Master's students, in numbers: who are they, what are they studying, and where are they enrolling?
In Catalonia, the number of master's degree students has skyrocketed in recent years: while only 4,393 students enrolled in 2006, the number now exceeds 50,000. We analyze the main indicators of this type of training to understand its growth.
"The master's degree helped me specialize as a veterinarian in the field of food quality and gain a realistic view of the business world," recalls Ismael Andrés Ramos, a graduate of the Master's Degree in Animal Food Quality offered by the Autonomous University of Barcelona. "Despite my extensive experience working in the sports sector, I needed to be more up-to-date on subjects that are very important to my work, such as taxation, finance, and accounting," shares Montse Pujals, who completed the Master's Degree in Sports Business Management at the University of Barcelona.
50.399
estudiants
L’ocupació al cap de tres anys és del 93,4%
664 másters
142 centres
664 másters
50.399 estudiants
142 centres
L’ocupació al cap de tres anys és del 93,4%
664 másters
50.399 estudiants
142 centres
L’ocupació al cap de tres anys
és del 93,4%
These are just two of the tens of thousands of people who, in recent decades, have decided to enroll in a master's degree. The number, in fact, has increased almost twelvefold: if only 4,393 students enrolled in the 2006-2007 academic year, since the 2021-2022 academic year, the number has risen to more than 50,000 each year. "The number of students enrolled in master's degrees at Catalan universities has increased, and the progression is clearly upward," confirms Victòria Girona, Director General of Universities of the Generalitat (Catalan Government) in ARA. In fact, she points out that pre-pandemic enrollment rates have already been surpassed: there has been an overall increase of 6.5% in the Catalan university system since the 2019-2020 academic year. In the last academic year, 2024-2025, the indicator reached a record high: 51,882 students enrolled in official university master's programs. There had never been so many.
The areas that grow
Among the reasons that draw students to master's degrees are the desire to deepen or specialize in specific aspects studied throughout the degree; the desire to develop new professional skills; the desire to complement their university education with a specific area of knowledge; or simply to satisfy their curiosity. "The most notable areas of knowledge recently in university master's degrees have been artificial intelligence, data management and analysis, cybersecurity, biosciences, and semiconductors and microelectronic design," explains Girona.
Master's degrees that qualify students for the practice of regulated professions are also generating high demand. "Catalonia," notes the director. She also cites another: the Master's Degree in General Health Psychology. "It will increase its offering in Catalonia through distance learning or blended learning, through collaboration with the UOC," she explains.
