PhD in Gender Study: Cultures, Societies and Policies

Why do this PhD?

The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona is co-founder of the Inter-University Programme in Gender Studies, the aim of which is to train people to carry out excellent research in the field of feminism, women, gender and sexuality through interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary approaches. Promoted by the Inter-University Institute for Women's and Gender Studies, it was created in the 2014/2015 academic year. 

The research and advanced training community of our Interuniversity PhD Programme at the UAB is particularly outstanding for: 

• Having 7 leading and innovative research lines that cover the most essential areas of Gender Studies.  

• High-quality teaching staff who excel in high-level research activities, both nationally and internationally. 

• A wide range of consolidated research groups recognised by the Government of Catalonia.  

• The interdisciplinary and inter-university nature of the programme makes it unique and solid. 

• Accurate follow-up mechanisms for doctoral students that provide an annual assessment of their progress.  

• Individualised attention to doctoral students by the thesis supervisors, the technical administrative management, and the academic coordination of the programme.

Professional opportunities

• National and international research in subject areas related to gender and intersectional studies.
• Teaching in government-regulated education (university and secondary schools) and non-regulated education.
• Drawing up equality plans in public administration.
• Heading observatories on equality in academic and professional institutions.
• Designing cultural events and programmes in the area of gender and equality.

Coordinator

Enrico Mora
Department of Sociology
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
08193 Bellaterra
Phone: 935 812 493
e-mail: Enrico.Mora@uab.cat

Composition of the academic tribunal for the PhD programme

Anna Villarroya (General Coordinator of the program, UB)
Enrico Mora (UAB Coordinator)
Dolors Comas d’Argemir (URV Coordinator)
Gerard Coll-Planas (UVic-Central de Catalunya Coordinator)
Teresa Cabruja (UdG Coordinator)

Administration

Secretary of the Sociology Department
B Building. B3b-141 Office
Campus Bellaterra
08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona
Phone 0034 935811152
Mail: coordinacio.doctorat.genere@uab.cat
Sociology Department website

Thesis supervisor/s and academic tutor/s

• Territory, migration, globalisation
  This brings together the research into territory and the population in aspects such as mobility,  multiculturalism, community, wellbeing, the relation between the global and the local, from a critical and intersectional perspective.
  
  Teaching staff:
  Mireia Baylina (mireia.baylina@uab.cat)
  Maria Dolors Garcia Ramon, (mariadolors.garcia.ramon@uab.cat)
  Anna Ortiz (anna.ortiz@uab.cat)
  Maria Prats (maria.prats@uab.cat)
  Isabel Salamaña (isabel.salamana@udg.edu)
  Elisabet Almeda (elisabet.almeda@ub.edu)
  Susanna Tavera (tavera@ub.edu)
  Rosa Tello (rosa.tello@ub.edu)

• Work, time and markets
  Interdisciplinary reflections developed by historians, economists, specialists in business organisations, sociologists, geographers, social and cultural anthropologists, pedagogues, specialists in theory and history of communication and experts in public law and historical-legal sciences.
  
  Teaching staff:

  Cristina Borderías (cristina.borderias@ub.edu)
  Elisabet Almeda (elisabet.almeda@ub.edu)
  Encarna Bodelón (encarna.bodelon@uab.cat)
  Verena Stolke (verena.stolke@uab.cat)
  Mireia Baylina (mireia.baylina@uab.cat)
  Maria Dolors Garcia Ramon (mariadolors.garcia.ramon@uab.cat)
  Anna Ortiz (anna.ortiz@uab.cat)
  Maria Prats (maria.prats@uab.cat)
  Sara Moreno (sara.moreno@uab.cat)
  Isabel Salamaña (isabel.salamana@udg.edu)
  Susanna Tavera (tavera@ub.edu)
  Rosa Tello (rosa.tello@ub.edu)
  Pilar Carrasquer (pilar.carrasquer@uab.cat)
  Teresa Torns (teresa.torns@uab.cat)
  Imma Pastor (imma.pastor@urv.cat)
  Cristina Carrasco (cristina.carrasco@ub.edu)

• Identities, relations and groups: social constructions and rights
  This includes areas that involve different identities: corporal, personal, social. It deals with the emotional, family relationships and the politics that emerge around them, inequalities that they generate and the policies and legislation that attempts to regulate them.
  
  Teaching staff:
  Meri Torras (meri.torras@uab.cat)
  Elisabet Almeda (elisabet.almeda@ub.edu)
  Teresa Cabruja (teresa.cabruja@udg.edu)
  Encarna Bodelón (encarna.bodelon@uab.cat)
  Verena Stolke (verena.stolke@uab.cat)
  Gerard Coll-Planas (gerard.coll@uvic.cat)
  Eva Espasa (eva.espasa@uvic.cat)
  Mireia Baylina (mireia.baylina@uab.cat)
  Maria Dolors Garcia Ramon (mariadolors.garcia.ramon@uab.cat)
  Anna Ortiz (anna.ortiz@uab.cat)
  Maria Prats (maria.prats@uab.cat)
  Isabel Salamaña (isabel.salamana@udg.edu)
  Susanna Tavera (tavera@ub.edu)
  Rosa Tello (rosa.tello@ub.edu)
  Aurora Leal (aurora.leal@uab.cat)
  Montserrat Moreno (montserrat.moreno@ub.edu)
  Genoveva Sastre (genoveva.sastre@ub.edu)

• Social movements, activisms, gender politics
  The perspective of gender has enriched studies of social mobilisations, political institutions and cultures as well as the processes of social development in which women play a leading role in contemporary society. This reinforces the critical capacity of the history of women and gender, which played a pioneering role in establishing these studies in Spain.
  
