Call for applications

A total of 20 positions are available in the 2020/2021 edition of the Doctoral Programme in Network and Information Technologies, including both students enrolled on the distance mode of the programme and students awarded a competitive grant to do it.

This programme includes an internal call for applications for grants for the doctoral programme. These grants are reserved for students enrolled on the face-to-face mode. Grants are not available for students enrolled on the distance version of the programme.

General requirements

To be admitted to the organized research period of the Doctoral Programme in Network and Information Technologies, students must meet both the general University and specific programme requirements.

To this end, students must first submit proof of meeting one of the following sets of requirements:

a)    Hold a an official university master's degree issued by a higher education institution in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and have passed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits out of all official university courses.

b)    Hold an official Spanish university degree, or one from an EHEA member country, that allows them admission to a master's course, and have passed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits out of all official university courses, of which at least 60 must be at the master's level.

c)    Hold an official Spanish graduate degree of at least 300 ECTS credits in line with EU legal regulations.

d)    Candidates with degrees from education systems outside the EHEA, whose degrees do not require homologation (official recognition by the Spanish Ministry of Education), must hold a level of education equivalent to Spanish university master's degrees that authorizes admission to doctoral studies in the country issuing the degree.

e)    Be a university graduate and have passed with a positive assessment at least two years of education on a programme to be awarded the official degree of any of the health sciences specialities.

f)     Hold a Spanish doctoral qualification in accordance with the previous university system.

g)    Be a graduate, architect or engineer and be in possession of the Advanced Studies Diploma (DEA), awarded in accordance with the provisions of Royal Decree 778/1998, of 30 April 1998, or have obtained research proficiency, regulated in Royal Decree 185/1985, of 23 January 1985.

Candidates who have not successfully completed the initiation to research credits for a university master's degree programme will have to take those bridging courses specified by the programme, if any.

The continued enrolment on the doctoral programme of candidates who hold only an official university bachelor's degree that, in accordance with EU law, consists of 300 ECTS credits or who have not taken and successfully completed at least 20 initiation to research credits as part of a university master's degree programme is contingent on the successful completion of the relevant bridging courses for the initiation to research module, pathway or subjects for the corresponding training period.

Admission requirements

In addition, candidates who are not citizens of English-speaking countries are required to accredit their level of English as equal to or higher than level B2 in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Part-time (online) doctoral programme candidates who do not reach the required level will have the opportunity to gain admission to the doctoral programme with level B1 if they agree to achieve level B2 before the research project is delivered at the end of the first year. If the student does not achieve this level, their research project cannot be approved, with the consequences as established in the regulations.

If the student applies for a grant, they will have to accredit a level equal to or higher than B2 from when they make the application. In any event, the ability that candidates display when providing a clear explanation in English about their academic projects will also be taken into consideration by the academic committees during the selection process.

The UOC School of Languages offers English courses to achieve the minimum levels required to gain admission to the different doctoral programmes (B2). 

If the candidate has been schooled or has completed a bachelor's or master's degree (or equivalent condition for admission to the doctoral programme) in English as a vehicular language in a country where English is the official language, their level will be recognized as correct for admission to the corresponding doctoral programme.

The UOC accredits a knowledge of English through level tests for this language conducted online, which can be accessed via this link. A score of between 72 and 94 accredits a level that corresponds to that of B2 in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. To take this test, you need to specify the code that corresponds to the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya: 4418. This code does not exempt the student from payment of the cost of the exam and corresponding fees.

The student may also demonstrate their English language skills with another official qualification that accredits a level equivalent to or higher than the one required. You can use this equivalency table to consult examples of qualifications that correspond to these levels.

Fulfilment of the aforementioned requirements does not guarantee admission to the doctoral programme. These requirements are prerequisites to participate in the competitive call for applications for admission to the doctoral programme.

If you do not meet the general admission requirements and would like to earn any of the following master's degrees, or any other official university master's degree with an initiation to research pathway, you can use the following addresses to learn more about the admission requirements:

In the case of the two latter master programmes, which do not have a specific research track, the doctoral students will have to take and pass 12 complementary ECTS credits on introduction to research within the first academic year.

Admission documents

All candidates who apply to be admitted on a doctoral programme at the UOC should submit the following documents:

-       A photocopy of their DNI, NIE or passport.

-       A statement of interest  in which the candidate makes a short presentation of their career and explains the candidate's specific reasons for applying to the programme (their motivations), a description of their research interests and the links with the research group. 

-       A letter of endorsement (optional) that appears in the name of research that supports the personal doctoral project, as well as its intention to be your tutor.

-       A curriculum that describes the programmes and master's degree or postgraduate courses the candidate has taken that are related to the research interests described in the statement of interest and, if applicable, a description of previous scientific output.

-       An example of a recent academic paper (in Catalan, Spanish or English).

-       Academic certificates for the doctoral student's previous training, which state the subjects taken and the mark obtained, the sitting, the kind of subject, the number of credits and the average mark in the academic transcript, if this has not been submitted to prove that the admission requirements have been met.

-       Certificate of the level of English required by the doctoral programme.

-       Documents that prove that the candidate meets the admission requirements, you will find more information on this section within the Office's Secretary Campus. 

