the date of submission of the doctoral thesis. For calculating these periods, the date of admission is considered to be the date of the first enrolment for tutorials, and the date of submission the moment in which the Doctoral School officially deposits the doctoral thesis.

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 minimum period of study requirement.

The calculation of periods of study will not include periods of absence due to illness, pregnancy or any other reason provided for in the regulations in force. Students who find themselves in any of these circumstances must notify the academic committee of the doctoral programme, which, where appropriate, must inform the Doctoral School. Doctoral candidates may also temporarily withdraw from the programme for up to one year, and this period may be extended for an additional year. Doctoral candidates who wish to interrupt their studies must submit a justified request to the academic committee of the doctoral programme, which will decide whether or not to approve the request. Each programme will establish conditions for readmission to doctoral studies.

Extension
If full-time doctoral candidates have not applied to deposit their thesis by the end of the three-year period of study, the academic committee of the programme may authorise an extension of up to one year. In exceptional circumstances, a further one-year extension may be granted, subject to the conditions established by the corresponding doctoral programme. In the case of part-time doctoral candidates, an extension of two years may be authorised. In both cases, in exceptional circumstances a further one-year extension may be granted by the Doctoral School's Standing Committee, upon the submission of a reasoned application by the academic committee of the doctoral programme.

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 maximum period of study and of extensions thereof ending.
• The doctoral candidate not having enrolled every academic year (unless he or she has been authorised to temporarily withdraw).
• The doctoral candidate failing two consecutive assessments.
• The doctoral candidate having disciplinary proceedings filed against him or her that rule that he or she must be dismissed from the UPC.

Dismissal from the programme implies that doctoral candidates cannot continue studying at the UPC and the closing of their academic record. This notwithstanding, they may apply to the academic committee of the programme for readmission and the committee must reevaluate them in accordance with the criteria established in the regulations.

Organization

• Rubert de Ventos, Maria

• Gomez Escoda, Eulalia
• Oyon Bañales, Jose Luis
• Rubert de Ventos, Maria
• Sabate Bel, Joaquim

• Department of Urbanism and Regional Planning (PROMOTORA)

Secretary’s Office for Doctoral Programmes in Architecture
Tel: (+34) 934 011 875
E-mail: secretariadoctorat.utgab@upc.edu

Access profile

Students who hold one of the following research master's degree are eligible for admission to the programme without the requirement to complete any bridging courses:
• MBArch (master's degree in Advanced Studies in Architecture-Barcelona) of the ETSAB
• MISMeC (master's degree in Sustainable Intervention in the Built Environment) of the ETSAV
• MBLandArch (master's degree in Landscape Architecture), taught collaboratively by the ETSAB and the Barcelona School of Agri-Food and Biosystems Engineering (EEABB).
If students who hold degrees related to the programme (other than those indicated above) are admitted, the academic committee for the doctoral programme may require that they take specific bridging courses as a condition of admission. The courses required will be determined on a case-by-case basis, according to each applicant’s background and previous training.
The purpose of any additional training will be to ensure that students develop the competencies they will need to complete the doctoral programme.

Access requirements

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)

In addition, the following may apply:

• Holders of an official degree awarded by a university in Spain or any other country in the European Higher Education Area, pursuant to the provisions of Article 16 of Royal Decree 1393/2007, of 29 October, which establishes official university course regulations, who have completed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits on official university degrees, of which at least 60 must be at the master's degree level.
• Holders of an official Spanish bachelor’s degree comprising at least 300 credits, as provided for by EU regulations. Holder of degrees of this kind must complete bridging courses unless the curriculum of the bachelor’s degree in question included research training credits equivalent in value to those which would be earned on a master's degree.
• Holders of an official university qualification who, having passed the entrance examination for specialised medical training, have completed at least two years of a training course leading to an official degree in a health-sciences specialisation.
• Holders of a degree issued under a foreign education system. In these cases, homologation is not required, but the UPC must verify that the degree certifies a level of training equivalent to an official Spanish master's degree and qualifies the holder for admission to doctoral studies in the country where it was issued. Admission on this basis does not imply homologation of the foreign degree or its recognition for any purpose other than admission to doctoral studies.
• Holders of a Spanish doctoral qualification issued under previous university regulations.