  Teaching staff:

  Elisabet Almeda (elisabet.almeda@ub.edu)
  Cristina Borderías (cristina.borderias@ub.edu)
  Encarna Bodelón (encarna.bodelon@uab.cat)
  Verena Stolke (verena.stolke@uab.cat)
  Noelia Igareda (noelia.igareda@uab.cat)
  Susanna Tavera (tavera@ub.edu)
  Rosa Tello (rosa.tello@ub.edu)
  Gerard Coll-Planas (gerard.coll@uvic.cat)
  Montserrat Duch (montserrat.duch@urv.cat)
  Joana Zaragoza (majoana.zaragoza@urv.net)

• Power relations and patricarchal violence
  Due to its complexity this lines combines various focuses. From a  multidisciplinary perspective legal, sociological, educational and historical aspects are considered. It is centred on the physical, psychological, discursive and symbolic violence in interpersonal space and in the workplace and institutions. It also includes actions, movements and initiatives that offer support to the people affected following the situation of violence and its prevention and eradication.
  
  Teaching staff:

  Meri Torras (meri.torras@uab.cat)
  Teresa Cabruja (teresa.cabruja@udg.edu)
  Encarna Bodelón (encarna.bodelon@uab.cat)
  Verena Stolke (verena.stolke@uab.cat)
  Jenni Cubells (jenni.cubells@uab.cat)
  Enrico Mora (enrico.mora@uab.cat)
  Noelia Igareda (noelia.igareda@uab.cat)
  Barbara Biglia (barbara.biglia@urv.cat)

• Education and values
  This lines is designed to carry out research that will allow the establishment of a continuity between the private and academic life of the students, giving them values that will allows equal relationships between the sexes and in social environments. Research into the construction of new circuits that allow students to move from their own private spaces to acquire scientific and cultural knowledge. One of the main objectives is to highlight the knowledge of oneself and that of people in the same environment to create a universe of knowledge that is closer to real life experiences.
  
  Teaching staff:
  Barbara Biglia (barbara.biglia@urv.cat)
  Pilar Carrasquer (pilar.carrasquer@uab.cat)
  Teresa Torns (teresa.torns@uab.cat)
  Isabel Carrillo (isabel.carrillo@uvic.cat)

• Health: promotion, technologies and diversity
  This lines proposes the study of ideas about health, illness and dependencies treated from different perspectives: historical studies and beliefs in the notion of illness and the medical professions, especially in relation to women's bodies. Physical and psychological conditions which appear today, dependent people and the consequent need for care. The role of women and the institutions in these areas.
  
  Teaching staff:
  Dolors Juvinyà (dolors.juvinya@udg.edu)
  Gerard Coll-Planas (gerard.coll@uvic.cat)
  Teresa Cabruja (teresa.cabruja@udg.edu)

• Language, communication and artistic production
  This line covers female and male representations which are either explicitly or implicitly found in art in our society: literature, theatre, cinema and the media such as TV and the press, etc. It also refers to the different ways in which these media are taken on by the public from a gender perspective; sexist orientation of language, discourses and the literary figures that make up an important part of our culture. Finally, literature written by women which allows an understanding of the the external and internal world, culture and experiences as women.
  
  Teaching staff:
  Meri Torras (meri.torras@uab.cat)
  Montserrat Palau (montserrat.palau@urv.cat)
  Iolanda Tortajada (iolanda.tortajada@urv.cat)
  Elisabet Rusell (elisabet.rusell@urv.cat)
  Coral Cuadrada (coral.cuadrada@urv.cat)

Thesis supervision and thesis tutoring

Thesis supervision

PhD thesis supervisor

At the time of making the admission proposal, the academic tribunal of the PhD programme assigns the PhD candidate a thesis supervisor, and this figure will be responsible for the coherence and appropriateness of the activities, impact and innovation in the subject field of the thesis and will guide the planning and adequacy of the research to other projects and activities.

The designation of a thesis supervisor may fall on any Spanish or Foreign PhD with accredited research experience independently of the university, centre or institution in which they work. At the same time, each PhD programme may establish additional criteria as necessary for the PhD thesis supervisor.

The supervisor's responsibilities are the following:

• Try to ensure that the project is original, innovative and viable, under the terms of the rules, and also that it is coherent with the group or line of the research to which it is linked.

• Agree to the plan for the supervision of research work and plan regular meetings. The supervisor informs what documents are required for each meeting (written reports, messages, minutes, handwritten papers etc) to be able to accredit the frequency of the meetings.

• Advise the PhD candidate on the research in general and the preparation of the thesis in particular.

• Indicate to the PhD candidate the most appropriate activities for their research when the PhD programme has been identified and sign the activities document.

• Facilitate the candidate's participation in the specific and transferrable training activities for the PhD programme in accordance with that established in the commitment document.

• Sign the commitment and activities document for the PhD candidate.

• Assist the PhD candidate in the definition of the PhD research project and the research that will eventually culminate in the PhD thesis.

• Revise and sign the research plan for the thesis.

• Undertake to regularly supervise in accordance with the commitment document, the research plan for the PhD candidate, and help them to focus the project while it is being carried out.

• Try to ensure that the PhD student takes the initiative and achieves increasing autonomy throughout the project.

• Assist the PhD candidate to find solutions for different aspects related to their research and establish the specific details and the means required and, where necessary, the experimental design.

• Let the PhD candidate know about all the means available to them at the University that are important for their research and help them to access them.

• Write the forms required for the annual review.

• Read, correct and comment on the draft thesis before it is deposited, on the conditions that the candidate has provided a copy a reasonable time beforehand.

• Ensure that the candidate understands the administrative and academic requirements for the assessment and defence of the thesis as well as the corresponding deadlines throughout the process.

• Communicate health and safety rules to the PhD candidate where necessary.

• Communicate any rule or ethical aspect that may be related to their research.

The designation of the thesis supervisor may be modified at any time during the PhD programme: whenever there are justified reasons the supervisor may reject supervision of the thesis (in which case the academic tribunal for the programme will suggest a replacement); on petition of the PhD candidate where there are justifications for doing so the academic tribunal of the PhD programme may change the designation of the PhD supervisor.

Thesis supervisors outside the PhD programme

Thesis supervisors who are not lecturers at the UAB or who have not been appointed as a thesis director must accredit their own PhD qualification and research experience, i.e. specific details of publications, research projects they have worked on and any other information relevant to the lines of research proposed on the PhD programme. Once the above supervisor has been approved, the academic tribunal for the PhD programme may authorise their incorporation into the programme as a possible thesis supervisor (or assign them to a single doctoral thesis).

Each PhD programme must establish which other lecturers, whatever their category as long as they are not included in the programme, are able to supervise the thesis.

Joint supervision of the PhD thesis

The PhD thesis may be supervised by other PhD holders where there are academic arguments for doing so (such as interdiscplinarity of the subject or national or international programmes) with the prior authorisation of the academic tribunal of the PhD programme. This authorisation may be withdrawn at a later date if, in the opinion of the academic tribunal, the joint supervision is not beneficial to the progress of the thesis.

A PhD thesis may be jointly supervised by up to three PhD holders.

Maximum number of theses per supervisor

Each supervisor may supervise a maximum of five PhD theses simultaneously. The supervision of the PhD thesis concludes at the time the thesis is presented and defended or if the PhD candidate withdraws. In terms of recognition of the teaching and research dedication in situations of joint supervision these should be divided equally.

Recognition of thesis supervision

One essential way to encourage thesis supervision is by ensuring that this task is recognised and valued: something that the UAB regulations achieve. The approval of the Academic Workload Model for UAB Teaching Staff by the Governing Council on 13 December 2017, significantly improved the system used to calculate and take account of supervision tasks. Article 10.3 stipulates that the supervisor of a doctoral thesis is to have 100 hours recognised per thesis supervised. If supervision is carried out by more than one person, this recognition is shared equally between them.
 

Thesis tutoring

At the time of application the academic tribunal of the programme will assign the candidate an academic tutor. The academic tutor must be a doctor with accredited research experience, linked to the programme in which has been admitted the doctoral student..

The academic tutor has the following responsibilities:

• Ensure coherence in the tasks of the PhD candidate and supervisor and the research group.

• Provide communication between the PhD student and the academic tribunal of the PhD programme.

• Ensure the appropriateness of the PhD training and research activity to the programme and the norms of the School for Doctoral Studies.

• Sign the commitment and activities document for the PhD candidate.

• Check and sign the PhD research plan.

• Write the reports required for the annual review.

The academic tribunal of the programme can establish, where possible, that the academic tutor can also be the thesis supervisor.

The designation of the academic tutor may be changed at any time during the PhD course: on the part of the PhD candidate, where there are justified reasons; on the part of the thesis supervisor, where there are justified reasons. In these cases the academic tribunal of the PhD programme has to propose a new tutor.

Admission application

Admission

The UAB PhD programs are onsite.

Candidates who wish to access a PhD programme must apply to the academic committee for admissions using the online application form and follow the procedure established by the coordinators or administrative managers responsible for the PhD programme for the proposal of a tutor and thesis supervisor.

Before starting the application, please check in the section “Requirements and Criteria”, the access requirements, as well as the timetable for the application. In the section “Guidelines and direction” you will find information about academic tutors and thesis directors.

We recommend that you check this video before starting the application (video in Spanish; click on the CC button to display the English subtitles):

 

Summary fo the steps to follow in your application:

1. To acces the application form, you will need a university identificaction number (NIU) and a password. To obtain these:

• If you are not a UAB student, enter identification details to register.
• If you are currently a UAB student or have studied at the UAB before, you haver a university ID number (NIU) and you remember your password, go straight to your application.
• If you are already or have been a UAB student, but you cannot remember your NIU and/or your password, reénter your identification details to recover them.

