PhD in Clinical and Health Psychology

Why do this PhD?

Do you want to contribute to the knowledge of mental health problems?

Are you interested in researching the psychological aspects of health?

Do you want to respond to a clinical problem that can improve care for people with psychological problems?

Do you want your research to reach the audiences that can benefit from it?

The Doctorate in Clinical and Health Psychology offers lines of research on highly topical topics, such as developmental psychopathology, neurocognition and social cognition, eating behavior, body image, obesity and chronic pain.

Students are incorporated into highly competitive research teams led by internationally recognized principal investigators. Doctoral students have the opportunity to apply for FPI, FPU and AGAUR scholarships in these teams and to use and expand the research data of ongoing projects.

Only 10 students are admitted each year, which facilitates contact and cooperation between them, and allows personalized attention.

Experts from international universities offer seminars throughout the year.

The program promotes the preparation of theses by compendium of publications.

Professional opportunities

This PhD programme provides the following principal career options:

• Advanced research in clinical psychology.
• Teaching clinical psychology.
• Participation in research teams.
• Working as a professional with rigour and a critical approach.
• Advisory services to healthcare and education authorities.
• Healthcare worker in the public sector.
• Achieving higher professional qualifications and better employment opportunities and salaries.

Potential workplaces.

• Public and private universities.
• Research institutes.
• Mental health research units in hospitals.
• Mental health centres.
• Public health and education authorities at national, regional or local level.
• Institutions related to epidemiological studies, planning of services, programmes on health promotion and disease prevention.
• Hospital services (neuropsychology, sleep, endocrinology, psychiatry, child psychiatry, etc.).
• Justice, welfare and family centres.
• Technical departments in NGOs.
• Professional practice in clinical psychology.

Testimonials

This program allows me to learn and to prepare me in the world of academia and research, being able to transfer what I have learned to my practice as a psychologist.

Marta Robles

The PhD programme has been a rewarding educational experience. UAB is highly recommendable for its research opportunities.

Nithya Shankar Krishnan

A doctorate to break stigmas and in favour of diversity.

Raquel Monllor

This postgraduate course has reinforced my academic and research skills, with the offer of updating through seminars, congresses and activities of coexistence with other doctoral students.

Valeria Escobar

The PhD programme is an opportunity to grow professionally and personally. I thank this program for having reached the end.

Soledad Castillo

Coordinator

Joan Deus Yela

Composition of the academic tribunal for the PhD programme

Joan Deus Yela
Beatriz Olaya Guzmán
Estel Gelabert Arbiol
Adrià Pérez Aranda

Administration

Clinical Psychology and Health Departmental SecretarySchool of Psychology, building BCampus de Bellaterra08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona)Contact: M. Cristina Prats Vilarós Phone: 93 581 23 19 doc.psico.clinica@uab.cat

Thesis supervisor/s and academic tutor/s

Additional information about the programme faculty can be found at the bottom of this page.

Thesis supervision and thesis tutoring

Additional information

See the specific research topics covered in each line in Research topics.

Consult the professors of the programme.

Admission application

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

• From February, 10 to March, 21
  • RESOLUTION maximum by the School of Doctorate: April, 30
• From April, 4 to May, 30
  • RESOLUTION maximum by the School of Doctorate: June, 27
• From June, 10 to July, 31
  • RESOLUTION maximum by the School of Doctorate: October, 3

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

In order to access the PhD in Clinical and Health Psychology, it will be necessary to have an official Spanish degree or equivalent, and a Master's Degree in the field of clinical psychology or health. Students who have a master's degree in areas related to clinical and health psychology, such as Medicine (Psychiatry), Education Sciences, Health Sciences or Social Sciences, can also be admitted, with the approval of the Academic Committee of the PhD programme.

This PhD programme has the following requirements.

• Curriculum vitae showing the applicant has sufficient knowledge and skills to carry out research in clinical psychology.
• Doctoral thesis project in consonance with the lines of research of this programme.
• Practical viability of the planned supervision of the doctoral thesis. Admission is conditional on a member of the Department expressing willingness to act as thesis supervisor or tutor.
• Proven knowledge of one of the following languages: Catalan, Spanish or English, in the case of students from countries with other languages (level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

The doctoral programme’s academic committee may require applicants to take up to 30 credits for bridging courses in research methodology and/or initiation to research, preferably from the subjects on the master's degree in Research in Clinical and Health Psychology.

