The Barcelona Winter Methods School (2026) consists of four courses focusing on web survey methodologies, digital data tracking in research and electoral analysis. The Winter School is combined with a catered-for workshop event where academics will share their research on the challenges of integrating new data types in online survey studies. 

The Barcelona Summer Methods School (2025) is a three-week intensive programme covering various topics on survey methodology and advanced statistical analysis of survey data. Introductory courses on Stata and R software are also offered. 

Participants can create their own programme at the Methods Schools by choosing the most interesting courses. The courses are generally taught in English by leading experts from universities around the world.

The Barcelona Winter and Summer Methods Schools are organised by the Research and Expertise Centre for Survey Methodology (RECSM), located at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona.

The Department has signed an agreement with the RECSM whereby students can select one or two courses per year depending upon the number of applications received (a maximum of 40 applications are financed each academic year). Students from the department must participate in person although the courses are also offered online.

As soon as the RECSM announces the winter and summer school courses, the Department will contact the students with instructions on how they can apply for the courses they wish to attend.

Attendance policy

Attendance is in-person for UPF PhD students.

Course withdrawal

Students who wish to withdraw their participation to an enrolled course before its starting date must duly notify the RECSM ([email protected]) with copy to the PhD Programme staff ([email protected]). Participants must inform of their course withdrawal by sending an e-mail at least two weeks before the beginning of the course.

Non-attendance

Students who do not show up in an enrolled course, or who drop out of a course before completing 50% of its sessions will be automatically charged for the cost of the course as we understand that this is a misuse of public resources.

Editions of the RECSM courses: https://www.upf.edu/web/survey/activities

Note:  The Department supports students to the best of its ability, within its budgetary limits, for their training in the speciality of their thesis. Once the thesis has been submitted for external assessment, the training period is understood to be over and no financial support will be granted for methodological courses, conferences and other expenses related to the completion of the doctoral thesis. In the specific case of RECSM courses (summer and winter courses), students who have already submitted the thesis for external evaluation or have made the deposit must finance the courses themselves, but may benefit from the student discount.