Objectives and competences
The doctoral programme in Genetics is the University of Barcelona's educational response to the need for advanced training in the field of genetics research.
It aims to train specialist researchers in the fields of developmental biology and genetics, evolution and development, biotechnology, evolutionary genetics and human molecular genetics. The programme offers students the opportunity to work with renowned specialists from a variety of institutions involved in contemporary, pioneering genetics research.
Basic information
| Type | Doctoral program |
|---|---|
| Faculty or school | Faculty of Biology SED of Medicine and Health Sciences (Clínic) |
| Branch of knowledge |
|
| Number of places available | 20 |
| Coordination | Marc Valls Matheu |
| doctorat.genetica@ub.edu | |
| Phone | 934021496 |
| EDUB details | Indicators |
Objectives and competences
Objectives
Competences
a) Systematic understanding of a field of study and mastery of the skills and research methods related to this field.
b) Ability to conceive, design or create, implement and adopt a substantial research or creative process.
c) Ability to contribute to extending the frontiers of knowledge through original research.
d) Ability to carry out critical analysis and evaluation and synthesis of new and complex ideas.
e) Ability to communicate with the academic and scientific community and society in general about their areas of knowledge in the ways and languages commonly used in the international scientific community.
f) Ability to promote, in academic and professional contexts, scientific, technological, social, artistic or cultural progress in a knowledge-based society.
Admission pathways
Access
In general, to access an official doctorate program you must have an official Spanish bachelor's degree, or equivalent, and a university master's degree and have passed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits in all university degree and master's studies.It can also be accessed by anyone who is in any of these cases:
a) Be in possession of official Spanish university degrees or equivalent Spanish degrees, provided that at least 300 ECTS credits have been passed in the set of these courses, accrediting level 3 of the Spanish Qualification Framework for Higher Education.
b) Be in possession of a title obtained in accordance with foreign educational systems belonging to the European Higher Education Area (EEES), without the need for it to be approved, which accredits a level 7 of the European Qualifications Framework, provided that this title is valid for to access doctoral studies in the country of dispatch. This admission does not imply, in any case, the approval of the previous title that the interested party is in possession of or the recognition for other purposes than that of accessing doctoral studies.
c) Be in possession of a degree obtained in accordance with foreign educational systems outside the EEES, without the need for it to be approved, after verification by the University of Barcelona that this degree accredits a level of training equivalent to the official Spanish master's degree university and which, in the country of dispatch, entitles you to access doctoral studies. This admission does not imply, in any case, the approval of the previous title that the interested party is in possession of or the recognition for other purposes than that of accessing doctoral studies.
d) Be in possession of another doctoral degree.
e) Equally, university graduates who, after obtaining a place in training through the corresponding test for access to specialized health training places, have passed with a positive evaluation at least two years of training in a program to obtain the title, can access official of one of the specialties in health sciences.
f) The graduates, architects or engineers who were in possession of the diploma of advanced studies obtained in accordance with what was established in Royal Decree 778/1998, of April 30, or who had reached the research sufficiency regulated in Royal Decree 185/ 1985, of January 23.
Admission requirements
The Academic Committee will select students on the basis of the following scoring system:
1. Qualification used for admission (0-2 points), assessed as follows:
a) Admission from one of the following UB master's degrees (2 points): Genetics and Genomics, Biomedicine, Biodiversity, Neurosciences, Molecular Biotechnology.
b) Master's degrees in related disciplines, depending on the specific content and its compatibility with the research areas covered by the doctoral programme (0-2 points).
2. Academic record for the bachelor's degree or pre-EHEA degree used for admission (maximum 4 points, depending on the grade point average). The grade point average will be assessed on a scale of 0 to 4 divided by 2, or 0 to 10 divided by 5. Correction factors will be applied to qualifications issued outside Spain, as provided for in the regulations of the ANECA programme.
3. Academic record for the master's degree (maximum 4 points, depending on the grade point average). The grade point average will be assessed on a scale of 0 to 4 divided by 2, or 0 to 10 divided by 5. Correction factors will be applied to qualifications issued outside Spain, as provided for in the regulations of the ANECA programme.
