Program access information

Objectives

The main objective of the Telecommunications Doctoral Program of the Universitat Politècnica de València is to train PhDs in the field of Telecommunications. It seeks to train highly qualified researchers and professionals in the areas of knowledge related to Signal and Communications Theory and Telematics Engineering. Specifically, these areas are:

• Design of elements and subsystems that are part of a communications system.
• Signal generation, propagation and detection techniques in both open and guided media.
• Analog and digital signal processing (images, voice, audio, infrared, ultrasound, sonar, etc.).
• Design, implementation and performance evaluation of communications networks, both fixed and mobile.
• Knowledge and design of distributed real-time systems, and in particular of the architectures and protocols required for multimedia communications and their distribution and security mechanisms used.

Entry Profile

The usual admission profile is a Bachelor’s degree in telecommunications, computer science, physics or mathematics, who is in possession of a Master’s degree in the field of telecommunications engineering. However, the Academic Committee values other profiles whose admission would be subject to the completion of a variable number of training complements.

Profile of graduates

Doctorate in Telecommunications Engineering, specialized in one of the fields indicated in the objectives.

The PhD program is organized, designed, coordinated and supervised by the Academic Committee (AC) responsible for its definition, updating and quality, as well as training and research activities. This committee is composed of 5 to 6 members in addition to the program coordinator, all of them PhD professors of the Department of Communications of the UPV.

All members of the committee have at least one six-year period of recognized research, having also supervised theses in the last five years.

It will be the CA who will ensure compliance with the criteria for admission to the program and will be responsible for its evaluation, taking into account the following aspects:

1. Academic qualifications: Spanish or foreign graduates with a degree in the following fields: any degree in the field of Telecommunications Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Physics.
2. Postgraduate training: it must be accredited to have passed at least 60 credits of postgraduate training (master’s degree) in the field of Telecommunication Engineering.
3. Academic transcript: both undergraduate and graduate academic transcripts must be provided to be evaluated by the CA.
4. Complementary training: the admission of the student may include the requirement of complementary training when the CA considers it necessary, depending on the student’s previous training.

The CA of the program will be responsible for evaluating the admission of students by applying a valuation index (IV) on a scale of 0 to 100 points. Those who exceed an IV of 70 points will be admitted to the doctoral program. The IV will be calculated as indicated in the following cases:

a) In the case of having previously completed at least 60 credits at the university master’s degree level, the following equation shall be applied:

IV = 20 * E + 30 * T + 50 * M

Where E is the weighting factor of the academic record of the total studies (undergraduate and graduate) considering the overall average grade on a standardized scale from 0 to 1, T is the weighting factor of the undergraduate degree and M is the weighting factor of the graduate education. The values taken by the T and M factors are:

• Undergraduate training:
  • Degrees in the field of Telecommunications Engineering: T = 1
  • Degrees in Computer Engineering, Electronic Engineering and Physics: T = 0.75
• Master’s degree training:
  • Master’s Degree in Communications Technologies, Systems and Networks: M = 1
  • Other masters with contents with an affinity of 75% to the lines of research of the doctorate (previous assessment of the CA): M = 0.75.
  • Other masters with contents with an affinity of 50% to the lines of research of the doctorate (previous assessment of the CA): M = 0.5.

Only those students who meet a rating of M = 1 would be exempt from taking complementary training, being able to access directly to the doctoral program. Otherwise, depending on the undergraduate and graduate training provided, the CA will determine the training complements that the student should take in order to be admitted to the doctoral program.

These training complements will be acquired through the training offer of the Master’s Degree in Technologies, Systems and Communication Networks with contents that complement the training required to ensure the success of the doctoral training. Such training will be recommended taking into account the formative weaknesses of the student and the line of research in which he/she shows interest in participating.

The training stage will be: up to a maximum of 15 ECTS for students entering with a Master’s degree valued with a weighting factor of M=0.5; and up to a maximum of 9 ECTS for students entering with a Master’s degree valued with a weighting factor of M=0.75.