1. Enter your personal and academic data in the different sections of the application form. Your name and surname(s) must be the same as those shown on your ID card, passport, NIE.
2. Attach all the documents required by this program. The documents are attached in .pdf, .jpg or .doc format (maximum 4 MB). Failure to include the requested documents in each of the specific sections of the application may lead to the denial of your application.
3. In the application you must indicate

• the type of stay: full time or part time.
• If the program asks you to attach the proposal, you have to inform the screen Proposta doctorand/a the person you propose as tutor and for the direction the person/s who accept the direction of your thesis. If it is a program requirement, you must also include, filled out and signed, a document stating the approval of your thesis supervisor / academic tutor (if the director is external to the UAB, you will first have to check , when you do the pre-registration, if you already appear as an internal director -you have to search for the director by last name and if you find him/her with a code, you have to select him/her since already registered-). In case you do not find it and the director is external to the UAB, it is necessary that you send him/her the external director document, fill it in and sign it. This document must also be attached to the application. It is recommended to do this procedure in time before applying for admission. Check the documentation section of your program that you will find in the 'Admission' tab to see if the program has a specific document model. If the program does not ask for this proposal, you can leave the fields of tutoring and direction of the thesis without informing.
• You must also indicate the line of research.
• If you need an early admission due to the request or award of a grant, it is necessary to indicate it in the observations field and indicate the name of the grant. The coordination of the program, depending on the situation, will resolve your early admission, if necessary.

1. Connect to sia.uab.cat, make the application and attach all the required documentation.
2.  Save the application on the last screen of the process. If you want, you can download the proof of the application for admission. You will receive the resolution of the application via the e-mail address you indicated in the application.
3. You can check the status of your application by going to your application.

 

CONSULT SOME INDICATIONS THAT MAY BE USEFUL for you to pre-register online

CHECK THE DOCUMENTATION SECTION BELOW IN CASE YOUR PHD PROGRAMME REQUIRES YOU TO DO ANY OTHER MANAGEMENT BEFORE STARTING THE PRE-REGISTRATION AND YOU WILL ALREADY BE ABLE TO ACCESS THE PRE-REGISTRATION APPLICATION

Once your application has been saved, you will enter the selection process. You will receive the result of the resolution in a personalized way in the email that you indicated in the application for admission, according to the schedule of the doctoral program. Check the spam tray to verify that it has not been treated as junk mail.

The applicant must contact the Coordination of the PhD Programme, through the mail coordinacio.doctorat.genere@uab.cat, BEFORE pre-registering online.

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

• From June 24th to June 30th
  • RESOLUTION maximum by the School of Doctorate: October 3rd
• From July 15th to July 21st - CLOSED (PLACES SOLD OUT)
  • RESOLUTION maximum by the School of Doctorate: October 3rd

Documentation necessary for admission

Applicants must be able to accredit before the coordinators or academic managers of the PhD programme that their previous studies are sufficient for access to a PhD programme in accordance with prevailing legislation and must provide this obligatory documents relatet to previous studies (degree and academic certificates). In the section ‘General access requirements’ you can also consult all the access routes to the doctoral program that the current regulations allow.

The required documents may be presented in Catalan, Spanish or English. Any documents issued in French, Italian or Portuguese can be presented as translations carried out by the UAB Language Service - Idiomes UAB Campus. Applicants must organise their own translations and pay for them. For documents issued in any other language, they must be presented as translation into Catalan, Spanish or English by a sworn translator, working for any diplomatic or consular service of Spain abroad or the Spanish consular or diplomatic representation of the applicant’s national country.

To legalise the documentation accrediting studies carried out abroad, follow the procedure set out in the 'Legalisation' section on this website. Non-legalised documents may be presented for admission to the PhD programme even though legalisation will be required for the registration stage.

Compulsory Documents for admission

Documents	Format
Previus studies	Consult what documentation and how to attach it.
Authorization  to consult Spanish university degrees to Ministry	Authorization  Attach this document in order to avoid submitting the documentation of your previous Spanish studies for enrollment.
Picture of the face with a white background	Picture (.jpg) maximum 15Kb
DNI/NIE/PASSPORT	Scanned DNI/NIE card. If you are a foreign student, an authentic copy of the PASSAPORT, if you do not have a TIE/NIE card.
Specific program documents	See the following table of documents
Application form for part-time PhD studies (document in Spanish)	Part-time request
If you have a functional diversity equal to or greater than 33%, in order to apply to the permanence regime in the program	Attach the certificate this condition.

If you attach the documentation in other formats than the electronic one (without CVS or QR), you will have to submit the documentation before you can self-enroll for the 2025/26 course.

 

Check the internal registration circuit (in Spanish) for the PhD programme in Gender Study: Cultures, Societies and Policies.

Compulsory Documents

Documents	How to attach in the computer application
Mandatory documentation for access that is reported on this website
Motivation letter (include what will be the financing system during the period of completion of the PhD)	Motivation letter
Curriculum vitae (specify the training in Gender Studies)	CV
A document of a maximum of five pages specifying what your previous training is, in which line of research of the PhD programme you want to be admitted, and a summary of the objectives that you want to develop.	Motivation letter
Language level accreditation	Foreign language certification
Letter of endorsement from a teacher as a potential principal	Letter of endorsement
Document suitability of extrenal directors	Document suitable

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

In general, to gain access to an official PhD programme the candidate must hold a Spanish degree or equivalent and a Master's degree.

Access may be granted where the following cases apply:

• Hold an official Spanish university degrees or equivalent Spanish degrees provided that at least 300 ECTS credits have been passed in all of these courses and accredit level 3 of the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education.

• Hold a title obtained in accordance with foreign educational systems belonging to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), without the need for its homologation, which accredits a level 7 of the European Qualifications Framework provided that said title authorizes access to studies of PhD in the issuing country. This admission will not imply, in any case, the homologation of the previous degree held by the interested party or its recognition for purposes other than access to PhD studies.

• Hold a degree obtained in accordance with foreign educational systems outside the EHEA, without the need for its homologation, after verification by the university that it accredits a level of training equivalent to that of the official Spanish university Master's degree and that it authorizes in the country of issuance of the title for access to PhD studies. This admission will not imply, in any case, the homologation of the previous degree held by the interested party or its recognition for purposes other than access to doctoral studies.

• Holder of of another title of Doctor.

• Likewise, university graduates who, after obtaining a place in training in the corresponding entrance test to specialized health training places, have passed with a positive evaluation of at least two years of training in a program to obtain the Official title of one of the specialties in Health Sciences.

Admission to the PhD programme is decided by the Rector and depends on having passed the bridging courses, where they exist.

Specific access requirements

In addition to the general entry requirements, the Academic committee of the programme has established the following requirements and criteria:

1. Entry from the following Masters degrees: Official masters Degree in Women's Studies, Gender and Citizenship and from the Masters degrees belonging to the branches of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences of the participating universities (UB, UAB, UdG, UVIC-UCC, URV).
2. From other national and international masters degrees related to the content of the PhD programme and in accordance with the specificness of the the studies or the candidate and their adaptation to the lines of research of the programme.
3. For foreign students, a level of understanding of Catalan and/or Spanish equivalent to the Spanish Diploma (intermediate level) B1 (Catalan)
4. B1 level of comprehension of one of the other foreign languages used in the programme, especially English or French
5. Have the endorsement of a director of the PhD Program (director's commiment). If you do not have the guarantee, you must contact the coordinator of the program

Selection criteria

Selection and admission of students will be carried out by the Academic Committee of the PhD in Gender Studies: Cultures, Societies and Politics, in accordance with the following table:

1. Entry qualification (0 to 2 points according to the following criteria):
   1. From the following Masters degrees. Official Masters Degree in Women's Studies, Gender and Citizenship (EDGC) and from the Masters degrees belonging to the branches of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences of the participating universities (UB, UAB, UdG, UVIC-UCC, URV). (UB, UAB, UdG, UVIC-UCC, URV) (2 points)
   2. Other national and international masters degree related to the content of the programme, valued between 0 to 2 points depending on the  specificness of the the studies or the candidate and their adaptation to the lines of research of the PhD in Gender Studies: Culture, Societies and Politics.
2. Academic transcript of Bachelor's degree (up to 4 points depending on grade averages). The average grade will be scored between 0 and 4 points divided by 2 or between 0 and 10 points divided by 5. Correction criteria will be applied for foreign qualification in accordance with the ANECA programme.
3. Masters degree academic transcript (up to 4 points according to grade average). The average grade will be scored between 0 and 4 points divided by 2 or between 0 and 10 points divided by 5. Correction criteria will be applied for foreign qualification in accordance with the ANECA programme.
4. Letter of motivation, research proposal and letter of recommendation (up to 2 points)
5. Curriculum vitae (up to 4 points), taking into account:
   1. Previous research experience in any of the areas targeted by the theoretical and practical parts of the PhD programme (up to 1 point).
   2. Previous work experience in any of the areas targeted by the theoretical and practical parts of the PhD programme (up to 1 point).
   3. Previous publications, attendance at conferences and other activities related to the PhD programme such as participation in excavations, artistic activities, activities related to the management of culture and heritage, field work, etc.  (up to 1 point)
   4. Have been awarded a competitive grant (not mobility or general grants) for the Masters degree (up to 1 point)
6. Have held a previous PhD grant (3 points) or have applied for one at the time of admission (1 point).
   These are grants such as FI or FPU or equivalent, or competitive grants from other countries. Evaluation of the economic viability of the research.
7. Other academic merits (periods abroad, languages such as English, French, Portuguese, Italian or German (up to 1 point).

Registration and fees

Registration

Each academic year the PhD candidate must register for the annual review as part of the administrative process to form a contract between the PhD student and the university.

First year Registration

Registration in the first year should be done once the decision is made and no longer than one month after the date of admission. Check the information about procedure, calendar, documents and prices on this page.

Prior to registration, please check the additional information and indications on the registration procedure.

Here is a video to show you how to self-register:

(Video in Spanish with English subtitles)

Calendar and Registration documents

Calendar and registration documents

Calendar

When the PhD applicant is accepted onto a PhD programme they must formalise the PhD review registration document in a period of not more than one month after being accepted. The following courses must be registered for within the established registration period:

Registration calendar

• First year registration
• Registration for subsequent years

Registration documents

PhD applicants should bring the following obligatory documentation when registering at the School for Doctoral Studies. Check the documentation on this link.

The documents may be presented in Catalan, Spanish or English. For documentation in French, Italian or Portuguese, you can send it to the Language Service at the UAB. The applicant is responsible for the getting the documents translated and paying for the service. For other languages you need to provide a translation in to Catalan by a sworn translator, any diplomatic or consular service of Spain abroad or the Spanish consular or diplomatic representation of the applicant’s national country.

