Health Sciences and Sports

The Official Doctorate Program in Health and Sports Sciences at Francisco de Vitoria University is an innovative and multidisciplinary program that trains highly competent researchers with the aim of generating new scientific knowledge that advances society, science, and public health. Health and sports are essential for maintaining health and preventing disease, and research in these areas is advancing rapidly, with discoveries that directly impact people's quality of life.

We offer two lines of research for this doctoral program:

• Physical Exercise, Health, and Athletic Performance

• Prevention and Improvement Strategies

The program reinforces its commitment to academic excellence, cutting-edge research, and comprehensive student training, educating professionals capable of translating scientific knowledge into concrete improvements for the health and well-being of the population. The Doctorate in Health and Sports Sciences was implemented in the 2025/26 academic year, in accordance with Royal Decree 576/2023. Eight places are offered each year.

Check out the UFV's Material Resources for this Doctorate.

The doctoral program prepares you to develop basic and general competencies, as well as personal skills and abilities.

• Understand a field of study and master research methods

• Conceive, design, and implement research or creative processes

• Contribute to the expansion of knowledge through original research

• Analyze, evaluate, and synthesize complex ideas

• Communicate results to the academic community and society

• Promote scientific, social, artistic, and cultural advancement

• Promote Open Science and Citizen Science

• Work with limited information and ask key questions

• Design and develop innovative projects

• Work as part of a team and independently, even in international or multidisciplinary contexts

• Integrate knowledge and make critical judgments

• Analyze health and sports research results

• Apply advanced methodologies in studies on injury prevention, athletic performance, and well-being.

Each doctoral student will have an academic tutor and a thesis supervisor, both of whom are doctors with research experience, who will guide them in their progress and supervise the preparation of their thesis. During the first year, the Research Plan and Personal Training Plan will be drawn up, which can be updated annually through follow-up reports and the Doctoral Student Activity Document.

The thesis must be an original work and must include at least one published or accepted article derived from the project. Its evaluation will involve reports from external experts, authorization from the Academic Committee for its submission, and a public defense before a panel of doctors, who will award the final grade.

After the defense, the thesis will be archived in the institutional repository and sent to the Ministry of Universities.

Find out more about UFV's International Doctoral School, an environment that brings together the information and resources needed for doctoral research.

Explore its mission, structure, and the services that support doctoral students throughout their training and research.