Note 1: Doctoral studies entrance regulations for holders of an undergraduate degree awarded before the introduction of the EHEA (CG 47/02 2014)

Note 2: Governing Council Decision 64/2014, which approves the procedure and criteria for assessing the fulfilment of academic admission requirements for doctoral studies by holders of non-homologated foreign degrees (CG 25/03 2014)

Admission criteria and merits assessment

Applications for admission must be accompanied by a CV (emphasising academic qualifications and research experience) and a 500-word covering letter (up to two letters of recommendation) that includes an explanation of the field of research that the applicant intends to focus on in their doctoral thesis.

The academic committee will consider applications based on the following weighted criteria:
• Academic record (45%)
• Curriculum vitae (35%)
• Covering letter (20%)

The academic committee for the doctoral programme is responsible for admission of students and will make admission decisions based on these criteria.

Training complements

Students who hold one of the following degrees are not required to take any bridging courses: MBArch (master’s degree in Advanced Studies in Architecture-Barcelona) of the ETSAB, MISMeC (master's degree in Sustainable Intervention in the Built Environment) of the ETSAV, and MBLandArch (master's degree in Landscape Architecture), delivered through collaboration between the ETSAB and the Barcelona School of Agri-Food and Biosystems Engineering (EEABB).

In the case of students with other entrance qualifications, the academic committee may specify bridging courses that must be completed. As a general rule, any bridging courses that students are required to take will be subjects from the master's degrees indicated above.

Bridging courses may provide research or cross-disciplinary training. In no case will doctoral students be required to enrol for more than 30 ECTS credits.

To view the course guides for these subjects, click on the following links:
https://www.upc.edu/ca/masters/estudis-avancats-en-arquitectura-barcelona-mbarch
https://www.upc.edu/ca/masters/intervencio-sostenible-en-el-medi-construit-mismec
https://www.upc.edu/gestioestudis/files/files_masters/59_p_cat.pdf

Enrolment period for new doctoral students

First enrolment will take place after admission decisions are issued if this happens after the general enrolment period.

More information at the registration section for new doctoral students

Enrolment period

In the first half of October.

More information at the general registration section

Procedure for the preparation and defense of the research plan

Doctoral candidates must submit a research plan, which will be included in their doctoral student activity report, before the end of the first year. The plan may be improved over the course of the doctoral degree. It must be endorsed by the tutor and the supervisor, and it must include the method that is to be followed and the aims of the research.

At least one of these annual assessments will include a public presentation and defence of the research plan and work done before a committee composed of three doctoral degree holders, which will be conducted in the manner determined by each academic committee. The examination committee awards a Pass or Fail mark. A Pass mark is a prerequisite for continuing on the doctoral programme. Doctoral candidates awarded a Fail mark must submit a new research plan for assessment by the academic committee of the doctoral programme within six months.

The committee assesses the research plan every year, in addition to all of the other activities in the doctoral student activity report. Doctoral candidates who are awarded two consecutive Fail marks for the research plan will be obliged to definitely withdraw from the programme.

If they change the subject of their thesis, they must submit a new research plan.

Formation activities

Activity: Publications (compulsory).
Hours: 100.

Activity: Other cross-disciplinary activities (optional).
Hours: 30.

Activity: Research seminar (compulsory).
Hours: 60.

Activity: Preparation and initial defence of research plan (compulsory).
Hours: 120.

Activity: Training in information skills (optional).
Hours: 1.5.

Activity: Research methodology (optional).
Hours: 12.

Activity: Innovation and creativity (optional).
Hours: 8.

Activity: Language and communication skills (optional).
Hours: 18.