To legalise the documentation that accredits the courses taken abroad, please check the 'Legalisation' section (in Spanish). Nevertheless, at the time of pre-admission or admission the doctoral student may submit the non-legalised documentation although it must be legalised by the time the students registers.

After the registration

When PhD students have registered they need to use the UAB Intranet self-enrolment system or follow the instructions of the programme coordinator or administrator to produce the statement of commitment, the activities document and the research plan. This section describes the nature of these documents and the way in which they should be prepared.

There is also other information that should be taken into account when carrying out doctoral research, such as the annual review, part or full time study and cases of withdrawal from the programme.

• Statement of commitment

  The statement of commitment is a written agreement that establishes the relationship between the PhD candidate, the supervisor, the academic tutor and the UAB, and the rights and responsibilities of each.

  Within a maximum period of three months from the date of admission to the PhD programme, and when the coordinator has assigned the PhD student a supervisor, the conditions are negotiated between the student, the supervisor and the academic tutor, agreeing the conditions of collaboration between the student and the thesis supervisor, their obligations, the corresponding dedication of the student, supervisor and tutor, and systems of resolving conflicts etc. , through a statement of commitment which must be signed by the PhD student, the thesis supervisor and the academic tutor and programme coordinator.

  As far as the signing and custody of the document is concerned the indications established by the programme coordinator or administrator should be followed but, in any case, when the document is signed, the PhD student must digitize it into Sigma, in the "Research Plan" tab. In the tutorial for the UAB self-enrolment system you will find instructions on how to attach it.

  Where the statement of commitment cannot be completed as a result the circumstances of the PhD student, the registration will be cancelled and there is no right to a refund of the fee.

• Activities document

  During the preparation of the doctoral thesis the student must carry out a series of activities that will help their academic development, and which have been previously identified by the academic committee of the PhD programme. There are two kinds of activity: Compulsory and optional.

  The activities document is the individual register for controlling the PhD activities.

  Within three months from the date of admission to the PhD programme, the PhD students must agree with the programme coordinator the activities they will undertake during the preparation of the thesis. The compulsory activities are already included in the activities document; however, the optional activities must be registered for according to the procedure indicated by the programme coordinator or administrator.

  The type and number of activities may be modified later using the same procedure, but they must be approved by the thesis supervisor and the academic tutor and also have the approval of the PhD programme coordinator, and recorded in the activities document.

  To justify that the activities have been successfully completed the PhD student must hand over a certificate to the supervisor and, where necessary, follow the indication of the coordinator or administrative staff to include the certificates in the activities document.

  Since in order to deposit the PhD thesis, the academic tribunal requires the PhD candidate, among other things, to have done all the activities included in the activities document, it is a good idea for the PhD student to ensure that they are duly recorded and marked as having been completed in the activities document.

  The tutorial for the UAB self-enrolment system explains how to introduce activities in the activities document. It can be accessed through the UAB Intranet self-enrolment scheme.

   

  If you did not find in these pages the information you need, you can contact the Doctoral School at ed.matricula@uab.cat.

• Research plan and doctoral training plan

  The PhD academic coordinator establishes the content of the research plan for the PhD programme, including at least the methodology and objectives to be achieved by the PhD candidate and the means and timescale planning for the research.

  Once it has been written it must be attached to the PhD transcript through the UAB Intranet system for approval by the thesis supervisor and the academic tutor. In the tutorial for the UAB self-enrolment system you will find instructions on how to attach it.

  Finally it must be presented jointly with the research plan approval and doctoral training plan request form (you will find the document model at the bottom of this page), filled in and signed, to the academic tribunal of the programme which will undertake to evaluate and, where appropriate, approve it.

  The research plan may be improved, have details added or be corrected during the PhD programme. Where this is the case the same procedure must be followed but using the research plan and doctoral training plan modification request form (you will find the document model at the bottom of this page).

• Annual monitoring

  Every academic year, the academic tribunal of the programme organises a review in which s panel of three PhD lecturers evaluates the progress of the PhD candidate in their research plan, the activities document and a report by the supervisor of the PhD thesis and the academic tutor.

  Information about the annual review for this PhD programme is available in the "Review" section of this programme website.

  The tutorial for the UAB self-enrolment system explains how to access the system and manage your PhD transcript.

• Other aspects to be taken into account: 

  Full or part time

  The PhD programme is a minimum of two years full time and a maximum of three years full time counted from the date of admission to the programme to the deposit of the thesis in the School for Doctoral Studies.

  However, the academic tribunal for the PhD programme may authorise the student to undertake the PhD on a part-time basis, which means a maximum duration of five years from the date of admission to the deposit of the PhD thesis.

  During the first two years of the PhD, counted from the date of admission, the PhD student may request a modification of the dedication to the programme from the academic tribunal, as long as this can be justified. If authorisation is granted, the academic committee will inform the School for Doctoral Studies of this change.

  However, in exceptional and documented cases the Doctoral Committee may approve a change outside that time period.

  Whether the PhD candidate participates in the programme on a full time or part time basis is approved and recorded when registering, in the statement of commitment and in the research plan, and any variation thereof must be made in accordance with the procedure established in the research plan.

