Presentation
Become a qualified researcher in the field of olive grove and olive oil under the supervision of world-wide acknowledged scientists
This doctoral programme exclusively offered by the University of Jaen will allow you to specialize in research on olive oils. Due to its geographic location and agricultural history, the city of Jaen, also known as the World Capital of Olive Oil, is the ideal place to understand the olive tree and its associated industry and to carry out advanced research.
Taking advantage of the outstanding historical legacy on olive oil of Jaen province and under the auspices of the Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Olivar y Aceite de Oliva, this doctoral programme gathers the experience of world-wide recognized researchers and offers you the possibility to carry out top-level research on chemical, agronomical, nutritional and technological fields related to olive grove and olive oil.
You can also take advantage of the complementary training programmes offered by the University of Jaen as well as the training activities associated to this doctoral programme, aimed at improving your personal and professional capabilities. The quality seal awarded to the University of Jaen by the European Commission "HR Excellence in Research” identifies universities and institutions that generate and support the existence of a stimulating and encouraging research environment. The University of Jaen supports the Recommendations of the European Commission containing the “European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for Recruitment of Researchers” and has a Code of Good Research Practices and a Guide to good research practices for Doctoral Programmes.
- To acquire the ability for contribution to broadening the frontiers of knowledge through original research in the field of olive grove and olive oil.
- Training in the capacity to manage and integrate complex information coming from different sources such as research articles, databases and other types of documents and information available through internet resources.
- Training in the ability to make a critical and evaluative analysis and synthesis of new and complex ideas.
- Training in the capacities to generate innovative technologies related to olive oils.
- To develop communication skills for the dissemination of knowledge to the scientific community and the society.
You may check the complete list of competencies offered by this doctoral programme.
The ideal applicant profile for this doctoral programme is people like you, who are interested in developing research in the field of olive oil industry. Applicants should be motivated for making new discoveries through research, and have the capacity for critical thinking, comprehension, interpretation and application of research results, as well as basic skills in computer tools and English language.
General access requirements for Doctoral Programmes at the University of Jaen
In general, access to an official doctoral programme is available to persons in possession of a Spanish official bachelor's degree, or equivalent, and a university master's degree.
Access is also available to persons who meet one of the following conditions:
- Being in possession of an official Spanish university qualification, or one of another member country of the European Higher Education Area, which qualifies them for access to a master's degree in accordance with the provisions of Article 16 of Royal Decree 1393/2007, of October 29, and having obtained a minimum of 300 ECTS credits in all official university studies, of which at least 60 must be at master's level.
- Being in possession of an official Spanish degree whose duration, according to the rules of Community law, is at least 300 ECTS credits. These graduates must attend the mandatory bridging courses referred to in Article 7.2 of these regulations, unless the curriculum of said degree includes research training credits equivalent in educational value to the research credits obtained in master’s degree courses.
- Being in possession of a university degree and, after obtaining a training place in the entrance test to specialized medical training, having obtained a positive evaluation in at least two years of training in a programme to obtain an official degree in one of the Health Science specialties.
- Being in possession of a degree obtained under a foreign education system, without need for official recognition, after the University has verified that said degree accredits a level of education equivalent to the Spanish official master´s degree and allows admission to doctoral studies in the country issuing the qualification. In no case shall this admission imply the official recognition of the original qualification held by the individual or its recognition for purposes other than access to doctoral studies. Regardless of this, the doctoral degree obtained will be officially valid in Spain.
- Being in possession of a Bachelor, Architect or Engineer degree and also having achieved the Diploma de Estudios Avanzados in accordance with the provisions of Royal Decree 778/1998, of April 30, or the research proficiency stipulated in the Royal Decree 185/1985, of January 23.
- Being in possession of another Spanish doctoral degree obtained under earlier university regulations.
Specific Access Requirements for Doctoral Studies on Olive Oils.
This doctoral programme is open to those in possession of a degree in Biology, Environmental Sciences, Medicine, Pharmacy, Agronomy, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Law, Economy, or Industrial Engineering together with a related official master degree.
Those applicants in possession of a master degree whose master thesis is not related to the agri-food field should also take the master thesis of the University of Jaen official Máster de Olivar, Aceites de Oliva y Salud, in a topic related to olive oils. The training activities, evaluation and training results will be those established in the corresponding Master.
Admission criteria
The following criteria laid down in article 9.3.c of the Regulation of Doctoral Studies of the University of Jaen will apply for admission of applicants:
- The adequacy of the applicant background giving access to doctoral studies to the topic of the thesis. 1.0 point.
- The curriculum vitae of applicant. 2.5 points.
- The interest of the research line of the thesis for the Department, Research Centre and personnel involved in direction of the PhD thesis, as informed by the corresponding legal representative/scientific personnel involved. 1.5 points.
- Adequacy of the theme of the thesis to the research lines of the doctoral programme. 2.0 points.
- Applicant´s complementary training requirements and time availability for carrying out the thesis. 0.5 points.
- Availability of permanent research staff with accredited research experience at the corresponding research area solicited by applicant. 1.5 points.