Activity: Mobility (optional).
Hours: 480.

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 academic committee of the programme may authorise an extension of up to one year for full-time doctoral candidates who have not applied to deposit their thesis by the end of the three-year period of study, in the terms outlined in the Academic Regulations for Doctoral Studies of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. In the case of part-time candidates, an extension of two years may be authorised. In both cases, in exceptional circumstances a further one-year extension may be granted by the Doctoral School's Standing Committee, upon the submission of a reasoned application by the academic committee of 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 maximum period of study and of extensions thereof ending.
• The doctoral candidate not having enrolled every academic year (unless he or she has been authorised to temporarily withdraw).
• The doctoral candidate failing two consecutive assessments.
• The doctoral candidate having disciplinary proceedings filed against him or her that rule that he or she must be dismissed from the UPC.

Dismissal from the programme implies that doctoral candidates cannot continue studying at the UPC and the closing of their academic record. This notwithstanding, they may apply to the academic committee of the programme for readmission and the committee must reevaluate them in accordance with the criteria established in the regulations.

International Mention

The doctoral degree certificate may include International Doctorate mention. In this case, the doctoral candidate must meet the following requirements:

a) During the period of study leading to the award of the doctoral degree, the doctoral candidate must have spent at least three months at a respected higher education institution or research centre outside Spain to complete courses or do research work. The stays and activities carried out must be endorsed by the thesis supervisor and authorised by the academic committee of the programme. The candidate must provide a certifying document issued by the person responsible for the research group of the body or bodies where the stay or activity was completed. This information will be added to the doctoral student’s activity report.
b) Part of the thesis (at least the summary and conclusions) must be written and presented in one of the languages commonly used for science communication in the relevant field of knowledge, which must not be an official language of Spain. This rule does not apply to stays and reports in Spanish or to experts from Spanish-speaking countries.
c) At least two PhD-holding experts belonging to a higher education institution or research centre outside Spain must have issued officially certified reports on the thesis.
d) The thesis examination committee must have included at least one PhD-holding expert from a higher education or research institution outside Spain who was not responsible for the candidate’s stay abroad (point a) above).
e) The thesis defence must have taken place on UPC premises or, in the case of joint programmes, at the location specified in the collaboration agreement.

List of authorized thesis for defense

Last update: 19/05/2022 04:45:30.

List of lodged theses

Last update: 19/05/2022 04:30:24.

List of defended theses by year

• GARCÍA ALCARAZ, TERESA: Intertwining the city. The in-between spaces of Caracas as scenarios to achieve urban togetherness
  
  Author: GARCÍA ALCARAZ, TERESA
  Thesis link: http://hdl.handle.net/10803/673559
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN URBANISM
  Department: Department of Urbanism and Regional Planning (UOT)
  Mode: Normal
  Reading date: 17/01/2022
  Thesis director: LLOP TORNE, CARLOS JUAN
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: OYON BAÑALES, JOSE LUIS
       SECRETARI: GOLDA-PONGRATZ, KATHRIN
       VOCAL NO PRESENCIAL: TARCHÓPULOS SIERRA, DORIS ELENA
       VOCAL NO PRESENCIAL: ARTEAGA ARREDONDO, ISABEL CRISTINA
       VOCAL NO PRESENCIAL: PLAZA AZUAJE, PENELOPE
  Thesis abstract: This thesis explores the in-between spaces of the contemporary city, and the role they have in promoting urban togetherness through interstitial practice. By looking at different processes that take place in the borderlands of fragmented environments, this work presents a series of theoretical debates and develops a framework of analysis based on three main approaches: the urban, the social, and the artistic, proposing a series of conceptual links between the territory, people-place relationships and the artistic practice. The focus of this work is based on the observation of different performative representations developed in the in-between spaces of Caracas, presented as a privileged scenario to understand the mechanisms of production and reproduction of urban disparities in contemporary cities. So, in-between spaces are introduced not only as the background for placing interstitial practice but active elements of interaction between difference, where issues of identity, power and domination may contribute to envision new discourses of coexistence.Contextual, historical and empirical work has been conducted both at a metropolitan scale, studying the Metropolitan Area of Caracas, and at a local scale, particularly analysing three in-between spaces in Chacao, El Valle and El Hatillo parishes. It has been examined the impact interstitial practice had in reducing social distances, and explored the extent to which they are actually contributing to tackling urban togetherness. The main problems identified in all cases are summarised under sectorial planning strategies, institutionalisation, territorial fragmentation, stigmatisation and targeting, concluding that interstitial practice becomes another process of territorial formation and political power.This thesis aims to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the city empowering the importance of in-between spaces as essential articulators to perceive it as an urban continuum. In discussing this argument, this research also attempts to contribute to the discipline of urbanism; from the moment that in-between spaces are detected as elements of urban interaction, the city leans towards the combination, the hybridisation and the mixture among its different territorial formations becoming a structured terrain where a new spatiality and different forms of urban life take place.
  

