UPV logo

Program Access Information

PhD in Food Science, Technology, and Management

Communication channels

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

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

All information is published in Spanish, Valencian and English.

The following resources may be particularly useful for prospective applicants:

The pre-registration process for PhD studies is managed through the Polytechnic University of Valencia’s (UPV) online pre-registration system, allowing applicants to complete their application remotely, regardless of their location.

The online application system includes admission quota management, ensuring that the number of candidates admitted for each PhD programme does not exceeded the maximum.

Each application undergoes a two-stage admission process. First, the UPV Doctoral School verifies that the applicant meets the minimum requirements established in Royal Decree 99/2011. Secondly, the Academic Committee of the PhD Programme (CAPD) assesses the application to ensure that the applicant satisfies the admission criteria established in the programme’s verification report. This assessment is based on both the established selection criteria and the applicant’s Evaluation Index (IV) score and the established selection criteria.

Access Profiles

Regarding admission profiles, there is a recommended admission profile, which does not require the assignment of additional training requirements, and other admission profiles, which do require the assignment of additional training requirements. The recommended admission profile refers to national and international applicants with accredited postgraduate degrees in master’s degrees in Food Science, Food Technology or Food Engineering, as well as master’s degrees in Food Safety or Food Quality. Preferably, these applicants will have previously completed bachelor’s degrees in Engineering or Agricultural Science, or Food Engineering or Food Science; other degrees that provide access to these master’s degrees will also be accepted, including Enology, Industrial Engineering, Chemistry/Chemical Engineering, Biology, Biochemistry/Biochemical Engineering, Biotechnology, Pharmacy, Nutrition, Veterinary Medicine, Physics or Medicine. The recommended admission profile for pre-Bologna degrees or equivalent foreign degrees is a degree in Food Engineering or Agri-food Engineering (300–360 ECTS credits, 5 years).

Other admission profiles correspond to applicants with accredited postgraduate degrees in other master’s degrees whose content is at least 75% aligned with the research areas covered by the PhD programme (subject to prior assessment by the Academic Committee). For pre-Bologna degrees or equivalent foreign degrees, related degrees (Enology, Industrial Engineering, Chemistry/Chemical Engineering, Biology, Biochemistry/Biochemical Engineering, Biotechnology, Pharmacy, Nutrition, Veterinary Medicine, Physics and Medicine) comprising five years of study (300–360 ECTS credits) will also be considered. These other admission profiles do require the completion of additional training requirements.

Admission Requirements and Criteria

Admission Requirements

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

1. In general, admission to an official PhD programme requires holding official Spanish bachelor’s degrees, or equivalent degrees, and official university master’s degrees, or equivalent degrees, provided that at least 300 ECTS credits have been completed across these two degrees.

2. In addition, admission is open to applicants who meet any of the following requirements:

a) Hold official Spanish University degrees or equivalent Spanish qualifications, provided that they have completed at least 300 ECTS credits across these degrees and demonstrate Level 3 of the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education.

b) Hold a degree obtained under a foreign education system belonging to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), without the need for formal recognition, demonstrating Level 7 of the European Qualifications Framework, provided that the degree grants access to PhD studies in the country where it was awarded.

c) Hold a degree obtained under a foreign education system outside the EHEA, without the need for formal recognition, subject to verification by the University that it demonstrates a level of education equivalent to that of an official Spanish university master’s degree and grants access to PhD studies in the country where it was awarded.

d) Hold another PhD degree.

e) University graduates who, after obtaining a training place through the corresponding competitive examination for specialised health training, have successfully completed at least two years of training in a programme leading to the official degree in one of the Health Sciences specialties may also be admitted.

The programme-specific admission requirements are as follows:

  • For applicants whose first language is not Spanish, consideration will be given to whether they have an adequate level of Spanish comprehension and/or whether effective communication with the PhD supervisor can be ensured through a common language.
  • Endorsement from the faculty member(s) who will supervise the thesis.
  • Given the international nature of PhD research and the need to access specialised scientific literature, applicants are recommended to have a sufficient level of academic comprehension and communication in English, equivalent to at least B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Admission Criteria

The admission of each applicant requires dual approval: approval from the Doctoral School, which confirms compliance with the minimum requirements set out in Royal Decree 99/2011, and approval from the Academic Committee of the PhD programme (CAPD), which confirms compliance with the requirements set out in the verification report, in accordance with the established criteria and the Evaluation Index (EI) achieved by each applicant.

The Academic Committee will ensure compliance with the admission criteria and will be responsible for evaluating applications based on the applicant’s accredited bachelor’s and postgraduate degrees, academic record and, where applicable, additional training requirements. When applying for admission, applicants with special educational needs arising from a disability may indicate any requirements relating to possible curricular adaptations, alternative study pathways or alternative study arrangements, so that the Academic Committee can take them into account.

Evaluation of the Candidacy

The Academic Committee will evaluate applications using an Evaluation Index (EI), expressed on a scale of 0 to 100 points. To be admitted to the PhD programme, applicants must obtain a score of 70 points or above. The EI will be calculated according to the criteria and weightings set out below.

If the applicant has previously completed at least 60 ECTS credits at university master’s level, the following equation will apply: EI = 20ƒE + 30ƒT + 50ƒM. Where ƒE is the weighting factor for the academic record of all degrees (bachelor’s and postgraduate), based on the overall grade average on a normalised scale from 0 to 1; ƒT is the weighting factor for the bachelor’s degree; and ƒM is the weighting factor for postgraduate degrees. The values of the ƒT and ƒM factors are shown in the following table:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Agricultural Science, or Food Engineering or Food Science: ƒT = 1.
  • Oenology, Industrial Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Pharmacy, Nutrition, Veterinary Medicine: ƒT = 0.75.
  • Physics, Medicine: ƒT = 0.50.
  • Postgraduate degrees in a master’s degree in Food Science and Engineering or Food Technology, or a master’s degree in Food Quality and/or Food Safety: ƒM = 1.
  • Other master’s degrees with at least 75% alignment: ƒM = 0.75.

If the applicant has not previously completed university master’s-level credits and holds an official Spanish bachelor’s degree worth at least 300 ECTS credits, the following equation will apply: EI = 20ƒE + 80ƒT. Where ƒE is the weighting factor for the academic record of the bachelor’s degree.nd ƒT is the weighting factor for the bachelor’s degree, the value of which is given in the table above.

Additional Training Requirements

There are two distinct admission profiles: the recommended admission profile, which does not require additional training requirements, and other admission profiles, which do require additional training requirements. These additional training requirements must be completed during the initial stage of the doctoral thesis, within a maximum period of one academic year.

In the second case, the Academic Committee may assign up to 20 ECTS credits of additional training requirements in accordance with the following guidelines: Additional training requirements will be assigned on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the applicant’s academic background and any identified training needs. The Academic Committee will determine the additional training requirements, which may be completed through the Master’s Degree in Food Science and Engineering or the Master’s Degree in Food Management and Safety at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV).

Detailed information about these programmes is available on the official websites of the above-mentioned master’s degrees: