PhD in Romance Languages and Cultures

Why do this PhD?

Why do this PhD?

If you have a good knowledge of at least one foreign Romance language in Spain (in particular, French, and Italian, but also Portuguese, Galician, etc.) you can write a doctoral thesis in and about that language.

You can analyse any linguistic aspect, from phonetics to vocabulary.  You can also study the artistic and cultural achievements produced in the language or languages in which you wish to specialise. You can compare your language of study with any other language you know from around the world (either because you have studied it in depth or because you are a native speaker).

At the UAB you will have a multilingual environment and an international scope. You will find specialists in different languages, and you will be able to access an extensive and varied collection of documents.

Come and reflect on how to teach and learn a language, how to create an electronic dictionary or a specialised glossary, how to analyse speech, how to study a literary work or an event, whether historical, social or cultural, from the perspective of the language in which it is described. Research how certain people or events have left a permanent mark on the language.

Professional opportunities

Employment opportunities

• Interlinguistic and intercultural mediation
• Multilingual communication
• Monolingual and bilingual lexicography
• Cultural management
• Linguistic and literary consultancy
• Advanced research in Romance languages and literature
• Teaching/learning of foreign languages
• Translation (especially literary and cultural translation)

Testimonials

This doctoral program has given me the opportunity to make the most of my knowledge in different fields of philology and carry out linguistic research from a multilingual perspective.

Yauheniya Yakubovich

During my PhD thesis at the UAB I was able to work with Catalan, French, Belgian and Swiss specialists to discover the verbotonal correction method. Try it, it is well worth it.

Syrine Daoussi

Coordinator

Lorraine Baqué Millet

Administration

UISAD - Integrated Unit of Administrative Support - PHILOLOGIES

Building BFaculty of Arts and Humanities08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona)Tel. +34 93 581 12 16uisad.filologies.tercer.cicle@uab.catContact: Marta Cantero

Thesis supervisor/s and academic tutor/s

Thesis supervision and thesis tutoring

Admission application

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

• From February, 10th to March, 21st
  • RESOLUTION maximum by the School of Doctorate: April, 30th
• 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

This PhD programme is aimed primarily, though not exclusively, at students who have taken the following programmes.

• Bachelor's degree + master's degree in one or more Romance languages (philology, translation, linguistics, foreign-language teaching, etc.).
• Bachelor's degree + master's degree in literature and culture of one or more Romance languages (philology, literary theory and comparative literature, etc.).
• Bachelor's Degree + master's degree involving natural language processing or information and communication processing (computer science, applied mathematics, engineering), together with studies of one or more Romance languages.

Other studies at the same level, as stipulated in RD 99/2011, and with similar content, may also be taken into consideration.

Applicants who are not native speakers of a Romance language must provide proof of having at least level B2 in one.

Selection criteria

This PhD programme applies the following evaluation criteria.

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 Romance Languages and Cultures applies further criteria for evaluating applications, which are detailed below along with their weighting.

• Academic record 40%
• Affinity to the PhD programme in Romance Languages and Cultures: Research Project: 40%
• Mastery of the language to be used in studying towards the doctoral thesis (as demonstrated by official certificates or an interview): 10%
• Curriculum Vitae (grants or other funding obtained for studies/research, research stays abroad, professional experience, publications, attendance at conferences): 10%"

After applying the above criteria, the programme's academic committee will notify applicants in writing of the decision on admission to the programme, and will inform them of any bridging courses that they will need to take during their first year on the programme, as detailed in section 3.4 of the application form.

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 conferences given by experts in the area of knowledge
  Students must attend seminars or conferences indicated or programmed and participate in the associated activities in each case (e.g. written summary of the conference).

• Presentation of the research project at a seminar
  An hour-long seminar addressed to other PhD students about the research project being undertaken.

• Presentation of a paper (poster or oral) at a national or international conference
  Students must justify the presentation of a paper (oral or poster) at a national or international conference (with a scientific committee and published conference report).

Optional

• Production of a research article sent to a high impact scientific journal
  Students may opt to publish a research article in an indexed 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

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 july, 18th, 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
• 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.