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Program Access Information

PhD in Art: Production and Research

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

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

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

The following points of interest for new applicants are worth noting:

In addition, the pre-registration process for PhD programmes is managed through the general pre-registration system of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV). This provides applicants with an online platform that makes the process accessible regardless of their location.

The application includes enrollment management, which ensures that the number of admissions set by the program is not exceeded.

The admission of each candidate requires two approvals: approval from the Doctoral School, which ensures compliance with the minimum requirements set forth in Royal Decree 99/2011, and approval from the PhD programme’s academic committee (CAPD), which ensures compliance with the requirements outlined in the verification report, in accordance with the established criteria and the evaluation index (IV) score achieved by each candidate.

Access Profiles

The program is open to Spanish or foreign graduates with a bachelor’s and master’s degree (or equivalent) in Fine Arts, as well as graduates in Audiovisual Communication, Design, Architecture, Computer Science, Art History, Philosophy, Music, or related fields. Pre-Bologna degrees (licenciaturas) equivalent to those described above are also eligible for the program.

Other admission profiles: The Academic Committee may consider admitting candidates with different profiles, provided they submit a research proposal related to one of the program’s research areas. In this case, up to a maximum of 20 ECTS credits of master’s-level courses will be assigned as additional training.

The recommended entry profile does not require the assignment of supplementary training modules, whereas the additional profiles do require the assignment of supplementary training modules.

Admission Requirements and Criteria

Admission Requirements

The admission requirements are those set forth in Article 6 of Royal Decree 99/2011, dated January 28, which regulates official PhD programmes, as amended by Royal Decree 576/2023, dated July 4:

  1. In general, admission to an official PhD programme requires holding official Spanish undergraduate degrees, or their equivalents, and master’s degrees, or their equivalents, provided that at least 300 ECTS credits have been earned across these two programs combined.
  2. In addition, admission is open to those who meet any of the following criteria: a) Hold official Spanish university degrees or equivalent Spanish degrees, provided they have earned at least 300 ECTS credits across these programs and demonstrate Level 3 of the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education. b) Hold a degree obtained under foreign educational systems belonging to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), without the need for equivalency recognition, that attests to Level 7 of the European Qualifications Framework, provided that said degree qualifies the holder for admission to PhD studies in the country where it was issued. Under no circumstances shall this admission imply the equivalence of the applicant’s prior degree or its recognition for any purpose other than admission to PhD studies. c) Hold a degree obtained under foreign educational systems outside the EHEA, without the need for equivalency, provided the university verifies that it attests to a level of education equivalent to that of the official Spanish university Master’s degree and that it entitles the holder, in the country where the degree was awarded, to admission to PhD studies. Under no circumstances shall this admission imply the equivalence of the applicant’s prior degree or its recognition for any purpose other than admission to PhD studies. d) Hold another PhD. e) University graduates may also be admitted if, after securing a training position through the corresponding entrance exam for specialized health training positions, they have successfully completed at least two years of training in a program leading to the official degree in one of the specialties in Health Sciences.

Admission Criteria

In addition, the program’s specific admission criteria will include the submission of:

  • Endorsement from the faculty members who will supervise the thesis. Candidates will have access to information about the various research teams and their areas of focus through the program’s website. For each team, the faculty members who comprise it, their research profiles, and their contact information are also listed.
  • A preliminary research proposal signed by the supervisor. When submitting the application to the program, applicants must also provide their undergraduate and graduate transcripts for evaluation by the CAPD. For each non-Spanish degree submitted, you must attach the corresponding “declaration of grade point average equivalence,” in accordance with the procedure established by the Ministry of Universities. In addition to meeting these requirements and providing the general documentation required for pre-registration, you must upload the following specific documents to the platform:
    • Certificate of proficiency in Spanish at the B2 level of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) for students from countries where Spanish is not an official language.
    • If the thesis is to be written in English, a language proficiency certificate must be submitted along with the thesis supervisor’s approval.
    • Letter of recommendation signed by the thesis supervisor.
    • A PDF containing a preliminary proposal for the research plan, including the title, an abstract of no more than 500 words, a table of contents, and a basic bibliography, signed by the supervisors (there is no specific template).

Evaluation of the Candidacy

Based on these two documents, the Academic Committee of the Doctoral Program in Art: Production and Research will conduct a selection process according to the two criteria outlined below:

  • Average grade for the undergraduate degree: 40%.
  • Average grade for the official master’s degree: 60%.

For applicants with pre-Bologna Spanish degrees (e.g., licenciaturas) or equivalent foreign degrees, the grade point average for that degree will be considered 100%. For applicants who do not meet the recommended admission profile, a reduction factor of 0.75 will be applied to their grade point average. The list of admitted students will be made public, taking into account the number of available places.

Additional Training Requirements

The program’s academic committee, after reviewing the PhD candidate’s curriculum, will decide whether the student’s admission should include a requirement for additional coursework (depending on the student’s prior education). Such additional coursework will be selected from among the following subjects:

From the Master’s Degree in Artistic Production:

  • Project Methodology (4 credits).
  • Key Concepts in Contemporary Art (6 credits).

From the Master’s Degree in Visual Arts and Multimedia:

  • Creative Programming (4 credits).
  • Artistic Interaction and Interface Design (2 credits).
  • Art and Science (2 credits).