• PÉREZ BAZÁN, CYNTHIA CECILIA: Supernovas, constelaciones y nebulosas. Algunas singularidades del turismo urbano en Barcelona
  
  Author: PÉREZ BAZÁN, CYNTHIA CECILIA
  Thesis link: http://hdl.handle.net/10803/674000
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN URBANISM
  Department: Department of Urbanism and Regional Planning (UOT)
  Mode: Normal
  Reading date: 09/03/2022
  Thesis director: SABATE BEL, JOAQUIN | PESOA MARCILLA, MELISA
  

  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: PIE NINOT, RICARDO
       SECRETARI: ANTÓN CLAVÉ, SALVADOR
       VOCAL: MILANO, CLAUDIO
  Thesis abstract: Tourist attractions are an essential part of urban tourism. It is often thought that attractions are comparable to each other and that their impacts can be limited as if cities could manage their tourist flows as theme parks do. The difficulty of controlling urban tourism and tourist flows arises from cities since tourists and residents share space and services, making it impossible to delimit the exclusive use of one or another group. Due to this difficulty, rises the idea of looking for other tools to measure concentrations in cities.One of these is heatmaps. The study of the concentration of people/images/data in tourist spaces reflects that density depends more on the synergies between attractions than on attractions themselves. To corroborate it, we study primary and secondary attractions finding that no matter how relevant they are, they do not significantly impact their immediate surroundings unless they have another nearby and related attraction that allows them to strengthen and extend tourist flows. This flow makes it possible to energize certain areas, take advantage of synergies, and extend the concentration of visitors.
  

Last update: 19/05/2022 05:01:04.

Research groups

• GILDA-Group for Teaching Innovation and Logistics in Architecture
• GRU-Urbanism Research Group
• LUB-Urbanism Laboratory

Teachers

• Batlle Durany, Enric
• Castiñeira Palou, Isabel
• Clua Uceda, Alvaro
• Corominas Ayala, Miguel
• Cortellaro, Stefano
• Crosas Armengol, Carles
• Franquesa Sanchez, Jordi
• Galindo Gonzalez, Julian
• Gomez Escoda, Eulalia
• Llop Torne, Carles
• Marti Casanovas, Miquel
• Martin Ramos, Angel
• Moreno Sanz, Joan
• Muxi Martinez, Zaida
• Oyon Bañales, Jose Luis
• Parcerisa Bundo, Josep
• Peremiquel Lluch, Francesc
• Pesoa Marcilla, Melisa
• Rubert de Ventos, Maria
• Sabate Bel, Joaquim
• Sagarra Trias, Ferran
• Sotoca Garcia, Adolf

• Eizaguirre Garaitagoitia, Xabier
• Español Llorens, Joaquim
• Font Arellano, Antonio
• Pie Ninot, Ricard
• Roca Blanch, Estanislau
• Serra Riera, Enric
• Vidal Pla, Miguel