  
  Code of good practice

  The UAB is committed to the objective of achieving excellence in teaching, research and knowledge transfer, and supports the development and use of learning methodologies adapted to each stage.

  The School for Doctoral Studies, as an integral part of the UAB, subscribes to that commitment and sets it out in the code of good practice, which is understood as a code of values and principles that inspire its activities and adhered to by all those taking part in them. It should therefore be understood that the School for Doctoral Studies has an internal set of rules including the rights and responsibilities of the supervisors, academic tutors and PhD candidates.

  Download here the signature form of the code of good practice.
   

  Non-continuation and withdrawals

  Regardless of whether the PhD programme is followed on a full or part-time basis, the calculation of research activity does not include sick leave, maternity leave or any other cause contemplated in the current rules for doctoral studies. Where PhD students find themselves in any of these situations they must communicate this to the academic tribunal of the PhD programme, which will inform the School for Doctoral Studies so that the total time spent on the programme may be calculated.

  Additionally, the PhD student may request temporary leave for a maximum period of one year, extendable to two years. The request must be justified and sent to the academic tribunal of the PhD programme which will decide whether or not to grant the leave. Each PhD programme has its own conditions regarding the reincorporation of the student to the programme.

  
  Tutorial for the UAB self-enrolment system

  The tutorial for the UAB self-enrolment system explains how to access the system and manage your PhD transcript

Training activities

Transversal training activities

The PhD programmes include research training that is both transversal and specific to the area of each programme and consists of both compulsory and optional activities.

All the activities that the PhD student must complete are recorded in an activities document, but in any case there are compulsory activities that must be completed in the first academic years. It may also include transferrable activities offered by the same university.

Other professional who are not PhD holders may participate in these activities as long as they hold a relevant qualification in the corresponding area.

Erasmus
You can also do other mobility, under the Erasmus programme, both studies and internships. Check the information in the corresponding links.

To include these activities in your academic record, please check this video (click on the subtitle icon at the bottom right corner).

Mandatory and optional specific activities

This PhD programme includes the following training activities:

Obligatory:

• Preparation of at least one scientific article or one book chapter approved for publication (compulsory activity of the Programme at the interuniversity level).
• Attendance at a scientific congress (compulsory activity at the UAB level).
• Presentation of a communication in a scientific congress different from the one attended (compulsory activity at the UAB level).

Optional:

• Attendance at courses (seminars, summer schools) specifically designed for the thesis (20 hours)
• Participation in conferences and academic meetings (30 hours)
• Research periods at other universities and research institutions (480 hours)

Typologies and Research Ethics

The aim of this set of good research practices is to get an idea of the regulatory framework for activities linked to research and which follow the directives set out in the Statutes of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, based on principles of freedom, democracy, justice, equality and solidarity. This commitment therefore involves orientating the teaching, research and other university activities towards a culture of peace, respect for human rights, social progress, respect for the environment and sustainable development, and the explicit renouncement of research for military ends.

• Good Research Practices: this is a set of points for action, recommendation and commitments when carrying out research.

• Good PhD Practices: is a set of recommendations and commitments that should serve a guide for PhD candidates in their dual role of students and trainee researchers.

• Institutional Biosafety Committee: technical committee made up of experts in evaluating the safety of facilities and activities conducted with biological agents, in identifying any type of potential risk and in ensuring that all regulations relevant to biosafety are met.

• Ethics Committee on Animal and Human Experimentation (CEEAH), establishes mechanisms and procedures to ensure experimentation is complies with prevailing legislation.

• Good Open Acces Practices, good practices of Catalan universities to meet the Open Acces's mandates about publications, as specified on the 'Ley de la ciencia española' and the European Union's Horizon Europe.

•  is a European initiative providing access to a complete range of information and support services to researchers wishing to pursue their research careers in Europe or remain connected to research activities in Europe. 

Internationalization

Foreign residencies

PhD students can progress further in their area of research through stays abroad, which may, when appropriate, come within the framework of bilateral joint-supervision agreements with a foreign university (thesis under joint international supervision) and within the International Doctoral Research Component. Stays abroad can also be made under Erasmus agreements.

Stays with Erasmus

You can make stays abroad (mainly in Europe) with both Erasmus Studies and Erasmus Internships. In the following links you will find the call and the calendars to request them:

• Erasmus Studies
• Erasmus Internships

PhD thesis under joint international supervision

On the proposal of the academic tribunal for a PhD programme, the UAB may  make agreements with foreign universities or centres of higher education that are authorised to award PhD qualifications for the purpose of preparing the PhD thesis.

In that case the PhD student will carry out research under the control and responsibility of a thesis supervisor in each of the institutions in the agreement, and these in turn will each award the PhD qualification on the basis of a single thesis.

Joint supervision agreements may only be signed during the first year of the research work, counted from the day the student is accepted on the PhD programme.

The period for working on the thesis will be split between the two centres and the minimum stay at the UAB must ne a total of nine months, which may be divided into shorter periods.

See the detailed application procedure for joint international supervision (in Spanish).

