"Looking for a professional expert in data analysis, mining and management, algorithms, artificial intelligence, and software development." This phrase pretty much sums up the advertisements that companies seeking professionals in big data They consistently post on job portals. It's a common subject to appear in the rankings of the most in-demand and highest-paid jobs in the world, in the field of information and communications technologies. "There are statistics that tell us that the position of technology expert in data management is not only one of the five most difficult positions to fill today, but will continue to be so in the future," Joan Navarro Martín, academic director of the Master's Degree in Big Data at La Salle-URL, told ARA.

Silvia Sivera, a professor at the Faculty of Information and Communication Sciences who currently directs the UOC's eLearning Innovation Center (eLinC), analyzes the future challenges facing education. Her mission is to promote pedagogical innovation in online learning by using data obtained within the institution itself to benefit innovation and contribute to improving the quality of teaching.

For over a year now, it's been possible to board flights at El Prat Airport without having to show any identification: just hold your face up to a camera. Biometric technology—similar to that used to unlock a mobile phone with a user's face—is increasingly present at airports around the world to streamline checks and improve security. While, for now, Barcelona is only offered by Vueling on some connections and upon passenger request, a study by the airline organization IATA reveals that, by 2024, 46% of travelers will have already used this technology at some airport around the world. Furthermore, 73% say they prefer this system to having to show their passports or boarding passes to staff. But what does all this have to do with the agricultural professions of the future?

"A university degree is an essential requirement for companies that have hired recent graduates, unlike a master's degree, which is not perceived as an essential requirement." This is one of the notable findings of the latest report from the Catalan Agency for University Quality (AQU). It is a survey of employers on the training of university students. "One of the fundamental missions of higher education is to promote the employment of graduates," the AQU points out in the introduction to the document. "However, several studies point to a mismatch between university education and the real needs of the labor market, either due to a lack of specific skills or a shortage of graduates in certain fields," it warns.

A blue logo with the acronym AQU and two words: "Favorable Accreditation." This is the seal that people interested in studying for an official bachelor's or master's degree in Catalonia often see when looking up information. But few know exactly what it means. It's the seal of the Agency for the Quality of the Catalan University System (AQU Catalunya), the body responsible for evaluating, verifying, and accrediting higher education. Its objective is clear: to ensure that the country's university offerings meet European standards and respond to social and employment needs.

Bookstore School Program

University of Barcelona and the Catalan Booksellers' Guild

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The fifth study of the Barometer of Skills and Occupations of Catalonia by Pimec and the UOC highlights soft skills, soft skills that the labor market considers essential. The report details that up to 76.8% of job vacancies require mastery of some soft skill and up to 28% require mastery of some advanced digital skill.

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Inclusion and attention to diversity is a sector of education that requires increasingly personalized specialization to eliminate barriers for young people with special educational needs. The goal is for everyone to have the right to the same learning opportunities, regardless of their social and cultural background or their skills and abilities. Catalan universities offer master's degrees that emphasize improving educational services for all children and young people, a sector with growing demand.

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Based in Tarragona and with 18 experimental and computational research groups, the Catalan Institute of Chemical Research (ICIQ) stands out for its highly internationalized environment. Forty-two percent of its research staff come from outside Spain, especially from Italy, France, and the United Kingdom.

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The Catalan university system has a very solid offering of master's and postgraduate programs, but the key to its success is its ability to evolve and adapt to the new demands of a constantly evolving market. Programs need to constantly reinvent themselves to respond to the new demands of a constantly changing society. These are some of the most notable developments for the 2025-26 academic year.

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A five-evening course on pedagogical approach in the field of nursing at the University of Lleida. A short training capsule on basic electromobility concepts at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. Another option—this one online—to specialize in pruning and driving systems at the Rovira i Virgili University. These are just three of the options listed in the catalog of microcredential training offerings prepared by the Department of Research and Universities. It's a new concept, but one that is gaining traction at all universities in the country. Microcredentials are certifications that validate the learning outcomes obtained in short-term training experiences, such as a short course or training program.

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At the beginning of 2021, the Generalitat of Catalonia launched the Catalunya Media City project to create a hub audiovisual and video game industry in Southern Europe that would contribute to the economic and cultural transformation of the country, connect talent, and improve the range of studios in the country. The location chosen to make it a reality was the Tres Xemeneies del Besòs, together with the Parc Audiovisual de Catalunya (PAC) in Terrassa. In 2025, the project took a step forward: the Department of the Presidency assumed its leadership and promoted the signing of a collaboration protocol to align all the institutions involved and coordinate the actions that must be carried out to make it a reality.

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Rural schools are different from those found in urban settings. They are public schools located in very small towns and have few students. So few that, often, they don't separate the children by grade: even if they are of different ages, they study together. In Catalonia, there are around sixty rural schools—most of them in the Girona region and Central Catalonia—and nearly one hundred rural school zones, institutions made up of rural schools from nearby areas that are considered a single center. Working in them is a different experience.

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"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.

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Last year, master's degrees offered at Catalan universities had a record year. Never before had so many students enrolled in this type of program. A total of 51,882 students chose to extend their studies beyond the bachelor's degree or the former bachelor's degree.

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Master Beyond Media(Elisava-Uvic-UCC)

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The average fees of compulsory master's degrees (i.e., those that qualify students for certain professions, such as lawyers, secondary school teachers and psychologists) will fall to the same level as university degrees by the end of the 2022-23 academic year at the latest throughout Spain. The measure, announced on Monday by the Ministry of Universities with the agreement of all the regions except Madrid, means that fees paid by students enrolled in one of these master's in Catalonia will drop from €1,800 to about €1,100 per year. This come on the back of a 30% reduction in university fees introduced this year. This will translate into a €2.5m shortfall in Catalonia, with the Generalitat to foot the bill; the overall cost of the measure is estimated at €10.5m in the State.

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