Student Handbook Academic Year 2024-2025

The doctoral programme in Business provides high-level training to researchers in the various aspects of business sciences. Preparation of a doctoral thesis is the main activity of students. The thesis must be a piece of original research carried out by the candidate in a specific area of specialization. Each student will have at least one thesis supervisor, who will provide guidance and support to the student. The university encourages students to publish their research work in specialist scientific journals. Students are also encouraged to pursue short stays at other universities or research centres.

The programme is structured administratively as a single line of research in Business, which is subdivided into ten major subject areas:

1. Strategy and Entrepreneurship
Innovation management; Knowledge management; Open innovation; Creative industries; International business; Multinational corporations; Alliances and networks; Entrepreneurial behaviour; New Venture and success;
PhD advisors: Achcaoucaou Iallouchen, Fariza ; Cruz Cazares, Claudio ; Hormiga, Esther ; Miravitlles Matamoros, Paloma ; Pareja-Eastaway, Montserrat ; Shijaku, Elio ; Sierra Morán, Johana ; Smirnova, Yelena

2. Technology and Operations Management
Operations strategy; Global Supply chain management; Green supply chain management;  Quality management; Logistics outsourcing and 3PL;  Logistics Integration; Reverse logistics; Integration of management Systems; Social responsibility management
PhD advisors: Bernardo, Mercè ; Guitart Tarrés, Laura ; Núñez Carballosa, Ana María ; Jaría Chacón, Natalia

3. General Management
PhD advisors: Aparicio Chueca, María Pilar ; Elgoibar, Patricia ; Presas Maynegre, Pilar ; Triadó Ivern, Xavier Maria ; Valls Pasola, Jaume ; Armstrong, Ryan ; Calleja, Jonathan ; Crespi Vallbona, Montserrat ; Mach Piera, Mercè

4. Marketing
PhD advisors: Forgas Coll, Santiago ; Gil Lafuente, Jaume ; Huertas García, Rubén ; Arroyo Cañada, Francisco Javier ; Campo, Jordi

5. Accounting
solvency analysis; consolidation of accounting statements; audit; cost behavior; failure prediction; management accounting and control; performance measurement; tax avoidance; earnings management; public procurement and accounting; social and environmental accounting; agricultural accounting
PhD advisors: Argilés Bosch, Josep Maria ; Garcia Castellví, Antoni ; Kasperskaya, Yuliya ; Martí Pidelaserra, Jordi ; Boria Reverter, Josefa ; Garcia Marimon, Xavier

6. Business History
Family Businesses; Districts and Clusters; International Business History; History of Business Ownership and Governance Typologies; Gender in Business History; History of Entrepreneurship; Business Biographies; Business History in Developed and Emerging Markets; Preindustrial Businesses, Chandlerian corporations, SMEs and Multinationals
PhD advisors: Fernàndez Pérez, Paloma

7. Mathematical Methods for Business, Finance and Insurance
Tariffication (“a priori” and “a posteriori”) and Provisions in non-life insurance; Solvency of insurers and risk theory models; Public and private social life and welfare insurance; Stochastic finances; Modelization of uncertainty
PhD advisors: Adillon Boladeres, Roman Jordi ; Boj del Val, Eva ; Claramunt, Mercè ; Gonzalez-Vila Puchades, Laura Maria ; Marín Solano, Jesús ; Ribas Marí, Carmen ; Solanilla Blanco, Sara Ana

8. Decision-Making and Game Theory
Cooperative games: the Core, the Shapley value, the nucleolus; Rationing problems; Bankruptcy games; Assignment markets (games); Cost sharing problems
PhD advisors: Calleja, Pedro ; Izquierdo Aznar, Josep Maria ; Mártinez-de-Albéniz Salas, Francisco Javier ; Navas, Jorge ; Núñez Oliva, Marina ; Rafels Pallarola, Carlos

9. Risk in Finance and Insurance
Risk Quantification; Insurance rates; Generalized linear models; Multivariate distributions; Copulas; Non-parametric estimation; Analysis of data; Data mining
PhD advisors: Ayuso Gutiérrez, M.Mercedes ; Bolancé i Losilla, Catalina ; Guillén Estany, Montserrat ; Santolino Prieto, Miguel Angel ; Torres Martinez, Agustin

10. Models for Dealing with Uncertainty in Decision-Making
Decision making; economy of uncertainty; modeling; growth strategies; fuzzy logic; entrepreneurship; Innovation management; agreggation operators
PhD advisor: Gil Lafuente, Ana Maria ; Torres Martinez, Agustin

The programme is three years in length if you study full-time or five years if you study part-time. Below is an indicative timetable covering the research period:

Throughout the programme, PhD students are required to participate in a number of complementary activities such as research seminars and the PhD in Business Workshop. They can also participate in the training activities offered by the University of Barcelona’s PhD School, the Faculty of Economics and Business and the PhD programme.