The complementary training will be carried out with subjects of the Master’s Degree in Communications Technologies, Systems and Networks, which is taught by doctors of the Department of Communications linked to the Doctoral Program in Telecommunications. All the subjects of this Master are related to the topics of the research lines of the Doctoral Program, and are therefore coherent with the scientific scope of the program.

b) In the case of not having previously taken credits at the Master’s level and being in possession of an official Spanish Bachelor’s degree of at least 300 ECTS credits, the following equation will be applied:

IV = 20 E + 80 * T

Where E is the weighting factor of the academic record of the undergraduate studies considering the overall average grade on a standardized scale from 0 to 1 and T is the weighting factor of the undergraduate degree and whose value is given according to the list for the previous assumption.

Those who are assessed under this assumption will have to take mandatory training complements. As in the previous case, these training complements will be acquired through the training offer of the Master’s Degree in Communications Technologies, Systems and Networks. Depending on the previous training, they must take up to a maximum of 15 ECTS among the subjects of the indicated master’s degree, and they must also carry out a research work equivalent to the Master’s Thesis.

The complementary training will be carried out with subjects of the Master’s Degree in Communications Technologies, Systems and Networks, which is taught by doctors of the Department of Communications linked to the Doctoral Program in Telecommunications. All the subjects of this Master are related to the topics of the research lines of the Doctoral Program, and are therefore coherent with the scientific scope of the program. The research work must be directed by a doctor belonging to the Doctoral Program in Telecommunications.

As described in the section on admission criteria, the Academic Committee of the program, having studied the curriculum of the doctoral student and his or her training, will define the list of complementary training that must be taken. These training complements will be acquired using the university’s postgraduate academic offer, in particular the Master’s Degree in Communications Technologies, Systems and Networks, considering the specific training required by the doctoral student for the proper development of his or her research work. Only those who are under the assumption (a) described in the admission criteria and who meet a rating of M = 1 would be exempt from taking complementary training, being able to access directly to the doctoral program.

Students entering with a Master’s degree of at least 60 ECTS credits will have a training stage that will be: up to a maximum of 15 ECTS for students entering with a Master’s degree valued with a weighting factor of M=0.5; and up to a maximum of 9 ECTS for students entering with a Master’s degree valued with a weighting factor of M=0.75.

Students who enter the program without having taken a Master’s Degree but with at least 300 ECTS credits, depending on their previous training, must take up to a maximum of 15 ECTS among the subjects of the indicated Master’s Degree, and must also carry out a research project equivalent to the Master’s Thesis.

The complementary training will be carried out with subjects of the Master’s Degree in Communications Technologies, Systems and Networks, which is taught by PhDs from the Department of Communications linked to the Doctoral Program in Telecommunications. All the subjects of this Master are related to the topics of the research lines reflected in section 6 of this document, and are therefore coherent with the scientific scope of the program. The research work must be directed by a doctor belonging to the Doctoral Program in Telecommunications.

Basic

• Systematic understanding of a field of study and mastery of research skills and methods related to that field.
• Ability to conceive, design or create, implement and adopt a substantial process of research or creation.
• Ability to contribute to the expansion of the frontiers of knowledge through original research.
• Ability to critically analyze, evaluate and synthesize new and complex ideas.
• Ability to communicate with the academic and scientific community and with society in general about their fields of knowledge in the modes and languages commonly used in their international scientific community.
• Ability to promote, in academic and professional contexts, scientific, technological, social, artistic or cultural progress within a knowledge-based society.

Personal skills and abilities

• To develop in contexts where there is little specific information.
• Find the key questions to be answered to solve a complex problem.
• Design, create, develop and undertake novel and innovative projects in their field of knowledge.
• Work both in a team and autonomously in an international or multidisciplinary context.
• Integrate knowledge, deal with complexity and make judgments with limited information.
• Intellectual criticism and defense of solutions.

Other competencies

• Ability to carry out research activities with social responsibility and scientific integrity.