Doctoral programme of the UPF Doctoral School, governed by Royal Decree 99/2011
Admission requirements to the Communication PhD programme
In order to be admitted to Communication PhD Programme offered by UPF, candidates must provide accreditation that they have obtained an accredited undergraduate degree (Bachelor degree or recognised equivalent degree from an accredited Higher Education Institution).
Moreover, they have to proof that they have obtained or are in position to obtain an accredited graduate/master's degree (equivalent to a Spanish Master Universitario/Oficial, Master's of Research.... ) which enables them to access a Phd programme in their home country.
In order to access a doctoral programme at UPF, you need to have completed 300 ECTS credits, 60 of those have to correspond to an official graduate, research orientated master's programme.
Mandatory documents to be submitted
| Duration of the research period |
A maximum of three years, full time, between admission to the doctoral programme until presentation of the doctoral thesis. Part-time studies are possible, subject to authorization by the academic committee responsible for the programme. In this case, the duration will be a maximum of five years. |
| Languages |
Catalan, Spanish and English |
| Places available | 20 |
| Organized |
Departament of Communication |
| Calendar and time schedule | From September to June. |
| Location | Communication Campus - Poblenou |
Admission requirements to the Communication PhD programme
In order to be admitted to Communication PhD Programme offered by UPF, candidates must provide accreditation that they have obtained an accredited undergraduate degree (Bachelor degree or recognised equivalent degree from an accredited Higher Education Institution). Moreover, they have to proof that they have obtained or are in position to obtain an accredited graduate/master's degree (equivalent to a Spanish Master Universitario/Oficial, Master's of Research.... ) which enables them to access a Phd programme in their home country.
In order to access a doctoral programme at UPF, you need to have completed 300 ECTS credits, 60 of those have to correspond to an official graduate, research orientated master's programme.
Mandatory documents to be submitted
- A photocopy of the undergraduate degree/diploma or Certification/proof of degree completion (Bachelor degree or recognised equivalent degree from an accredited Higher Education Institution).
- (If the diploma or the academic transcript are not written in Catalan, Spanish, English, French, Portuguese or Italian, you will also have to include the respective sworn translations into Catalan or Spanish).
- (If the diploma or the academic transcript are not written in Catalan, Spanish, English, French, Portuguese or Italian, you will also have to include the respective sworn translations into Catalan or Spanish).
- A photocopy of the official final undergraduate transcript.
- (Those students who have taken official studies at the UPF do not need to submit their academic records).
- (If the diploma or the academic transcript are not written in Catalan, Spanish, English, French, Portuguese or Italian, you will also have to include the respective sworn translations into Catalan or Spanish).
- (Those students who have taken official studies at the UPF do not need to submit their academic records).
If you have finished your Master's degree when you formalise your application, you will need to send us the following documents:
- A photocopy of the graduate/master's degree/diploma or Certification/proof of degree completion.
- A photocopy of the official final graduate/master's transcript .
However, if you have not yet completed your graduate/master's studies when formalising application, you will need to provide us with the following documents:
- A signed declaration of obtaining your graduate/master's degree before the commencement of the master's programme
- A photocopy of the provisional graduate/master's transcript.
- (Those students who have taken official studies at the UPF do not need to submit their academic records).
- (If the diploma or the academic transcript are not written in Catalan, Spanish, English, French, Portuguese or Italian, you will also have to include the respective sworn translations into Catalan or Spanish).
Students holding a Spanish DEA (Diploma de Estudios Avanzados) according to RD 778/1998 / Suficiencia Investigadora according to RD185/1985 or an undergraduate degree of 300 ECTS credits (such as Medicine...) will not need to have completed a master's degree.
All candidates must also present the following mandatory documents (please provide a photocopy):
- At least two letters of recommendation, preferably from PhD lecturers at prestigious Universities.
- A memorandum, which shall consist of no less than 1500 words, which shall include a description of the topic and the subject of the study proposed by the student, why they consider it appropriate for development at UPF, whether it falls within any of the department's lines of research, also indicating the foreseen length of time required to complete the research, its objectives and, when applicable, the methodology to be employed and the basic bibliography. The memorandum shall be submitted in Catalan, Spanish or English.
- Identity Card or Passport.
Optional supporting documents
- Research background
- Proof of English language knowledge:
- Certificate accrediting knowledge of the English language
- An essay by the candidate written in English explaining motivations for applying to the research project in any of the research lines, with a maximum length of 2 pages.
- Test Graduate Record Examination (GRE) (in English). Please introduce the institutional UPF code (4977) so ETS can send us your scores.
- The Graduate Studies Admission Test (EXADEP) (in Spanish)