The climate emergency focuses a good part of the offer of new master's degrees

Sustainability, understood in environmental, social, and economic terms, is one of the factors that any business must include in its corporate values, and the energy transition is one of the challenges that, as a country and as a global environment, we must take on as soon as possible. A premise that the new Master's degree in Geosciences for the Energy Transition, which the UB is adding to its catalog of master's degrees this year, takes very much into account. The degree is based on the idea that knowledge of the subsoil is fundamental to being able to carry out an effective energy transition. "The energy transition is driving a structural change towards renewable and sustainable sources, which requires new scientific, technological, and educational approaches for the exploration, management, and efficient use of the subsoil," emphasizes Anna Martí, coordinator of the master's degree.The new master's degree at the UB trains specialists in geology and geophysics with a clear orientation towards the application of sustainable solutions to the challenges of the energy transition and is structured around three main axes: underground energy storage, geothermal energy, and responsible exploration of natural resources, integrating sustainability, energy efficiency, and emerging technologies content transversally. It also introduces, adds Martí, “the main social, legal, and economic aspects that influence the design, implementation, and evaluation of projects related to the energy transition and underground management”. A multidisciplinary approach that places special emphasis on understanding the subsoil and which its coordinator considers “essential to build solid future scenarios and make informed decisions in the face of the challenges of the energy transition and the climate emergency”.Sustainable and equitable transformationsIt is no secret that organizations must face urgent challenges linked to climate change, decarbonization, the efficient use of resources, and the transition towards fairer and more resilient development models compatible with planetary boundaries. According to the Catalonia Skills and Occupations Barometer, the demand for "green" jobs has increased by 17% in recent years and maintains sustained growth. As a result, companies, administrations, and social entities require professionals with rigorous and transversal training. Professionals prepared in key areas such as environmental legislation, corporate social responsibility, sustainable resource management, circular economy, and environmental impact analysis, disciplines that converge in the new UPC master's degree in Sustainability and Strategies for a Just Global Transition.

The new UPC degree places the emphasis on a comprehensive, advanced, and interdisciplinary approach to sustainability. It trains professionals with the ability to analyze, design, and implement strategies in areas such as energy transition, circular economy, urban planning, climate action, efficient public resource management, and corporate sustainability. “A distinctive feature is the incorporation of social, ethical, and governance dimensions, as well as the concept of global justice, which are essential for driving sustainable transformations that are also equitable,” explains Olga Alcaraz, researcher at the UPC's University Research Institute for Sustainability Science and Technology and academic coordinator of the master's program. A master's degree, however, which has a markedly transversal access profile, as noted by the university, precisely because “the diversity of academic backgrounds is considered a fundamental added value for the program.”Adaptation to a double transitionFor the new 2026-2027 academic year, the UOC has renewed its MBA program. In the words of the director, Laura Lamolla, it has been redesigned “to respond to a business environment characterized by constant change, uncertainty, and the need for adaptation in the face of the dual technological and sustainable transition”. Thus, among the main added values provided by this new design, the cross-cutting integration of the dual transition stands out, and as Lamolla clarifies, the program “does not treat digitalization and sustainability as isolated contents or subjects, but rather integrates them transversally into the block of compulsory subjects that are made up of the main value areas of the company (marketing, operations, people, finance, etc)”.

Other key elements of the new program are a personalized learning model and a methodology based on projects and real challenges, in which students face real business challenges proposed by external organizations. Also, the guided development of management and human skills that are key "for occupying leadership positions, and even more so in the current business environment where digitalization, and AI in particular, carries out tasks that until now were performed by humans," continues Lamolla. Through the UOC Skills Lab, explains the MBA director, an initial diagnosis is carried out on leadership and team management, change management, communication, and emotional intelligence, and, with the accompaniment of a tutor, each student defines their own development itinerary, being able to progress from level B1 (intermediate) to C2 (advanced) with the possibility of obtaining a micro-credential.In any case, Lamolla highlights, training in AI and sustainability “enriches the decision-making of managers in the short and medium term, as it contributes to making more informed decisions and adapting proactively to changes”. In any case, the integration of sustainability allows for the design of purposeful business models that generate environmental, social, and governance value, which anticipates legal regulations and responds to the demands of investors, consumers, and other stakeholders without compromising economic profitability," concludes Lamolla.