The PhD in Business Academic Committee actively supports PhD in Business candidates who wish to conduct research as a visiting PhD student at a university or research centre outside Spain. Research periods of more than three months may entitle the student to the international doctorate certification, which is added to the doctoral degree qualification following successful presentation and defence of the thesis.  Recent host institutions are HEC Montréal, Durham University, University of Chile, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, University of Minho, Arizona State University…

The programme is aimed at any students seeking to embark on an international career in research in the area of business. As a result, it is essential for candidates to have sufficient training to undertake a doctoral thesis. The university will also place particular value on previously acquired knowledge in the subject areas covered in the doctoral programme.

To be admitted to any doctoral studies at the University of Barcelona, students must have completed at least 300 ECTS credits (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System), of which at least 60 credits must correspond to an official research oriented master’s programme. 

Academic requirements

Admission to the PhD in Business programme is limited to students who have completed one of the following qualifications:

1. A university master’s degree in Business Research from the UB or a university master’s degree in Actuarial and Financial Sciences.

2. A master’s degree issued by a higher education institution in the European Higher Education Area, of the same academic level and offering equivalent research training to the master’s degrees indicated above, at the discretion of the Academic Committee. Candidates who obtained the advanced studies diploma (Diploma de Estudios Avanzados, DEA) as part of the UB’s doctoral programme in Business Studies and the university master’s degree in Research in Business, Finance and Insurance, taught at the Faculty of Economics and Business from 2007-2008 to 2011-2012, will receive the same consideration.

3. A qualification issued by an education system outside the European Higher Education Area, which shows that the holder has a level of education equivalent to the university master’s degree in Business Research or the university master’s degree in Actuarial and Financial Sciences.

Other requirements

1. Proof of proficiency in English. Unless you are a native English speaker or have undertaken a university study programme in English, you need to provide evidence of your English proficiency. Preferred certificates are the Cambridge, TOEFL (Code C086 for all UB Business School programmes) or IELTS. Please upload a copy of it in the application form. Additionally, you can also report the score to us directly via your test center.

2. References. Once your application is reviewed by the admissions team, you will receive an email to provide the name and contact email of two scholars that support your application. They will receive an automated email with general questions about your profile. Only references received before the 7th day after the corresponding period application deadline will be considered.

The PhD in Business attracts young researchers from all over the world. Around two thirds of our students come from abroad. Although they constitute a diverse group in terms of academic background and research focus, there is a clear predominance of candidates with a university degree in Business Management. After the thesis defence, most PhD graduates pursue research careers, either in the academia, public or private sector.

The doctoral programme is the obvious step that young researchers would take after completing the Master in Business Research or the Advanced Actuarial and Financial Models specialisation of the Master in Actuarial and Financial Sciences. Currently, both programmes are taught at the University of Barcelona. Students enrolled on any of these master’s degrees acquire the knowledge and research skills needed to begin a doctoral thesis. That is why a significant share of our PhD candidates have gone through of one of these programmes. However, these are not the only way to gain admission to the PhD in Business. Many students also enter the doctoral programme after completing other research-oriented master’s degrees at other universities.

The doctoral programme in Business at the University of Barcelona is specifically intended for students seeking to embark on an international career in research. After successful completion of the programme, new PhD holders will be able to work as academics in universities, business schools or research centres. However, the academic arena is not only the career opportunity for students. The doctoral programme in Business also prepares them to work in fields like consulting.

At present, alumni of the doctoral programme in Business are working as lecturers and researchers in places like the EADA Business School, the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the EAE Business School, the University of Chile, the University of Veracruz and the Technological University of Panama. Other alumni hold executive positions in companies like Bunge, Grupo Catalana Occidente and CaixaBank or hold analyst positions at international institutions such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The statistics show that doctoral studies today increase the employability of students. PhD holders can aspire to higher levels of pay. According to the data prepared by the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU), 95.4% of all PhD holders in the social sciences have entered the labour market within three years of completing their thesis, while their rate of unemployment is only 3.3%.

ACADEMIC YEAR 2025-2026

Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year have two periods:

• First period: From January 13 to March 17, 2025. Resolutions on May 9, 2025.
• Second period: From March 18 to April 30, 2025. Resolutions on June 12, 2025.

To apply for the doctoral programme in Business at the University of Barcelona, a candidate must follow these steps: