Department of Organic Chemistry Català Español English Home Back    PhD Studies Obtaining a PhD means achieving the highest academic rank for anyone in his career. To do so, one must attend to the PhD studies which are divided in two stages, each one spreading no less than two years: obtaining the research sufficiency and developing a PhD thesis. During all this time the PhD student becomes a member of one of the research groups of the Department, under the direction of a professor that will guide him on the development of his thesis. Obtaining a PhD How to begin PhD thesis The first thing to do before starting a PhD studies is choosing a subject among the research proposal of the Department. Once done, it is necessary to contact one of the professors to decide the work to do and to choose the director or directors of the thesis. The next thing to do is to register in the studies according to the schedule, fullfiling the official form. It is a good time also to take a look at the various fellowships that the public institutions offer to guarantee that everyone can attend a Phd study. In this stage the student will perform a research on an original subject inside the Organic Chemistry, guided by his PhD director. To guarantee the quality of the research, the Department of Organic Chemistry and the University will grant full access to all of its resources and services. During all this time, the student will have to use all of his talent and his knowledge to obtain the results that at the end of the fourth year will be delivered to the University and later will have to be defended before a court of professors according to the actual norms to obtain in this way the PhD in Organic Chemistry. The PhD courses Suggestions Durying the first year the PhD student does the research at the laboratory along with assisting at the PhD courses previously inscribed. In this stage the student will get used in working with the most advanced techniques of research and will acquire the knowledge to develope his thesis. It has to be mentioned that the PhD program in Organic Chemistry has been awarded with the High Quality Label by the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia The students are encouraged to fill in a survey about the PhD program once their learning period has ended as well as to inform about their professional activity. They can express their oppinion about the PhD program to the professor in charge of the PhD program of Organic Chemistry Dr. Miquel Pons. Also, the student can go to the President of the PhD Commission of the Faculty Dr. Pere LLuis Cabot. Research sufficiency Claims Once passed the PhD courses, and after fullfiling the official form the next year the student developes a guided research, so by the end of the second year the student gathers all the results in a report that will be evaluated by a court of professors designated by the Department. The student will then expose his work in a presentation before this court. Once the court approves the student's work and knowledges, the Advanced Studies Diploma (DEA) is obtained, and the student is credited with the research sufficiency, and is therefore qualified to carry out his PhD thesis. To make claims, the students must write to, in first place, the person in charge of the PhD program of Organic Chemistry Dr. Miquel Pons. In second place, the student can go to the President of the PhD Commission of the Faculty Dr. Pere LLuis Cabot. Also, the student can, as always, head for the upper instances of the Universitat de Barcelona or to the Síndic de Greuges of the Universitat of Barcelona Dr. Antoni Mirambell. Statistics Dynamism Science is in constant evolution, and so is the Department. Because of that, the Department has a high degree of dynamism in the post-degree studies, through rotations in the professors of the several subjects of the PhD courses, modifying these subjects according to social demands and new discoveries, and inviting professors from orther universities to teach in the courses and seminars. For the same reason, PhD students are encouraged to visit other research centers. PhD students At this moment the Department has more tha seventy active PhD students, most of which have benn granted with a fellowship from a public institution. This number is due to the new inscriptions to the PhD courses and to the affluence of PhD students from other universities The Department maintains a high degree of scientific productivity thanks to all the PhD students that contribute with their research, as is shown in these brief of the latest thesis. Tutors The Department grants access to all those interested in performing a PhD thesis in Organic Chemistry to all of his material and human resources to guarantee the quality of the thesis. Here is a list of all the PhD tutors (click for a detailed description on their recent work): Dr. Fernando Albericio Dra. M. Mercedes Alvarez Dr. Xavier Ariza Dr. Josep Maria Bofill Dr. Pere Clapés Dr. Josep Coll Dra. Ana Maria Costa Dr. Joaquín Crusats Dra. Nuria Escaja Dra. Gemma Fabriás Dr. Jaume Farràs Dr. Juan-Antoni Farrera Dr. Jordi Garcia Dr. Ernest Giralt Dra. Anna Grandas Dr. Angel Guerrero Dra. Isabel Haro Dr. Amadeu LLebaria Dr. Paul Lloyd-Williams Dr. Francisco López-Calahorra Dr. Vicente Marchán Dra. M. Pilar Marco Dra. Rosa Infante Martínez-Pardo Dr. Angel Messeguer Dr. Ángel Montaña Dr. Albert Moyano Dr. Ernesto Nicolás Dr. Santiago Olivella Dr. Enrique Pedroso Dr. Miquel Pons Dr. Francesc Rabanal Dr. Josep Maria Ribó Dr. Antoni Riera Dr. Ramon Rios Dr. Jordi Robles Dr. Pedro Romea Dr. Francisco Sanchez Dr. Josep Lluís Torres Dr. Félix Urpí Dr. Gregorio Valencia Dra. Dolors Velasco Dr. Xavier Verdaguer Dr. Jaume Vilarrasa The Organic Chemistry PhD program of the University of Barcelona in the European Higher Education Area The PhD program in Organic Chemistry at the University of Barcelona has a long tradition and was recognized with a special designation of its high quality by the Spanish “Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia” from the first year that the scheme for designating the high quality of certain PhD programs was implemented in Spain in 2003 (“High Quality Label” reference number: MCD2003-400). The “High Quality Label” of the PhD program in Organic Chemistry at the University of Barcelona has been ratified and renewed every year to date. The program currently includes students from several different Spanish universities. The Organic Chemistry PhD program at the University of Barcelona was recognized as a member of the International Graduate School of Catalonia (IGSOC) in 2002 and incorporates students from the universities of several countries. In the same spirit, the Organic Chemistry program has been adapted to the European Higher Education Area. With the passing of the legislation that governs the abovementioned European Area, the Organic Chemistry program has been adapted to its structures in order to increase the various options that may appear when the different stages of the process become consolidated. During the academic year 2007-2008 the PhD Organic Chemistry program at the University of Barcelona will be given in accordance with the “Real Decreto 56/2005”. This means that the formative stages of the PhD Organic Chemistry Program has now been integrated into the structure of an Official Master’s Degree of the Official Post-Graduate Program in Chemical Science and Technology of the University of Barcelona. Among the advantages that this change offers to new students in Chemistry is the greater flexibility to follow different professional options from those normally associated with PhD programs. It furnishes the program with mechanisms that allow it to adapt, in a continuous manner, to the new trends of education that result from the new graduate studies that are incorporated within the European Higher Education Area and the new Degrees that can be derived from it. The training given to PhD students possessing undergraduate studies as a background remains unchanged with respect to both the quantity and the type of the subjects offered and the number of associated credits. Taking this consideration into account, the PhD Program in Organic Chemistry at the University of Barcelona has applied for the renovation of its “High Quality Label” for the course 2007-2008. In the following table we show the relationship between the subjects of the PhD Organic Chemistry course for the academic year 2006-2007 and the subjects that belong to the Official Post-Graduate Program in Chemical Science and Technology at the University of Barcelona. In the orange column, the subjects that belong to the M4 module of the Inter-University Master’s Degree in Organic Chemistry are indicated, while in the green column those that belong to the Master’s Degree in Advanced Chemistry are shown. The relationship between credits is now clear if we take into account that a subject having 4 ECTS credits represents 33 hours of teaching in the classroom and 67 hours of the students own personal work, while a subject having 3 credits under the old system implies 30 hours of teaching in the classroom and does not take into account any time corresponding to the students own personal work. © Universitat de Barcelona Edició: Departament de Química Orgànica