PhD in Catalan Language and Literature and Theatre Studies

Why do this PhD?

Whether your natural habitat is surrounded by books or on stage, on our PhD in Catalan Language and Literature and Theatre Studies you will find a space for professional and personal growth.

Why does this PhD exist?

The doctorate brings together the lines of research contained in two of the masters in which the Department of Catalan Philology of the UAB participates:

• Master's Degree in Advanced Catalan Language and Literature.
• Master's Degree in Theatre Studies.

On this programme you will find our specialised teaching staff in each of these areas and a personalised follow-up throughout your learning.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but how nice it is to hear a story by Pere Calders being read.

They say that everything about stories has already been written and invented, but what better challenge to prove that wrong, that literature is an infinite world.

They say that the Greeks invented theatre, but everything else has yet to be discovered and you are a very curious person.

They say that words are carried by the wind, but language endures from generation to generation and evolves just as we do.

We are waiting for you to join our PhD programme so that you can start to write your own itinerary.

Professional opportunities

This PhD programme provides the following principal career options.

• Teaching Catalan as a first or second language at all levels.
• Teaching Catalan literature at all levels.
• Cultural management in the public or private sector.
• Protocol and institutional relations.
• Language correction and advisory services in any medium or sector.
• Language planning institutions.
• Literary and theatre criticism.
• Publishing and advisory services to publishers.
• Audiovisual or written media, both traditional and ICT-based.
• Creation, production and programming in theatre.
• Application of the performing arts to social work, occupational therapy, education and acquisition of language and communication skills.
• Linking literature and theatre to music and the visual arts.

Testimonials

This programme is outstanding both for the quality of the teaching and because the UAB is a good university with a good library and a range of installations and resources.

Athenea Mata

Actress

Coordinator

Victor Martínez Gil

Composition of the academic tribunal for the PhD programme

The Academic Committee of the Doctoral Program in Catalan Language and Literature and Theater Studies is made up of the coordinator of the program, the person responsible for the Third Cycle of the Department of Catalan Philology and the representatives of the research lines of the program (area of literature , theater studies area, language and linguistics area, language history and standardization area), one of which acts as secretary.

Administration

UISAD - Integrated Unit of Administrative Support - PHILOLOGIES
Building B
Faculty of Arts and Humanities
08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona)
Tel. +34 93 581 12 16
uisad.filologies.tercer.cicle@uab.cat
Contact: Marta Cantero Rebollo

Thesis supervisor/s and academic tutor/s

List of external directors

Thesis supervision and thesis tutoring

Admission application

Applicants must contact the Coordination BEFORE doing the online pre-registration.

This PhD programme has, for the 2025-2026 academic year, the following pre-registration periods:

• From April, 4th to May, 30th
  • RESOLUTION maximum by the School of Doctorate: June, 27th
• From June, 10th to July, 31st
  • RESOLUTION maximum by the School of Doctorate: October, 3rd
• From September, 1st to October, 15th
  • RESOLUTION maximum by the School of Doctorate: November, 5th
• From October, 17th to November, 28th
  • RESOLUTION maximum by the School of Doctorate: December, 19th

Documentation necessary for admission

In addition to the documentation that each programme indicates, two documents (Other documents1 and Other documents2) that serve as a wildcard are attached for each programme so that the interested person can attach other documents that he or she considers appropriate or that the PhD programme indicates.

Admissions before the established period and pre-admissions

The Doctoral School, following the indications of the coordination of the PhD programme, can issue before the start of the term of admission of an academic course, or before the end of the term of resolution, letters of admission so that you can request a scholarship or to do the visa procedures in your country. It is only necessary that you enter your application in the computer application and that you indicate it in the Observations field, where you must indicate that you need a letter of admission and the scholarship to which you are opting. If the computer application is closed, you can contact the coordination of the programme.

If you need a preadmission, the coordination of the programme can issue it if it considers it appropriate. You must contact the coordination of the programme to inform you of the procedure.

On the International Support Service website you can see more information about future foreign students related to residencies in Catalonia, legal procedures and the UAB campus.

Monitoring your application

You can monitor your application using the same page as you made it. Below are the explanations of the different stages:

• Application made by student: your pre-registration has been saved.
• Incomplete application: there are documents missing from the application.
• Validated by the administrative office: the application and attached documents have been checked.
• Admitted: the coordinator has considered the pre-registration and proposed an offer or admission.
• Offer of admission: the Doctoral School has considered the proposals for admission made by the coordinator and has made a definitive offer. The PhD student will also receive an e-mail informing them of this decision. The PhD student must wait to register.
• Waiting list: the coordinator has considered the pre-registration and has agreed on admission but there are no places on the PhD course.
• Application rejected: the coordinator or the Doctoral School have considered the application but do not agree to admission as not all the requirements have been fulfilled.

If you need it, here you will find a complementary information document on PhD studies.

