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Program Access Information

PhD in Engineering and Industrial Production

Information channels

Information for prospective PhD students is available on the UPV Doctoral School website:

https://www.upv.es/entidades/edoctorado/

All published information is available in three languages (Spanish, Valencian, and English).

Prospective applicants should take note of the following information:

In addition, the pre-enrolment process for PhD studies is managed through the general pre-enrolment system of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). This provides applicants with an online platform that can be accessed from anywhere.

The online application system includes admission quota management, which ensures that the number of admissions established for the programme is not exceeded.

The admission of each applicant requires two approvals: approval from the Doctoral School, which ensures compliance with the minimum requirements established in Royal Decree 99/2011, and approval from the Academic Committee of the PhD Programme (CAPD), which ensures compliance with the requirements set out in the programme verification report, in accordance with the established criteria and the Evaluation Index (IV) score obtained by each applicant.

Admission Profiles

In general terms, the recommended admission profile, which does not require additional training, is intended for applicants with an industrial background who hold an official Bachelor’s degree, or an equivalent qualification, and an official University Master’s degree directly related to the subject areas and research lines of the programme’s various research teams:
Materials Science and Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Manufacturing Engineering, Logistics and Supply Chain Management; Nuclear Engineering, Industrial Safety and Bioengineering of Ionising Radiation; Electrochemical Engineering and Corrosion; Membrane Processes, Liquid Effluent Treatment and Optimisation; Energy Engineering; and Electrical Engineering. In all cases, the Academic Committee of the PhD Programme shall assess the applicant’s profile and suitability.

Other admission profiles include applicants whose official entry qualifications, at Bachelor’s and Master’s level, are not directly related to the subject areas and research lines of the programme’s various research teams: Materials Technology; Mechanical Engineering; Production Engineering, Logistics and Supply Chain Management; Nuclear Engineering, Industrial Safety and Bioengineering of Ionising Radiation; Electrochemical Engineering and Corrosion; Membrane Processes, Liquid Effluent Treatment and Optimisation; Energy Engineering; and Electrical Engineering. These applicants shall be required to complete additional training determined individually by the Academic Committee of the PhD Programme. Applicants who cannot acquire the necessary knowledge and competences through a maximum of 20 ECTS credits shall not be eligible for admission to the PhD programme.

Access Requirements and Admission Criteria

Access Requirements

The access requirements are those established in Article 6 of Royal Decree 99/2011 of 28 January:

As a general rule, access to an official PhD programme requires an official Spanish Bachelor’s degree, or an equivalent degree, and an official Spanish University Master’s degree, or an equivalent degree, provided that at least 300 ECTS credits have been completed across both degree programmes.

Access shall also be granted to applicants who meet any of the following conditions:

a) Hold official Spanish University degrees, or equivalent Spanish degrees, provided that at least 300 ECTS credits have been completed through these degree programmes and that level 3 of the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education has been attained.

b) Hold a degree awarded under an education system within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), without the need for official recognition, which certifies level 7 of the European Qualifications Framework, provided that the degree grants access to PhD studies in the country in which it was awarded. Under no circumstances shall such admission imply official recognition of the applicant’s previous degree or its recognition for any purpose other than access to PhD studies.

c) Hold a degree awarded under an education system outside the EHEA, without the need for official recognition, provided that the University verifies that the degree certifies a level of education equivalent to that of an official Spanish University Master’s degree and grants access to PhD studies in the country in which it was awarded. Under no circumstances shall such admission imply official recognition of the applicant’s previous degree or its recognition for any purpose other than access to PhD studies.

d) Hold another PhD degree.

e) University graduates who, having obtained a specialised healthcare training position through the corresponding entrance examination, have successfully completed at least two years of a training programme leading to an official qualification in one of the Health Sciences specialisations may also be admitted.

Admission Criteria

  • Letter of support from the proposed PhD supervisor.
  • Applicants can consult information on the various research teams and their research areas on the programme website. For each team, the members of academic staff, their research profiles and their contact details are provided.
  • Language requirements: international applicants whose native language is not Spanish must demonstrate English-language proficiency equivalent to at least level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
  • Preliminary PhD Dissertation Proposal
  • Alignment of the proposed PhD dissertation with the research areas of the PhD programme. A standard template is available for download from the UPV website and must be completed and signed by the tutor and PhD supervisor, where applicable.
  • Alignment of the applicant’s admission profile with the aforementioned research areas of the PhD programme:
    • Academic records for the Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
    • Relevant professional experience.
    • Research merits related to the objectives of the PhD programme.

Application Assessment

The proposed research project shall account for 40% of the overall score, based on its alignment with the research areas of the PhD Programme. The applicant’s educational and professional profile shall account for the remaining 60%, distributed as follows: 30% for the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree academic records, 15% for relevant professional experience and 15% for research merits related to the objectives of the PhD dissertation. Admission requires a minimum weighted score of 60, calculated by adding the assessment of the research proposal’s suitability and the assessment of the alignment between the applicant’s profile and the programme requirements.

Where the Academic Committee considers it necessary to assess an applicant’s profile properly, the applicant shall be invited to a personal interview to evaluate the suitability of the submitted PhD dissertation proposal and the alignment of their educational background. This preliminary interview shall be required for the admission and selection of applicants with special educational needs arising from a disability, in order to assess their potential and ability to pursue the proposed research line and, where appropriate, to consider possible adjustments in consultation with the tutor appointed by the Academic Committee.

Additional Training Requirements

There are two distinct admission profiles: the recommended admission profile, which does not require any additional training, and other admission profiles, which do.
As established by the applicable regulations, these specific additional training requirements must be successfully completed during the initial stage of the PhD dissertation and within a maximum period of one academic year.

For other admission profiles, the Academic Committee may assign up to 20 ECTS credits of additional training in accordance with the following guidelines:

The Academic Committee of the PhD Programme shall determine the required courses for each application on a case-by-case basis. Courses shall be selected from Master’s degrees offered by the Universitat Politècnica de València that are directly related to the subject areas and research lines of the programme’s various research teams: Materials Technology; Mechanical Engineering; Production Engineering, Logistics and Supply Chain Management; Nuclear Engineering, Industrial Safety and Bioengineering of Ionising Radiation; Electrochemical Engineering and Corrosion; Membrane Processes, Liquid Effluent Treatment and Optimisation; Energy Engineering; and Electrical Engineering. The purpose of this additional training is to enable applicants to acquire the knowledge and competences required for the subsequent development of the PhD dissertation.

The following Master’s degrees may be used to select courses for the additional training requirements: