Strengthen the connection between disciplines, bring students closer to clinical practice from day one, and articulate health training in the same environment. These are the objectives of UIC Barcelona with UIC BCN Health, the umbrella under which it groups seven disciplines in the biosanitary field. These are Bioengineering, Biomedical Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, Psychology, Dentistry, and Physiotherapy.This ecosystem unfolds on the Sant Cugat campus, integrated into the General University Hospital of Catalonia. There, health studies coexist with three own university clinics, a reference hospital network, and the Advanced Simulation Integral Centre, a space of more than 1,000 square meters that allows students to carry out simulated practices in a real clinical environment from the beginning of their training.More practical experience

The university argues that this model seeks to combine academic learning with guided and safe practical experience, always with the accompaniment of active professionals. Furthermore, UIC BCN Health also concentrates research laboratories in Biomedicine and Bioengineering, gyms for Physiotherapy and healthcare facilities such as the University Dental Clinic, the Support psychology and psychiatry clinic, and Cuides UIC Barcelona, focused on the care of advanced diseases and palliative care.The rector of the university, Alfonso Méndiz, maintains that UIC BCN Health is a “differentiating, clear and solid” proposal built on “almost thirty years of experience” and on an academic offering integrated into its own ecosystem. UIC Barcelona is also approaching its 30th anniversary and twenty years of Medical studies.Three new master's degrees in health

UIC Barcelona's commitment to strengthening its health ecosystem is also reflected in the expansion of its postgraduate offering. For the next academic year, the university will incorporate three new master's degrees linked to this field, with different profiles and approaches but with the same objective: to delve into increasingly specialized areas connected with the new needs of the healthcare sector.  The first of the new programs is the university master's degree in Respiratory and Cardiac Physiotherapy, aimed at both active professionals and researchers. According to the university, the program aims to respond to the growing demand for highly qualified physiotherapists in the comprehensive management of adult, pediatric, and critically ill patients, and emphasizes intervention in situations of great respiratory and cardiac complexity.  The new offer also incorporates the Master's degree in International Continuing Education in Bioethics and Healthcare Professionalism. In this case, the proposal is aimed at healthcare professionals and graduates who carry out their activity in care, research, or training environments. The program seeks to reinforce reflection and preparation on ethical and professional issues within clinical and clinical training contexts.  The third launch is the Master's degree in Bioinformatics & AI for Healthcare, driven by Biomedical Sciences and taught entirely in English. The university presents it as a unique program because it combines bioinformatics and artificial intelligence applied to health in a single proposal, two areas that increasingly weigh more in biomedical research and in the transformation of healthcare services.  

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When a supermarket receives fresh fruit first thing in the morning, a factory avoids halting production due to a lack of components, or a hospital has the necessary materials at the right moment, behind it all there is often invisible but decisive work: logistics. In recent years, this field has ceased to be a secondary component to become a key element of the global economy and a profession with ever-increasing strategic weight within companies.In Catalonia, this shift has been accompanied by a growing offer of master's degrees and postgraduate courses linked to logistics and the supply chain. This is the case, for example, of the master's degree in Supply Chain Management and Technology at La Salle URL; the online master's degree in Logistics Management at the UOC; the master's degree in Supply Chain Management, Technology and Sustainability at UPF-BSM; the master's degree in Logistics, Supply Chain and Maritime Business at TecnoCampus, or programs such as the master's degree in Logistics and Supply Chain Management that the UAB promotes within an international consortium, among others. This long list of degrees reflects the extent to which the sector has ceased to be a peripheral specialization to consolidate itself as its own training field, increasingly connected with technology, sustainability, and global business management.An increasingly complete profile

“Before the pandemic, logistics was a more invisible area in the company, almost always in the background”, Concha Gaudó, director of the master’s degree in Supply Chain Management and Technology at La Salle Campus Barcelona, points out to ARA. As she explains, the disruptions of recent years, from covid to geopolitical uncertainty, have placed the supply chain “at the center of strategic decisions for many organizations”, and this has also transformed the type of professionals that are in demand.

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University of Barcelona (UB)

Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB)

Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC)

Open University of Catalonia (UOC)

International University of Catalonia (UIC)

University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC)

Pompeu Fabra University (UPF)

Blanquerna - Ramon Llull University (Blanquerna-URL)

Expand the offering with new courses related to business, technology, engineering, and international law. IQS incorporates the Master's in Accounting, Data Analytics, and ESG Reporting, focused on advanced accounting, data analysis, and sustainability reporting. La Salle adds programs in Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence for Business Management, and Acoustics, Audio, and Vibrations. Esade, for its part, incorporates the university master's degree in International Business Law, designed for legal specialization in global business environments.

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Update without having to take a full master's degree. Redirect your professional career without starting from scratch. Certify a specific competence and be able to include it in your curriculum. These are some of the particularities offered by university micro-credentials, a brief, flexible, and labor market-oriented training formula that is gaining ground in Catalonia and that universities are beginning to integrate into their offerings. According to the search engine for training offered with public funds from the microcreds.cat Plan, there are currently 468 micro-credentials offered in Catalonia, with proposals ranging from artificial intelligence, programming, or web development to the fields of health, architecture, or project management.“Micro-credentials offer the opportunity to certify more specifically the competencies demanded by the labor market”, explain Dr. Marcelo Maina, director of the master's degree in Education and ICT - e-learning at the UOC, and Dr. Lourdes Guàrdia, vice-dean of the Studies of Psychology and Educational Sciences. According to them, this formula responds to a growing need: to be able to update knowledge and skills quickly, flexibly, and compatibly with work or other daily responsibilities.A brief, focused, and cumulative format

