Migration studies is a broad-based course of study that evaluates the process of human migration in a global context. The field of migration studies is gaining in popularity as policymakers worldwide struggle to make difficult decisions in an increasingly contentious political and social climate.

Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, is a sovereign state and a member state of the European Union. It is located on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. Spanish universities regulate access to their own degrees and they fix the academic fees. They can also offer unofficial postgraduate degrees. The capital city Madrid has possibly the largest number of bars per capita of any European city and a very active nightlife.

The PhD is a doctoral degree, specifically called a "doctor of philosophy" degree. This is misleading because PhD holders are not necessarily philosophers (unless they earned their degree in philosophy!). That said, PhD recipients are able to engage in thought experiments, reason about problems, and solve problems in sophisticated ways.