In the case of university qualifications obtained in higher education systems outside the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and not homologated (officially recognized by the Spanish Ministry of Education), the university degree must be authenticated via diplomatic channels (or, if necessary, in a Hague Convention apostille). When certificates, degrees and academic transcripts are not written in an official language of the Spanish state or in English, these documents must be accompained by their sworn translation into Catalan, Spanish or English. Failure to provide these documents or the fact that the details they contain do not match what was stated in the

Once the admission documentation has been reviewed and your application accepted, admission to the programme depends on your presenting the official documentation. 

Evaluation criteria
Candidates shall be scored on a 100-point scale, to be weighted as follows:
  • A maximum of 25 points for the undergraduate academic transcript (or equivalent). If the weighted average of the transcript (using the number of credits for each course as the weight for each mark), is calculated using the habitual scale: 0 for Fail, 1 for Pass, 2 for Good, 3 for Merit and 4 for Distinction, points shall be assigned as follows:
    • 0 points if the mark is less than 1.
    • 5 points if the average mark is between 1 and 1.5.
    • 10 points if the average mark is between 1.5 and 2.
    • 15 points if the average mark is between 2 and 2.5.
    • 20 points if the average mark is between 2.5 and 3.
    • 25 points if the average mark is 3 or above.
  • A maximum of 15 points for the masters-level academic transcript (or equivalent). If the weighted average of the transcript (using the number of credits for each course as the weight for each mark), is calculated using the habitual scale: 0 for Fail, 1 for Pass, 2 for Good, 3 for Merit and 4 for Distinction, points shall be assigned as follows:
    • 0 points if the mark is less than 1.
    • 4 points if the average mark is between 1 and 2.
    • 8 points if the average mark is between 2 and 2.5.
    • 12 points if the average mark is between 2.5 and 3.
    • 15 points if the average mark is 3 or above.
  • A maximum of 10 points for prior scientific production by the candidate, with the following weighting:
    • 10 points if the candidate accredits a work published or accepted in a JCR-indexed journal (or another reference index that the Academic Commission considers valid).
    • 8 points for a work published or accepted in a non-JCR-indexed journal or another reference index that the Academic Commission considers valid), as long as the publication process for the journal involves peer review.
    • 6 points for a work published or accepted at an international conference with peer review.
    • 4 points for a work published or accepted at a national conference with peer review
    • 2 points for a final thesis in a research-oriented masters degree.
  • A maximum of 5 points for accrediting a level of English equal to or higher than B2 in the European Common Reference Framework (ECRF):
    • 5 points for accrediting a level of English of C2 in the ECRF, for example: 96 or more points on the Internet-based TOEFL, Cambridge University Certificate of Proficiency in English, or 7.5 or higher on the IELTS examination
    • 3 points for accrediting a level of English of C1 in the ECRF, for example: 79 or more points on the Internet-based TOEFL, Cambridge University Certificate of Advanced English, or 6.5 or higher on the IELTS examination
    • 1 point for accrediting a level of English of B2 (minimum level required by the programme) in the ECRF, for example: 65 or more points on the Internet-based TOEFL, Cambridge University First Certificate in English, or 5.5 or higher on the IELTS examination
  • A maximum of 10 points for the letter of introduction: 4 points for correct composition of the letter and 6 points for adequately justifying the relevance of the proposal or the candidate's research interest to the research lines indicated in the call for applications.
  • A maximum of 10 points for the personal interview: The candidate's knowledge of the programme, interest in its research lines and the consistency of the interview with the letter of introduction shall be assessed. A faculty member who is responsible for the preferred research line expressed in the candidate's application and at least one other faculty member who is also a member of the Academic Commission for the programme shall participate in the interview.
  • A maximum of 10 points for the suitability of the training, experience and the relevance of the candidate's research interests to the programme and to one of its research groups and lines. This scoring system is consistent with that stated in the Regulations for UOC doctoral studies. These points shall be assigned based on the letter of introduction, the personal interview and the documentation submitted by the candidate.
  • A maximum of 5 points for references: 1 point for each of the references supplied (up to three) and 2 additional points for submitting complementary information (such as curriculum vitae, personal or academic relationship to the candidate and letters of recommendation).
  • A maximum of 10 points for other qualifications submitted by the candidate, such as accreditation of prizes, patents, grants, research fellowships at reference centres or prior professional experience in R&D+i.

The minimum score for admission to the programme is 50 points based on the aforementioned criteria. In the event of insufficient candidates with scores of at least 50 points in a call for applications, positions shall remain unfilled. Regardless of the total score obtained, at least one point in English is mandatory for admission to the programme.

Places in the programme will be awarded taking into account the available positions in each of the research lines being offered. Therefore, more competitive lines may require a higher score for admission than other lines once the candidates have been ranked by score. In any case, a minimum score of 50 points will be required for all lines.

Research lines

Check the research lines and thesis proposals of the Doctoral Programme in Network and Information Technologies by clicking on this link.

Calendar

1 December 2019: Start of the application period for grants and admission to the doctoral programmes.

12 February 2020: Aplication period deadline

May 2020: Publication of the list of candidates of the UOC grant recipients.

June 2020: Publication of the list of candidates admitted to the programmes.

June 2020: Start enrolment period 2020-21.

September 2020: Teaching starting academic course 2020-21.

Welcome and Information Service

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Teaching starting: September 2021
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