Doctoral programme outcomes

Statistics

In the 2007-2011 period, 31 doctoral theses were defended in the doctoral programme in Network Engineering, an average of 6.2 per year. In the 2012-2016 period, 32 theses were defended, an average of 6.4 per year. In summary, a total of 63 theses were defended over this 10-year period (2006-2016).

The UPC encourages the participation of international experts in examination committees. Our programme supports the defence of theses that meet the requirements for the award of a European or International Doctorate mention. In the 2012-2016 period, 15 theses with an International Doctorate mention were defended (46% of the total). In addition, the participation of international experts in assessment has increased to almost 60%. (International experts make up 46% of the composition of examination committees and are responsible for 55% of pre-defence assessment reports.)

We anticipate that the involvement of international experts in the programme will progressively increase in the coming years as a result of greater participation of doctoral candidates in mobility programmes to earn an International Doctorate mention (and thanks to existing collaboration agreements).

The programme’s international orientation is reflected in the high number of students and professors who complete stays at renowned universities and research centres outside Spain, including Columbia University, UCLA, UCSB and KTH. As a result of this mobility, members of the programme have an extensive network of contacts, which facilitates participation in international projects that involve collaborating with research groups worldwide.

The figure below shows the country of origin of doctoral students for 2003-2016.

 Information on doctoral degree holders

To gain an insight into the outcomes achieved, we have followed the careers of doctoral degree holders who have completed the programme since 1998. Most of the doctoral degree holders who completed the programme in the first years after it was established now work in the Department of Network Engineering itself. Their recruitment has fuelled tremendous growth in network engineering research and teaching at the UPC. After teaching at the UPC, some PhD graduates have taken up posts at other universities—including Pompeu Fabra University, the Technical University of Cartagena and the University of the Balearic Islands—where they have helped establish or strengthen network engineering programmes, which have also experienced strong growth.

Over time, doctoral degree holders have ended up at a wider range of universities. Many now work at universities in South America, including Pontifical Bolivarian University and Pontifical Xavierian University in Colombia, and in Asian countries such as Iran.

A significant number of PhD graduates have also joined Spanish research centres (such as the i2CAT Foundation and Barcelona Digital) and international research centres (NEC Laboratories Europe and NTT DOCOMO Euro-Labs). Some have also been hired by companies—INDRA, GTD and Evaluates, among others—that recognise the value doctoral degree holders bring to their business.

The figure below gives information on their employment.

Employment of holders of the doctoral degree in Network Engineering for 2007-2012

Although the legend for the chart includes a category for “unknown”, the figure for this slice is zero (i.e. the employment situation of all degree holders is known). The “seeking employment” category corresponds to those who have completed their thesis and are currently looking for their first job.