PhD in Comparative, Political and Social History

Why do this PhD?

The PhD Programme in Comparative, Political and Social History provides training for doctoral theses that make a significant contribution to knowledge in the areas of Modern History, Contemporary History, Economic History and Library and Information Science.

This programme, in which three UAB departments participate, stands out for being the only one specifically in Modern History and Contemporary History in the Catalan university system. It is structured in seven lines of research, integrated by professors with accredited research experience, which allow the development of a wide range of research in political, social, economic and cultural history, in national, transnational and comparative dimensions.

The PhD programme organizes a series of training activities - seminars, conferences and lectures - that facilitate the preparation of theses and complete the academic training to start a post-doctoral research activity or to facilitate insertion in other professional activities.

The research groups of excellence linked to the programme have a wide network of relations with groups and institutions in Europe and America, which enables doctoral students to obtain the International

Professional opportunities

This PhD programme provides the following principal career options:

• Teaching in higher education within the EHEA.
• Research.
• Specialist Journalism.
• Museum studies.
• Archive studies.
• Cultural management.
• Consultancy services.
• Politics

Testimonials

This programme offers a wide range of research options and allows you to enter the world of research in a fully personalised way.

Natalia Vilà

I consider that the PhD has a thematic and chronological flexibility that has allowed me to write a thesis based on my interests.

Jaouad Jabri

The Ph.D. allowed me to get a Margarita Salas postdoctoral contract at the Université Paris VIII. An intellectually exciting experience.

Jordi Sancho

Coordinator

José Luis Betrán Moya

Composition of the academic tribunal for the PhD programme

• Dr. José Luis Betrán Moya
• Dr. Xavier Domènech i Sampere
• Dra. Pilar Cid Leal
• Dr. Ignasi Fernandez Terricabras
• Dr. Arnau Gonzalez Vilalta
• Dr. Bernat Hernández Hernández
• Dra. Alberta Toniolo
• Dr. Jordi Pomés i Vives
• Dr. Francisco Veiga Rodriguez

Administration

Deparment of Modern and Contemporary History

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Building B,  UAB Campus

08193 BELLATERRA (Cerdanyola del Vallès)

Phone: +(34) 93 581 13 70

E-mail: uisad.art.historia.musicologia.doctorats@uab.cat

Contact person: Montserrat Moreno Garriga

Coordinator: José Luis Betrán Moya

E-mail: JoseLuis.Betran@uab.cat

Phone: +(34) 93 586 81 65 

Thesis supervisor/s and academic tutor/s

Thesis supervision and thesis tutoring

Admission application

This PhD programme has, for the 2024-2025 academic year, the following pre-registration periods:

• From September, 1 to October, 13
  • RESOLUTION maximum by the School of Doctorate: November, 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

Successful completion of the official UAB master's degrees in Contemporary History, History of Catalonia, Economic History, or Archive and Records Management.

Consideration is also given to equivalent qualifications from other universities, especially if these universities have mobility and exchange agreements in place with this PhD programme.

We recommend that students have a good command of a foreign language: English or another language that is useful for a particular research task. CEFR level B2 is considered recommendable, though not a requirement.

Selection criteria

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

• Affinity of previous studies with the field of modern and early modern history (50%)
• Academic transcript (20%)
• Personal interview (30%)

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:

• Attendance at seminars or lectures given by experts in the subject area
  The aim is both to stay abreast of new knowledge and to forge links with research groups and projects This activity consists of lectures, debates, round tables, seminars and conferences, both at the UAB and outside it. It is assessed on a pass/fail basis.

• Participation at doctoral conferences
  This activity consists of lectures, debates, round tables, seminars and conferences. It is assessed on a pass/fail basis. Attendance records are kept and passed on to the PhD programme administration. Teaching staff from other universities who are involved in lines of research linked to this programme are invited to participate.

Optional activities:

• Research paper sent to a high-impact scientific journal
  This adds to the discipline's knowledge base and demonstrates students' ability to integrate knowledge. Credit is given for articles published in scientific journals, preferably those that are indexed. In the latter case quality indicators should be supplied. Credit is also given for reaching a wider public by publishing in magazines or books for non-specialists. Greater value is placed on articles with key publishers in the discipline and in journals of recognised quality.

• Research stays in public or private centres, at home or abroad
  Here, the aim is to keep pace with new scientific developments and acquire teamwork skills and the ability to adapt to new social and intellectual environments. Students engage in research in libraries, archives and document repositories, liaising with or supervised by another academic institution. To this effect agreements are in place with several centres and different types of mobility grants are available.

• Participation in internal seminars organised by the research group or the department
  Students may attend ordinary meetings or sessions on planning and strategy held by the research line or group they are assigned to. In this way they get used to working in a team and become familiar with scientific planning strategies and basic administrative routines.

• Symposiums for young researchers
  These can consist of different activities: giving presentations or participating in event organisation. Some of these events have become a tradition within the discipline, especially those held by societies and other groups.

• Participation in workshops or courses on methodological specialisation
  These should be regulated academic activities that are directly related to the discipline. Free access is provided to the websites of the institutions delivering these courses. PhD students with scholarships may take the courses provided by the UAB's Unit for Innovation in Higher Education Teaching (IDES)

• Oral presentations or posters at national or international conferences
  This activity adds to the discipline's knowledge base and demonstrates students' ability to integrate knowledge. It consists of presenting a paper at a symposium, conference or seminar. We recommend students to opt for events whose proceedings are published, on paper or on digital media, with the required ISBN or ISSN.

• Presentation of a paper at a departmental symposium
  This consists of presenting a paper at a symposium, conference or seminar. It means taking direct responsibility for a part of the event, a sign of acceptance into the scientific community. We recommend students to opt for events whose proceedings are published, on paper or on digital media, with the required ISBN or ISSN.

• Course on language competence for scientific communication
  This includes courses on foreign languages, whether general or for specific purposes, or as preparation for a research stay. Other activities are workshops on writing skills or learning to use computer tools. For learning languages we recommend that students use the Language Service of the UAB, though courses offered by private schools, the Official Language Schools (EOI) and the Cervantes Institute are also acceptable. Other courses on communication should always be officially regulated.

Typologies and Research Ethics

Internationalization

Foreign residencies

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) 10 dies 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 July 18, 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

• 01 - Examining board proposal (the signature is not necessary)
• 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

Compendium of publications: Mandatory documentation if requested

• 08 - Compendium: Resolution of acceptance by the CAPD

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

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.