This is how the open degree works, the tailor-made formula for undecided students.

On Mondays, one subject from the Economics degree and another from Advertising and Public Relations. On Tuesdays, one from the Political Science track. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, two more from the Humanities, and, to finish the week, one from Journalism. For ten years now, students starting university have not had to decide, from the outset, which specific degree they want to pursue. The formula is called open degree and allows students who want to enter university to postpone for almost a year one of the most distressing issues: choosing which degree they will pursue in the following years. This option is currently only offered in Catalonia by Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), but it receives more applications each year. Last year, out of 50 applicants, only 30 were able to enroll, the maximum number of applicants. This translates into a fairly high average entrance grade, which in recent years has fluctuated between 11.2 and 12.3 out of 14. But how exactly does an open degree work?

"It's a formula that, although still little known, offers a golden opportunity to undecided students, who can try subjects from various programs and postpone for about a year the final choice of the degree they will ultimately earn," explains Ester Oliveras, delegate of Transversal Programs at UPF. In the first year, and for a maximum of four terms, those pursuing an open degree can create a customized course, with any subject from all the degrees offered by UPF, except in two cases: medicine and those created jointly with other universities. "It's ideal for undecided students, who at 17 or 18 are still unsure of what degree they want to pursue, but also for those with curiosity and different interests," notes Oliveras. However, after four terms at most, they must decide. "They end up choosing which degree they will graduate from," she adds.

Personalized guidance

Opting to pursue an open degree has advantages, but it also means having to deal with scheduling that is a real puzzle. Currently, at UPF, students can choose from 24 different degree courses. This means they must research the entire offering, choose their classes, and fit them into their schedule. To make things easier, the university assigns them an academic tutor. "We accompany and guide them throughout the entire process in a very close and personalized way, one of the reasons we can only offer 30 places," explains the delegate. They also put them in touch with students from previous classes of the open degree who are already enrolled in the target degree, taking on the role of ambassadors.

One of the students who opted to pursue the open degree is Antoni Forné, who this year has already completed the final phase of his chosen degree: Computer Engineering. He chose this innovative course of study because he wanted an academic path that combined engineering with knowledge of economics. "I feel very identified with the profile." fintech, or a combination of economics and engineering, and this program offered me the opportunity to explore these fields without having to complete a double degree," he admitted a few months ago in a report by UPF, prepared to mark the tenth anniversary of this program. informed," he says.

Furthermore, upon completion, the program plans to offer the Open Degree Program Minor in Transversal Skills, a new addition to the last academic year and a pioneer nationwide. The goal is to foster and consolidate the interdisciplinary knowledge and transversal skills acquired by students in the program. "Its aim is to ensure that transversality, understood as a distinctive trait of graduates who have completed the open degree, becomes a demonstrable experience, while complementing the training acquired in the destination degree," the university explains.

Over the 10 years it has been offered, nearly 300 students have already completed the open degree program, allowing them to explore different interdisciplinary fields and develop their own unique paths, tailored to their academic and professional interests. For the next academic year, the University of Barcelona will offer an open degree program through the CETT (Centre for Tourism and Marketing, Events and Entertainment), which will allow students to combine subjects from four programs: a Bachelor's Degree in Tourism, a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Events and Entertainment, a Bachelor's Degree in International Hospitality Management, and a Bachelor's Degree in Digital Business and Innovation.