This Doctoral Programme, which has its precedent in the old doctoral courses given by all the participating universities, is aimed at the training of highly qualified researchers in the Area of Knowledge of Contemporary History, who will be trained for innovation and for increasing knowledge in this field, as well as fully integrated into the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and the European Research Area (ERA).

Contemporary History is a well-established field in university education and research. Beyond the limits of Humanities, it is also increasingly recognised and has a noted interest among scientists and professionals in the scientific-social macro-area. This is so due to its capacity to explain the recent times and, consequently, provide this deposit of essential experiences to be able to understand the present and face decision-making, as well as to contribute to forge collective memory, an essential ingredient of social cohesion. It is out of doubt, then, the transcendence of Contemporary History in the articulation of current societies, and, particularly, the Spanish and the Valencian ones.

Formulating a Doctoral Programme in this field is also justified by the need to train competent professionals in different lines of work. Doctors in Contemporary History trained in this programme may be able to integrate, among other socio-professional sectors, in the university teaching, in public and private research centres, in cultural industry companies, in public companies or organisms responsible for the management of the cultural heritage, in companies or institutions of social analysis and of perspective or in media. Students will be skilled, at least, to carry out tasks to the highest level in all these sectors.

This Doctoral Programme is also justified because of the need to meet an appreciable demand, which is backed by the enrolment rates of the doctoral studies that preceded the proposed programme, rates that appear in Section 3 of this Report and which show a sustained interest in the doctorate in contemporary history by both Spanish and foreign students. Thus, the trajectory of the Interuniversity Doctoral Programme in Contemporary History so far demonstrates the demand (in this case not potential, but real) of these Doctoral Studies. Likewise, the future of these studies is guaranteed by the progressive increase in the number of students enrolled in the Degree in History in recent years in the different universities participating in the Doctoral Programme.