At present, there is a recognised shortage of manpower for both research-related posts and industrial jobs in photonics-related technologies. In addition, the creation of small, tech-based, spin-off photonics companies is requiring an ever greater number of specialised professionals. Students will be put in touch with photonics-related research groups at partner institutions, which offer doctoral programmes with EU grants.

Generic competencies

Generic competencies are the skills that graduates acquire regardless of the specific course or field of study. The generic competencies established by the UPC are capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship, sustainability and social commitment, knowledge of a foreign language (preferably English), teamwork and proper use of information resources.

Specific competencies

On completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Understand and integrate advanced theoretical fundamentals of photonics, particularly in the fields of photonics engineering, nanophotonics and biophotonics.
• Approach research ideas, developments and applications in an original manner.
• Understand photonics as an interdisciplinary scientific and technological discipline that is connected to other disciplines such as physics, chemistry, biology, materials science and renewable energies.
• Interpret the main phenomena associated with optics/photonics and apply the knowledge and problem-solving skills acquired to theoretical, experimental and technological aspects of photonics.
• Apply the scientific method, integrate knowledge and be discriminating when they are reading photonics research and interpreting incomplete and sometimes apparently contradictory experimental, observational and theoretical data.