Program objectives and general structure

The University of Barcelona’s (UB) Doctorate in Mathematic comprises a set of activities that provide an advanced education and lead to the preparation of a doctoral thesis on one of the program’s research lines. Each student is overseen by a thesis supervisor who endorses the learning activities and guides the research.

The program consists of a training period and a research period. Each of these periods is accessed independently. The program has been adapted to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) since the 2006-2007 academic year. It is based on the former UB Doctorate in Mathematics (in Spanish Diploma of Advanced Studies [DEA] format). The program was first awarded Quality Award by the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA) in 2004. This recognition has been renewed every year since then.

Access and admission to each of the program’s periods is independent. Admission to the training period does not imply admission to the research period. In each academic year, there are two periods in which students can apply to the program: one in October and one in February. The precise deadlines are established in the yearly calendar.

This course is part of the UB's Official Postgraduate Program in Mathematics, which is coordinated by the Faculty of Mathematics. The Faculty's three departments are involved in this program: Algebra and Geometry, Applied Mathematics and Analysis, and Probability, Logic and Statistics. They are responsible for the learning activities undertaken in the Faculty's doctoral courses. Their 14 lines of research are supported by 39 research projects or competitive research groups, and 59 potential thesis supervisors are available. Thus, there is great potential for interdisciplinarity, as well as the opportunity to apply for various types of research grant (FPU, FPI, FI, APIF, etc.). In addition, two European research and education networks participate in the program.

In the CHE Ranking of Excellent European Graduate Programmes in the Natural Sciences and Mathematics (Working paper No. 99, February 2008, Centre for Higher Education Development), the University of Barcelona is included in the "Excellence Group of Mathematics". It has been awarded one gold and two silver medals under this scheme. The UB is one of the two Spanish universities and the only Catalan university to have received this recognition in mathematics.

Doctoral students will benefit from all the advantages offered by the Faculty of Mathematics, including an excellent location in the centre of Barcelona, one of the best mathematics libraries in Spain, which has a major historical collection of specialised books and journals. The Library provides electronic access to almost all of the international journals on mathematics and related areas. In the Faculty, postgraduate students have their own study room, which is equipped with computers connected to the Internet, as well as printers and Wi-Fi. In addition, the faculty has a program of grants that are available for its postgraduate students to attend learning activities.

The program is regulated by the Royal Decree 1393/2007 and the UB’s General Regulations for doctoral studies. The Doctoral Program Committee, whose members include representatives of all of the departments involved, is responsible for running the program and is chaired by the program Coordinator.

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