Selection criteria

The Academic Committee of the Doctoral Programme, meeting for this purpose, will select the students who will finally enter the programme according to the following general criteria:

1- Suitability of the candidate's background, curriculum and presentation to undertake a doctorate in the field of clinical psychology: 30%.
2- Academic qualifications and the possibility of obtaining a pre-doctoral contract: 25%.
3- Full-time dedication to the programme: 25%.
4- If necessary, personal interviews may be carried out as a complement to the selection process: 20%.

Training supplements

The Academic Committee of the Doctoral Programme, depending on the training of the student entering the Programme, may require a maximum of 30 credits of complementary training, in the areas of research methodology and/or initiation to research, preferably among the following subjects of the Master's Degree in Research in Psychology Applied to Health Sciences:
- Methodology of Research in Applied Psychology: quantitative, observational and qualitative methods 9 ECTS
- Psychometric and data analysis models in applied psychology 6 ECTS
- Critique and analysis of research in clinical psychology 9 ECTS
- Initiation to research 15 ECTS

Registration and fees

Calendar and Registration documents

After the registration

Training activities

Transversal training activities

Mandatory and optional specific activities

For this PhD programme the following training activities are scheduled.
 

Mandatory activities:

• Oral presentations or posters at national or international conferences
  PhD students must give an oral or poster presentation on aspects of their doctoral thesis at a national or international conference on clinical psychology or a related area.

• Attendance at a minimum of 20 hours of seminars or lectures given by experts in the subject area
  Students must attend seminars or lectures on clinical and health psychology or a related area, given by experts. Students must also attend the defense of at least two doctoral dissertations of the programme.

Optional activities:

• Research paper sent to a high-impact scientific journal
  Students must write a research paper on aspects of their doctoral thesis and submit this, as lead authors, for publication in a high-impact scientific journal.

Typologies and Research Ethics

Internationalization

Foreign residencies

PhD thesis under joint international supervision

International Doctoral Research Component

Evaluation and annual review

Thesis deposit

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, 30 2025. If your thesis is a compedio thesis, it will be approved, if appropriate, by the Programme Committee in May.

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

All PhD students

• 01 - Examining board proposal (the signature is not necessary)
• 13 - Activities document
• 20 - Examining board: curriculum vitae of the external members of the Department (single file)
• 44 - Turnitin report
• 45 - Affidavit

International Doctoral Research Component: Mandatory documentation if requested

• 09 - International Doctoral Research Component: 1 report of the external member
• 10 - International Doctoral Research Component: 2 report of the external member
• 12 - International Doctoral Research Component: curriculum vitae of the last 5 years with publications, projects and theses directed by the two external experts

Compendium of publications: Mandatory documentation if requested

• 05 - Compendium: Application for the presentation of the thesis as a compendium of publications
• 06 - Compendium: First page of the articles (or certificates) proving their next publication (single file)
• 07 - Compendium: Acceptance of the co-authors doctors and renouncement of the non-doctor co-authors (single file)

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

• 11 - Resolution if the thesis is written in other language than Catalan, Spanish or English

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 2015-16
• Monitoring report on the programme 2021-22

Accreditation

Renewal process for the implementation of the degree: presentation, every 6 years since the implementation of the program, of a self-report for AQU-Catalunya to issue the binding assessment for the University Council, which is the responsible agent of accreditation.

• Self-evaluation report
• Accreditation report
• Resolution on accreditation by the Universities Council
• Registry of Universities, Centres 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 following awards and honours have been awarded in relation to this PhD programme.

• Prof. Neus Barrantes-Vidal,  head of the UAB research group "Person-environment interaction in the risk and resilience for mental health", received the ICREA Acadèmia Award of excellence in research granted by the Catalan Government on two occasions: 2012 and 2023.
• Prof. Joan Deus Yela, coordinator of this PhD programme ,received the 2013 Prize for Experimental Neuropsychology from the Clinical Neuropsychology Consortium (CNC).
• Dr. Lorena Chanes, lecturer in this PhD program, received the ICREA Acadèmia Award of excellence in research granted by the Catalan Government on 2022.