International Doctoral Research Component

The PhD qualification may also include the International Doctoral Research Component, as long as the following conditions are fulfilled:

• During the training period necessary to obtain the qualification of PhD, the candidate must have been outside Spain for a minimum of three months in a or more higher education institutions or research centers of prestige, and have carried out research or study there. The period and the activities must be assessed by the supervisor and approved by the academic tribunal, and must be included in the students' PhD activities report. The period may be divided as long and the total is not less than three months (90 days) and one of the stays has a minimum of 1 month..

• Part of the PhD thesis, at least the abstract and conclusions, must be written in one of the usual languages for scientific communication in that field of knowledge, different from any of the official languages in Spain. This regulation does not apply when the periods abroad, the reports and the experts involve a Spanish-speaking country.

• That at least two PhD holding experts from a non-Spanish higher education institution or research centre have submitted their reports on the PhD thesis.

• That at least one of the experts belongs to a non-Spanish higher education institution or research centre, holds a PhD, and is different from the person responsible for the period abroad, formed part of the PhD examination panel.

• The defence of the PhD thesis must take place at the Spanish university where the candidate is registered or, in the case of joint doctoral programmes, in any of the participating universities or under the terms stated in the collaboration agreements.

See the detailed application procedure for the International Doctoral Research Component (in Spanish).

Evaluation and annual review

Annual PhD review

Once the PhD student is accepted on the programme, they must register every academic year (including the year when the thesis is deposited) in order to confirm their status. The subject registered for is called review, and it is an evaluation of the training received during the year and progress on the writing of the PhD thesis.

Each academic year the academic committee arranges a review, in which three PhD holding lecturers assess the progress made by the candidate in their research plan and activities document and the report by the thesis supervisor and academic tutor. In the report, the director and the academic tutor state, at least, that the candidate has fulfilled the number of meetings arranged between themselves and the thesis supervisor and has carried out the activities planned for that academic year.

In exceptional cases (research stays or work camps), and with a previous report from the thesis supervisor and from the academic tutor, the Academic Committee of the PhD programme may authorise substitute the oral and face-to-face presentation of the annual review by another format.

In accordance with current PhD regulations, the positive evaluation during the review is an essential requirement for continuing on the programme and registering for the following year. Failure to present an annual review with no justification will lead to the PhD candidates definitive withdrawal from the programme. If the annual review is negative the candidate may re-register for the same review within the registration calendar, make a new research plan and present for a new review in a maximum period of six months. However, if the new review is negative the candidate must withdraw from the PhD programme.

Thesis deposit

Online Deposit

In this section you will find the indications and the specific documentation of the programme, if applicable, that you must incorporate in your online deposit application. Check in advance what is the procedure to make the deposit online.

Once your application has been recorded and validated by the coordination of the PhD programme, you will be able to monitorise the deposited theses and the theses for which the examining board has been approved, as well as the agenda where the theses defenses are published.

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.

You must check the official calendar to adjust your deposit (pay attention to non-working periods). Likewise, we recommend that you check before that the information in Sigma is updated, complete and validated by your thesis supervisor. 

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 th. 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)
• Accredited research experience (research six-year period or equivalent) and CVs of the members of the tribunal and of the appraisers externs

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)

Information related to the thesis

Information related to the thesis

In this section you can find indications and / or regulatory aspects of your PhD programme, if applicable.
There are PhD programmes that have regulated the presentation of the thesis as a compendium of publications, how the constitution of the examining board should be, etc.

Internal Quality Assurance System of the centers

Internal Quality Assurance System of the centers

The process-based management system used by the UAB faculties and schools stems from a commitment to offering degrees with their own policy on quality and measures in place to evaluate and improve performance continuously, according to the European quality standards. These elements together make up this university's Internal Quality Assurance System (SGIQ).

This system involves all the following:

• Establishing and monitoring the faculty's policy and objectives regarding teaching standards, in accordance with the university’s strategic lines
• Establishing and renewing the offer of PhD programmes.
• Processes directly linked to teaching activity: tutoring, assessment, mobility, etc.
• Processes to gauge the level of satisfaction of the different groups.
• Processes linked to the people and resources needed: lecturers, administrative and service staff (PAS), infrastructure and services, course scheduling, academic organisation, etc.
• Processes linked to the life cycles of degrees: verification (evaluation before implementation), regular monitoring, modification (continuous improvement) and accreditation (evaluation of performance and renewal of the authorisation to continue offering the programme), which seek to organise, renew and improve the offer of PhD programmes.

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)

 

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

Special Prize Awards

The Special Prize Awards are awarded for each PhD programme among all the theses defended in an academic year, at the rate of one prize for every five theses or fraction thereof, without the need for the doctor to request it. The winners are entitled to a refund of the fee they paid for the application for the degree certificate and to an accrediting certificate..

The procedure is as follows:

1. A pannel appointed by the Academic Commission of each PhD programme makes the proposal of candidates for the Special Prize Award, following the criteria previously established by the same commission. You can do it up to three courses after the defenses.
2. The PhD Commission awards the prizes according to the proposals made by the PhD programmes.
3. The Doctoral School contacts the winners to refund the fee.
4. The certificates of the Special Prizes awarded in the previous PhD Commission are delivered in the PhD special prize award ceremony.

Check the prizes that have already awarded by the PhD Comission, ordered by defense course.

In this link you will find the doctors who have obtained the Special Prize Award in this PhD programme. Consult in this document (in Spanish) the criteria for granting Special Prize Awards for this PhD programme.