- Available resources to carry out the research tasks proposed by applicant. 1.0 point.
Students may enroll in doctoral studies at full dedication, or part-time if duly justified. The maximum period of permanence in PhD studies will be 4 years full-time or 7 years part-time. Students may ask for an ordinary extension for one year if enrolled full-time or two years if enrolled part-time. After this, all students may ask for an extraordinary extension period of one year. Applications for the extensions provided for in current legislation are to be duly reasoned and will be resolved by the Academic Committee for the PhD programme. Students may also apply for a temporary leave for a maximum period of one year, and extendible to one further year. Students may be excluded from the programme if they do not renew enrolments or if they obtain two negative overall assessments consecutively in the training and research activities in which they are enrolled for that year.
Students with special needs may visit the University Special Education Needs Service. You may get more information on general issues related to doctoral studies at the University Academic Service and the Doctoral School.
Application for doctoral studies for the school year 2024-25 can be done through the Distrito Único Andaluz. All the information and links
are available through the University of Jaén Acceso y Matrícula.
There are two periods for application and registration during the year. Places not covered in one period wil be added to next period´s offer.
School Year 2024/2025
- Ordinary application period (application open from days 2 to 30 of September 2024; admission and registration from October 1 to November 15, 2024)
- Extraordinary application period (application open from days 7 to 21 of January 2025; admission and registration from January 22 to February 24, 2025)
The number of places offered is available though Oferta de Plazas.
Yearly demand for places
If you are willing to apply for grants, please check the University International Relations website.
- Collaborations under signed agreement: Aceites-Westfalia
- Collaborations under signed agreement: Universidad DAVIS
- Collaborations under signed agreement: Industrias San Pedro
Academic Information
This doctoral programme is based on research lines carried out by teaching and research staff that will be in charge of supervising your research work. The mentor (who may also be your supervisor or a different member of the PhD programme) will guide you through the training activities of the programme.
While the mentor must belong to the university´s permanent staff that participates in the doctoral programme, the thesis supervision can be assigned to any person participating in the programme who is in possession of a PhD degree and has a qualified research experience, either from inside or from outside of the university.
You can consult the procedure for assigning a tutor and thesis director.
Once you formalize your registration, you will be able to access the Activity Registration and Research Plan Platform (RAPI) where you will find complementary material and information.
- Agri-food technology, quality and elaboration of olive oils
- Olive oil and health
- Sustainability in the olive grove, management of by-products and waste
- Marketing and value chain in the olive sector
The different research topics covered by this doctoral programme are supported by its research teams. The teams have enough available resources to carry out the research and have established collaborations with other research staff from different institutions and research centers both at national and international levels. The University of Jaen offers different Services for doctoral students. The programme also benefits from specific agreements established between University of Jaen and other institutions. There is also a large number of foreign institutions and research centres related to the topic of this doctoral programme.
If you are willing to apply for this doctoral programme, you will need endorsement by a mentor from UJA.
Research topic: Agri-food technology, quality and elaboration of olive oils
Research topic: Olive oil and health
| Name | ORCID code | Affiliation |
| Delgado Rodríguez, Miguel | 0000-0002-3838-2548 | UJA |
| Moral Leal, Mª Luisa Del | 0000-0003-1661-0738 | UJA |
| Gaforio Martínez, José Juan | 0000-0003-2996-9301 | UJA |
Research topic: Sustainability in the olive grove, management of by-products and waste
Research topic: Marketing and value chain in the olive sector
Additional Faculty that collaborates with the programme
| Name | ORCID code | Affiliation |
| Ramos Martos, Natividad | 0000-0001-5322-2473 | UJA |
| Pacheco Reyes, Rafael | 0000-0001-5549-6347 | UJA |
During the course of your PhD thesis, you will be asked to take a set of training activities aimed at achieving the main competences that every PhD from the University of Jaen must develop by the end of doctoral studies:
Compulsory training activities
- General: Framework of doctoral studies.
- General: Framework of scientific research. Research policies.
- General: Design and follow-up of research projects.
- General: Knowledge transfer.
- General: Dissemination of research results.
- General: Employment and researcher career.
- Specific: Relevant contribution from the PhD thesis.
In addition, the student may also get enrolled in other training activities (most of which are programme-specific), aimed at acquisition of specific competences of this doctoral programme.
Optional training activities:
- General: Doctoral seminars.
- Specific: Active participation in seminars, conferences, courses and workshops.
- Specific: Short-term visit (minimum three months) to a foreign research institution (compulsory for students willing to achieve the International mention in their PhD degree).
You can get more detailed information on the procedures for registration for the different activities and available grants.
All general training activities are in Spanish. Some specific training activities may be in English.
PhD students must pass a yearly evaluation of their activities. This includes general compulsory activities of doctoral studies and specific optional activities offered by the programme. After enrolment, you will receive a link for completion of your Student´s record of training activities and Research plan. All the student´s activities will be registered and certified according to an established procedure.
Each year, students must present proof of participation in at least two training activities. Nonetheless, the Academic commission may issue a positive evaluation for students with only one activity if this is duly justified.