4. Statement of interest, research proposal or letters of recommendation (maximum 2 points).
5. Curriculum vitae (maximum 4 points), the following aspects will be evaluated:
a) Research experience in any of the areas covered by the theoretical and practical content of the doctoral programme (maximum 1 point).
b) Professional experience in any of the areas covered by the theoretical and practical content of the doctoral programme (maximum 1 point).
c) Publication record, attendance of conferences, and other activities related to the doctoral programme, such as participation in excavations, artistic activities, culture and heritage management, field work, etc. (maximum 1 point).
d) Master's degree grants awarded in competitive calls, excluding mobility or general grants (maximum 1 point).
6. Previous award of a grant for doctoral study (3 points) or grant application pending resolution at the time of application (1 point).
The Academic Committee for the doctoral programme in Genetics will ensure that candidates have the recommended applicant profile. The composition of this Academic Committee will be determined by the relevant provisions in the University of Barcelona's doctoral regulations (specifically, Title II, Section 2 on "Academic Committees for doctoral programmes").
The Committee will assess each candidate's general motivation, level of previous training in genetics (various official bachelor's and master's degrees provide the requisite knowledge), and laboratory training. The Committee will also determine whether the candidate's bachelor's and master's degree studies provide the requisite preparation for admission to the doctoral programme. Applications from international students will be examined in detail by the Academic Committee, particularly for those candidates whose qualifications were issued outside the EHEA framework. In these cases, the Committee will consider the subjects completed by the candidate and their total duration (in hours or ECTS credits, or equivalent). The Academic Committee will maintain regular contact with the thesis supervisor and tutor to monitor the progress of international students.
This last paragraph discusses students with disabilities. The Inter-university Council ofCatalonia's Committee on Access and Student Affairs has an agreement on the adaptation of syllabuses for students with disabilities, to ensure equal opportunities. Pursuant to this agreement, universities can adapt their syllabuses to the requirements of students with disabilities who meet the established criteria. In such cases, a specific support protocol is implemented. The main instrument of this protocol is the Individual Action Plan (IAP), which determines actions for academic and educational support, mobility and infoaccessibility. The IAP assigns responsibilities for the various actions and establishes a general timeline for their implementation. The support protocol is divided into four stages: 1) registration for the service; 2) creation of an Individual Action Plan (IAP); 3) implementation of the IAP; and 4) monitoring and evaluation of the IAP.
Lines of research and teaching staff
Research lines
101228 - Developmental biology and genetics101232 - Biotechnology
101229 - Evolution and development
101230 - Evolutionary genetics
101231 - Human molecular genetics
Research plan and progress reports
You can find all the information at the following links:
Training activities
List of programme-specific training activities
- Some of the training activities students must participate in are:
- Giving a seminar on the research project being developed for the student's doctoral thesis (annually).
- Participating at a national or international conference through a poster or oral presentation.
- Writing a scientific article for publication in an indexed journal.
- Participating in research placements at national or international and public or private research centres.
- Attending training courses to improve the cross-disciplinary skills specific to the programme.
Other cross-disciplinary training initiatives:
The courses that have been and are being offered in the doctoral programme are:
- It's not only science.
- Expressing yourself and working effectively with your supervisor and colleagues.
- Writing effective research manuscripts. Offered jointly in the Genetics, Ecology and Biodiversity programmes:
- Stress for doctoral students. Offered jointly in the Genetics, Ecology and Biodiversity programmes:
- Advanced statistics using R.
- Written scientific communication.
- Skills for public speaking.
- Written and oral communication.
- PhD Day, an annual meeting organized by the doctoral students of the departments of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics to present their research and seek common ground and synergies for possible collaborations.
Doctoral thesis
Criteria for theses as a collection of publications:
In order to present a thesis as a collection of publications, it must include at least two original experimental articles published in journals of recognized quality in which the doctoral candidate is one of the authors. The doctoral candidate must be the lead author in at least one of the published articles.A supervisor's report on the experimental research work performed by the doctoral student in each of the publications is also required.
Thesis languages:
The languages of the programme are Catalan, Spanish and English.
Theses subject to data protection regulations:
The doctoral programme in Genetics scrupulously follows the
University of Barcelona's regulations governing doctoral studies (article 38).