Civil Engineering

Description

Background:
Over the last 150 years, the advancement of scientific knowledge has led the field of engineering to progressively evolve from its civil and military origins, giving rise to the various areas of specialisation that exist today. In an increasingly globalised world, and especially in Europe, where a broad process of integration and convergence in higher education is under way, it makes sense for engineering to redefine its disciplines to achieve better social practice and facilitate specialised problem solving.

The current programme is heir to the doctoral courses first offered in the 1975-1976 academic year. With the passing of the Organic Law on University Reform in 1984, doctoral programmes came under the responsibility of university departments. Despite the trend towards specialisation, under a delegation agreement, the School’s teaching departments decided to maintain one cross-disciplinary doctoral programme: Civil Engineering. In recent years, the programme has coexisted with the specific programmes of the various departments. This cross-disciplinary character and the involvement of various departments is also reflected in the composition of the Doctoral Studies Committee, whose functions at the School are performed by the Research and Postgraduate Committee. The doctoral programme in Civil Engineering currently offered is an interdepartmental programme organised around six broad areas of knowledge: structural engineering and construction, geotechnical engineering, water engineering, transport engineering and regional planning, environmental engineering and sustainability, and computational engineering.

In this context, the doctoral degree in Civil Engineering offers a framework for pursuing research in the field of civil engineering, rounding out the course offering of the Barcelona School of Civil Engineering in the three cycles of higher education (bachelor’s, master's and doctoral level). The doctoral programme in Civil Engineering offered by the Barcelona School of Civil Engineering has received the Pathway to Excellence award (MEE2011-0447 – 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013).

The School’s commitment to research is also reflected in the existence of the Research and Postgraduate Studies Committee. The Committee is chaired by the assistant director of Research and Postgraduate Studies of the Barcelona School of Civil Engineering, who also acts as the coordinator of the doctoral programme. The other members of the Committee are the director of postgraduate studies; nine full-time doctoral degree-holding professors, including representatives of the School’s teaching departments and the relevant areas of knowledge (structural engineering and construction, geotechnical engineering, water engineering, transport engineering and regional planning, environmental engineering and sustainability, and computational engineering); a representative of students enrolled in the doctoral programme, appointed from among those elected to the Doctoral School Board; and the head of management services of the Barcelona School of Civil Engineering.

Over the years that it has been offered, the doctoral programme in Civil Engineering has attracted both domestic and international students. The recognition of the prestige of the Barcelona School of Civil Engineering by its students, the quality of doctoral theses produced, and the excellence of teaching and research staff have led the Spanish Ministry of Education to officially recognise the quality of the doctoral programme in successive years since 2004.

Objectives:

To complete students’ training in the topics their research will focus on. To train students in research on subjects related to civil engineering by developing their knowledge of information sources and experimental and bibliographic research tools. To introduce students to methods for making advances in engineering research by identifying unresolved problems and providing students with the knowledge and skills needed to propose solutions to them.

Rationale for the programme:

The doctoral programme in Civil Engineering is needed for two key reasons. First, the programme serves as an umbrella for cross-disciplinary research in the field of civil engineering that cannot be classified within a single specialisation (though specialised research can also be carried out within the framework of the programme). Second, the programme accommodates research topics that do not fit into any classical area, including topics related to instrumentation and experimentation, certain numerical approaches, and areas that are tangentially related to civil engineering.

The doctoral programme in Civil Engineering aims to support students in the acquisition and generation of advanced, highly specialised knowledge in the field of civil engineering in which they choose to pursue their research. To provide students with advanced training in research techniques based on scientific principles generally accepted by the scientific community. To produce doctoral theses that make a high-quality scientific contribution in the student’s area of specialisation and are of relevance in the field of civil engineering or the sciences that underpin the discipline. To disseminate the research work done through scientific publications in all areas. To develop techniques that facilitate continuous improvement with respect to projects, decision-making and the execution of works of civil engineering. To produce doctoral graduates in Engineering who are qualified to take up higher-level management positions in the productive fabric. To produce doctoral graduates who are able to make scientific contributions in their area of expertise in the immediate future and constantly acquire and renew their knowledge in order to remain at the forefront of their discipline in terms of international recognition.

Traditionally, the doctoral programme has been organised into two periods: one focusing on training and the other on research. Currently, in line with legislation in force, the period we have called "training" corresponds to the period of study to earn a master’s degree. During what we have called the "research" period, following completion of the training period, students continue their studies at the Barcelona School of Civil Engineering. In this stage, they work on a doctoral thesis based on specific lines of research, within the framework of a research group made up mainly of professors and researchers at the Barcelona School of Civil Engineering.

The doctoral programme in Civil Engineering offered by the Barcelona School of Civil Engineering provides further training in research areas related to the civil engineering profession and develops the competencies defined in the professional profile for civil engineering that require synergistic integration of knowledge and skills acquired through training in physics and mathematics and in scientific and technical fields. The programme forms part of the postgraduate course offering of the Barcelona School of Civil Engineering.

The doctoral programme in Civil Engineering enables students to pursue research aimed at improving planning, design, construction, conservation and monitoring of civil infrastructures, as well as research related to architectural constructions, urbanism and regional planning.

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