But what exactly are university micro-credentials? Broadly speaking, they are short-term training programs, delivered and certified by universities, that allow for the accreditation of specific skills. They are designed for adults, whether they already have a higher education qualification or not, and aim to facilitate access to more flexible, specialized training connected to the real needs of the productive and social fabric.The duration ranges between 25 and 375 hours, with official academic recognition of up to 15 ECTS credits. Unlike other longer programs, they do not necessarily start from a closed itinerary, but rather allow for the acquisition of specific knowledge in very concrete areas. "They aim to certify the learning outcomes of short-term learning experiences, presenting the knowledge, skills, and competencies that have been developed," explain Maina and Guàrdia. Furthermore, they are accumulable: students can add micro-credentials over time and thus build a training path adapted to their professional needs. Another key element is digital certification. The acquired competencies are accredited in a secure, verifiable, and transferable format within the European sphere.

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A worker looks at the salary of their last payslip and wonders how they can move up to a higher category. A recent graduate chains together their first jobs and looks for a specialization that will open new doors for them. A professional with years of experience notices that their sector has changed and that they need to update themselves. The reasons for studying a master's degree are not always the same, but they often share a common underlying idea: to improve their professional position in an increasingly demanding job market.Data indicates that choosing to pursue a master's degree can be a key way to achieve this. Currently, 93.5% of master's degree holders are employed, according to the study The employment of master's graduates from Catalan universities, prepared by the Agency for the Quality of the University System of Catalonia (AQU Catalunya). Furthermore, more than six out of ten perform functions specifically related to the master's degree studied, and a significant portion of those who were already working before taking the course assure that they have improved their professional category, salary, or type of contract.The weight of these studies within the Catalan university system is also relevant. This academic year, Catalan universities are offering 702 master's degrees, involving around 50,000 students, a figure that positions this training as a central piece of university specialization and lifelong learning. 'We want a university system that is a lever for progress and a social elevator, capable of offering opportunities to everyone so that no talent is left behind for economic reasons,' defended the Minister of Research and Universities, Núria Montserrat, at the inauguration of the academic year, which is now drawing to a close.Looking ahead to the 2026-27 academic year, the Department of Research and Universities is working on around eighty new projects encompassing degrees, master's programs, and doctoral programs, many still in the authorization process. As of now, at least 16 university master's programs have already been authorized. The planning is particularly focused on strategic and emerging sectors, such as artificial intelligence, biomedicine, ICT, health, engineering, or film arts. The Department also plans to update several existing degrees and master's programs to adapt their content to new professional demands.Master's degrees: a source of progress and opportunities

One of the clearest pieces of data is the professional improvement declared by people who were already working before taking the master's degree. According to AQU Catalunya, 65.6% have improved their professional category and 64.6% have a higher salary than before obtaining the degree. There is also an impact on working conditions: 52.1% have improved their type of contract and 45.2% have improved their dedication or working hours. This does not mean that the master's degree automatically guarantees a promotion, but the data does show a clear relationship between specializing and progressing professionally.However, for this path of progress to be truly effective, price is also a determining factor. Along these lines, the Department has equalized the cost of all public qualifying degrees and master's degrees with the lowest price and has applied a new reduction of 30% for the rest of non-qualifying master's degrees.Jobs more linked to training

Another argument in favor of master's degrees is the alignment between studies and work. According to the AQU Catalunya report, 64% of graduates perform specific functions related to the master's they have completed. The percentage rises to 86% if functions related to their previous university degree are also included. In other words: in most cases, the master's degree is not just a credential disconnected from daily professional life, but rather has a direct translation into the tasks that are ultimately assumed.This adaptation is especially relevant at a time when many people are not only looking for a job, but also for a job that is more aligned with their profile, interests, and professional expectations. In fact, the same study shows that overall job satisfaction among master's graduates is rated as notable, with an average score of 8 out of 10. The key, however, is not to take any master's degree, but to choose training aligned with the professional moment, the sector, and the skills demanded by the labor market.

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After more than two years of conflict, the social chamber of the Court of First Instance of Girona has ruled in favor of the 18 researchers María Zambrano in its dispute with the University of Girona. According to the now final ruling, it was unjustified for the University of Girona to use the money from this now-cancelled state talent recruitment program, which was intended for scientists' salaries, to pay the employer's social security contributions. The court now requires the university to return the amounts withheld improperly.

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Every start of the academic year is a good time to renew commitments and look ahead with ambition. This year, more than ever, is an opportunity to reaffirm what makes the Catalan public university system an essential engine of progress: its diversity.

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Next academic year, the Department of Research and Universities will implement the reduction in public tuition fees for qualifying bachelor's and master's degrees—those that qualify for a profession, such as law or architecture—to the lowest current price: €17.69 per credit each academic year, in addition to official master's degrees. Regional Minister of Research and Universities, Núria Montserrat, during a conference at the Europa Forum. Tribune

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The Spanish government wants to curb the proliferation of private universities that has occurred in Spain in recent years, which is on the verge of causing there to be more than 46 public ones (50). This proliferation would not be a problem if there were not the suspicion that behind many of them there is not enough academic solidity or sufficient structure, but that the corresponding regional authorities still give them the green light because it is still an entry of economic activity and prestige for the territory in question. In fact, a third of the new universities approved have not had a positive report from the Ministry of Universities, but this procedure is not binding. The regional government has the final say.

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