Universitat Rovira i Virgili
Campus of International Excellence Southern Catalonia
Doctoral degrees at the URV

Quality

Since its foundation, the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) has maintained a firm commitment to quality and continuous improvement, which form the foundation of its institutional strategy and represent both a distinctive element and a shared feature of its academic and administrative activities. In an effort to promote a genuine culture of quality, the URV has formally articulated its strategy in this field, aligning it with the institution's mission, vision, and values as set out in its Statutes.

In line with the quality assurance requirements established within the framework of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), universities are expected to develop, implement, and make publicly available an internal quality assurance policy and system (SIGQ).

Within this framework, the Doctoral School (Escola de Doctorat, ED) has developed and implemented its own Internal Quality Assurance System (SIGQ), with the primary goal of maintaining and improving the quality of all its activities, strategic areas, and doctoral programmes. The documentary structure of the ED's SIGQ includes the following elements:

The URV has established a comprehensive policy and strategy in the field of teaching quality, clearly defining its responsibilities in guaranteeing the quality of its academic provision. Accordingly, the University publicly affirms its commitment to quality through its institutional Quality Policy.

In alignment with this institutional framework, the Doctoral School (DE) has formulated its own Quality Policy, which serves as a strategic reference for all activities carried out within the School. This Policy is fully consistent with the URV's overarching quality strategy and encompasses the DE's vision, mission, and quality objectives. Moreover, it reflects the public commitment of all stakeholders to fostering a culture of quality and serves as a guiding framework for the strategic management and continuous improvement of the Doctoral School.

The Quality Manual is the basic document that describes the Internal Quality Assurance System (SIGQ) and specifies the processes that comprise it. It includes a presentation of the Doctoral School (ED), as well as its organisation, structure, and the responsibilities assigned to ensure the quality of its academic programmes.

(The contents of the SIGQ review reports are written in Catalan)

The SIGQ of the Doctoral School (ED) is structured around a set of processes and is graphically represented through the process map, which identifies the different processes according to their typology and illustrates the interactions between them. The process map consists of the following elements:

A set of transversal processes, which have a university-wide scope and are essential for the functioning of the centre. The ED acts as a user of these processes, which are managed centrally. The corresponding process owners are responsible for defining, reviewing, improving, and making these processes available to the academic units. 

In addition, the process map is complemented, as appropriate, with operational processes that describe how certain activities are carried out. In these cases, the processes are identified in the process sheet as related documentation.

A set of processes specific to the Doctoral School, which describe the activities carried out within the centre and reflect its operational particularities. These include three distinct types:

During the implementation and review of the SIGQ, and in accordance with the strategic process PR-ED-008: Definition, Review and Improvement of the SIGQ, the following reports have been prepared and formally approved:

(The contents review reports of the SIGQ of the Doctoral School are written in Catalan)

The governing bodies involved in quality assurance at the Doctoral School (ED) are as follows:

► The Head of the SIGQ, Dr Alex Fragoso Sierra, is responsible for ensuring the establishment, implementation, and maintenance of the processes necessary for the effective functioning of the SIGQ. This role also includes compiling and analysing relevant data, formulating improvement proposals, and reporting on the development and outcomes of the SIGQ.

► The Quality Committee ensures the effective implementation of the SIGQ within the academic programmes offered by the ED. It operates within a process-based management framework and upholds the commitment to continuous improvement. The Committee is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the SIGQ and proposing modifications and enhancements as needed. At the ED, these functions are assumed by the Steering Committee, which officially acts as the Quality Committee.

Composition of the Quality Committee:

· The Director of the Doctoral School, who serves as Chair.

· The Secretary of the ED.

· The person responsible for the School's SIGQ.

· The Administrative Manager of the ED.

· The Coordinators of all URV doctoral programmes and interuniversity programmes coordinated by the URV.

· One representative from each of the partner institutions participating in the ED, provided that such representation is explicitly established in the cooperation agreement signed with the URV.

Two doctoral students elected by and from among the doctoral student body.

(The information and documents available on this page are written in Catalan, in accordance with the current language policy of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili. For further clarification or to request access in another language, please contact the Doctoral School by calling: +34 977 55 8831 / +34 977 25 6596)