The studies are duly completed with the presentation of the PhD thesis and the student´s public dissertation.
After completion of the Research Plan and Training activities, students may proceed to the public defense of their PhD thesis once the thesis has received initial approval from the PhD thesis supervisor(s) and the Academic Committee of the PhD programme as well as final approval from the Steering Committee of the Doctoral School. In order to receive this approval, the thesis must have achieved a relevant contribution signed by the PhD student as first author. The adequacy of the contribution will be determined according to the criteria established by the Comisión Nacional Evaluadora de la Actividad Investigadora (CNEAI) for the main areas of research and knowledge.
The doctoral thesis may be developed and defended in any of the languages commonly used for scientific communication in its field of research. If the thesis is written in a foreign language, it must include a document written in Spanish and signed by the thesis supervisor(s) containing the following information: title of the thesis, table of contents, introduction, a meaningful summary and conclusions.
At the time of finishing your thesis you may need to check the rules that apply for anti-plagiarism policies, deposit and thesis defense. The following link provides detailed information on the different processes related to the doctoral thesis.
Broadening your experience in other universities now becomes essential in a scenario where information, enterprise and society are globalized. Short-term visits (of at least 3 months) to a foreing institution allow doctoral students to achieve the International mention in their diploma. In addition, the option of Joint Supervision allows you to achieve a PhD degree issued simultaneously by University of Jaen and by a foreign university. Under this modality of study, you will be assigned a thesis supervisor in each of the participating universities under the conditions laid down in the corresponding cotutelle agreement.
PhD students may also spend part or most of their training period in a company. The mention of Industrial Doctorate can be obtained provided that the topic of the thesis is embedded in the research strategy of a company to which the doctoral student is bound by a contractual agreement.
There are different sources of short-term mobility grants for doctoral students: FPU, FPI, PAIDI, Plan Operativo de Apoyo a la Investigación from the University of Jaen, Doctoral School, Erasmus mobility grants, and the Campuses of International Excellence.
Career Guidance
Internship Training in Companies
Consult the information from the Results Transfer Office (OTRI) and its calls in which you will find a multitude of opportunities to facilitate your incorporation into the world of work.
You can also find very helpful information on the Employment, Internship and Entrepreneurship Portal of the University of Jaén.
This doctoral programme is designed to improve your employability in a first place, opening the doors to multiple job opportunities such as:
- Quality control and olive oil production
- Research and innovation in olive oil and health
- Environmental management of by-products and wastes
- Marketing in the agri-food sector
- Specialist in olive grove and environment
- Technology development in the agri-food industry
Coordination and Quality
The academic commission is the collegiate body in charge of direction and academic management of the title. It interacts directly with the students and is in charge of programming the academic activities offered to the students, preparing the calendar, as well as other academic aspects necessary for an optimal development of the title. It will also be in charge of introducing the modifications included in the improvement process proposed by the title´s Quality Assurance System.
Composition of the Academic Committee of the Doctoral Program
Agreements Adopted by the Academic Commission of the Doctoral Program
The Quality Assurance Commission of the Doctoral programme performs the function of promoting and facilitating the continued improvement of the different activities (teaching, research, transfer of results, administrative issues) concerning the title. It also analyses the academic results and the level of satisfaction the title and prepares the improvement plan that the Academic commission will then put in practice.
Composition
- Sebastián Sánchez Villasclaras (President)
- Ramón González Ruiz (Secretary)
- María Dolores la Rubia García
- Antonio Molina Díaz
- José Juan Gaforio Martínez
- Miguel Delgado Rodríguez
- Francisco Luque Vázquez
- Francisco José Torres Ruiz
- Roberto García Ruiz
- Juan Francisco García Reyes
- Elena Guzmán Jiménez (Invited)
- Silvia Peinado Serrano (Young researcher)
Agreements
Agreements adopted by the Doctorate Quality Assurance Commission
The quality assurance system of Jaen University has a two-tiered structure of responsibility. On one side, the corresponding Vice-Rectorate coordinates the quality evaluation process for the different titles, departments and university services and, on the other, the Academic Centre in charge of the title, which applies its Quality Assurance System. The Internal Quality Assurance System of this doctoral programme is available at the following link: Quality Assurance System of the Doctoral School.
All official titles given by Jaen University undergo different evaluation processes by the Agency for Scientific and University Quality of Andalusia (ACCUA). To access the evaluation reports for this degree related to the verification, modification, monitoring and renewal of accreditation, select it in the ACCUA degree evaluation reports application.
You can also consult and download the reports related to the title by clicking here.
In the scoreboard you can find relevant information about the program (academic supply and demand, training complements, results of the training program, students, academic staff and employability...).
You can also complete the information by accessing the quality indicators of the theses defended, the satisfaction results and the Doctorate section of the statistical yearbook of the University of Jaén.
In the Institutional Repository of Scientific Production (RUJA) you can consult all the doctoral theses defended at the University of Jaén.
Employability is one of the most important elements of the quality of the title. You can take a look at the University report on employability where you will find the most common professional careers of people who took this doctorate before you.