The Program of Doctorate in Physical Activity and Sports: Risks and Benefits of the Universidad Europea del Atlántico (European University of the Atlantic, UNEATLANTICO) has been approved by the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA) and officially published in the Official State Gazette (BOE). This doctorate is the first in the Autonomous Community linked to physical activity and sports and is oriented to research in this area of knowledge.
The main objective of the program is to train highly qualified professionals so that they can carry out research work in the field of sports and physical activity, both in research institutes or centers and in high-performance sports centers, R&D centers related to the area or in departments of sport or public health, mainly. Likewise, its specific objective is to enable the completion of a quality doctoral thesis in the generic scope of the degree and in the specific one associated with each of the areas of knowledge found in the same.
These studies guarantee the acquisition of some basic competencies, such as the systematic understanding of a field of study and the mastery of research skills and methods related to Risks and benefits in Physical Activity and Sports. Likewise, the students of the Doctorate in Physical Activity and Sports: Risks and Benefits will generate the ability to perform a critical analysis and evaluation in order to carry out scientific research.
The capabilities and skills by which future doctorates in this program will be differentiated are several. These include managing in contexts where there is little specific information; finding the key questions to be answered to solve a complex problem; designing, creating, developing, and undertaking novel and innovative projects in their field of knowledge; working both in teams and autonomously in an international or multidisciplinary context; integrating knowledge, dealing with complexity; and making judgments with limited information and the intellectual critique and defense of solutions.
As for the training activities of this doctoral program, the following stand out: training on research ethics and academic honesty; annual research conferences; research seminars on Physical Activity and Sports; workshops on the Scientific Publication process; preparation of articles for publication in prestigious journals throughout the program; attendance and presentation of scientific communications at national and international congresses, conferences, and other events on Physical Activity and mobility with stays at universities and higher research centers on research topics.
To access, students must hold the official Spanish degrees of Bachelor or equivalent and a master’s degree or equivalent, with at least 300 ECTS passed in these two courses. Likewise, the recommended entry profile for students who opt for access to this program will be graduates in Sport and Exercise Science or Human Nutrition and Dietetics with a master’s degree related to this field.