Requirements and selection criteria

General access requirements

Specific access requirements

The specific requirements of the programme aim to establish a PhD student profile that maximises the chances of success on the programme. In addition to the general requirements for admission to doctoral studies, the PhD programme in Catalan Language and Literature and Theatre Studies applies further criteria for evaluating applications, which are detailed below.

Selection criteria

The criteria used to assess applicants' merits in the selection process are as follows.

• Academic record and affinity of previous studies to Catalan Language and Literature and Theatre Studies (60%).
• Research experience in an area within the programme (research projects undertaken, publications, participation in conferences, membership of recognised research groups, etc.) (10%).
• Grants or other research funding obtained (15%)
• Academic stays in prestigious research centres (5%).
• Personal interview (10%)

If the academic committee detects any gaps in a candidate's academic background, it may require the candidate to obtain up to 30 ECTS credits on bridging courses.

Registration and fees

Calendar and Registration documents

After the registration

Training activities

Transversal training activities

Mandatory and optional specific activities

The programmed activities for this PhD are as follows:

Obligatory

• Attendance at seminars or talks given by experts in the area of knowledge
• Presentation of a paper in a departmental scientific journal
• Seminar presentation about the research project
• Participation in internal research group/departmental seminars

Optional

• Collaboration in teaching tasks (Grant holders)
• Production of  a research article sent to a high-impact scientific journal
• Language courses or course for improving the level of English in teaching
• Research periods at national or foreign, public or private centres
• Course in statistical techniques
• Participation in summer schools
• Participation in symposia for young researchers
• Presentation of a paper (oral or poster) at a national or international conference

Typologies and Research Ethics

Internationalization

Foreign residencies

PhD thesis under joint international supervision

International Doctoral Research Component

Evaluation and annual review

Thesis deposit

If you want to deposit the doctoral thesis in this PhD programme, remember that you must confirm the complete application (status DI) at least 2 months before the maximum thesis completion date that appears in your file.

Look out! If you want to deposit before the end of this academic year and thus not have to pay the fees for the next course, you must confirm your deposit request before june, 30th, 2025.

At the time of making your online deposit, you must attach these documents to your application, in the section "Attach documentation":

All PhD students

• External expert 1: Eligibility Document (thesis data deposit tab)
• External expert 2: suitability document (thesis data deposit tab)
• Court proposal (no need to sign) (deposit attached documents tab)
• Turnitin report (deposit tab attached documents)
• Sworn declaration of the Turnitin report (deposit tab attached documents)

Compendium of publications: Mandatory documentation if requested

• Compendium: Resolution of acceptance by the CAPD (thesis data deposit tab)

Writing a thesis in a language other than Catalan, Spanish and English: Mandatory documentation if requested

• Resolution if the thesis is written in a language other than Catalan, Spanish or English (attachment documents deposit tab).

Exemption from the two months prior to the thesis completion date:

• Authorization from the Doctoral School regarding the exemption from the two months prior to the thesis completion date.

Information related to the thesis

Internal Quality Assurance System of the centers

Verification

Evaluation process previous to the implementation of the degree: presentation of a proposal for a new PhD programme for AQU-Catalunya (Agency for the Quality of the University System of Catalonia) to issue the binding evaluation for the Council of Universities (Ministry of Universities), which is the responsible agent for verification.

• Report on the PhD programme
• Resolution on verification by the Spanish Universities Council
• Registry of Universities, Centres and Degrees (RUCT)

Monitoring

Periodic monitoring process of the development and results of the PhD programme: self-evaluation carried out, every 3 years, by themselves.

• Monitoring report on the programme

Accreditation

Degree implementation renewal process: presentation, every 6 years from the implementation of the programme, of a self-report so that AQU-Catalunya issues the binding evaluation for the Council of Universities, which is the body responsible for accreditation.

• Accreditation self-report
• Accreditation report
• Resolution of accreditation of the Council of Universities
• Register of Universities, centers and degrees (RUCT)

AQU VSMA Framework

Internal Quality Assurance System of the faculty

Set of processes to manage and monitor the different aspects of degrees, with the strategic objective of ensuring continuous improvement

• Internal Quality Assurance System
• Tutoring Action Plan (PAT)
• Standing Committee

Opina UAB

A channel for suggestions, complaints and praise regarding the functioning of the UAB

PhD data

• Satisfaction surveys of Doctors
• Satisfaction surveys of thesis supervisors
• Check here the results of the doctor's job placement survey
• The PhD figures

Recognition and awards

In this link you will find the doctors who have obtained the Special Prize Award in this PhD programme.

The lecturers M.Teresa Espinal Farré, Joan Mascaró Altimiras and Daniel Recasens Vives have received the ICREA Academia prize awarded by the Government of Catalonia (Generalitat).

Dr Alejandro Coroleu has received the ICREA Senior awarded by the Government of Catalonia (Generalitat).

The lecturers Joan A. Argenter, Gemma Rigau Oliver and Milagros Segarra Neira are members of the Philology Section of the Institute of Catalan Studies.