In 2009-2010, the UB will teach a wide selection of bachelor’s degrees in each of its five areas of knowledge: Arts and Humanities, Science, Health Sciences, Social and Legal Sciences, and Engineering. This means that most of the degree courses at the UB, the largest university in the Catalan system, will now be adapted to the EHEA guidelines (in addition to the 49 bachelor’s degrees, the UB teaches 130 official master’s and 67 doctoral programs, all adapted to the European model). After the allocation of places last July, more than 7,500 new students have enrolled at the UB, most on degree courses that they chose as their first option.

«Although we have had to carry out a complex process of adaptation in a very short period of time», reports the Office of the Vice-Rector for Teaching and European Convergence, «the new bachelor’s degrees have been successfully introduced thanks to the efforts of the faculty and staff at the UB, who have devoted long hours to designing the new degrees and have made all the necessary preparations … We are working hard to ensure that students beginning their studies derive the maximum benefit from the high-quality range of course on offer.»

Students who began their studies before the 2009-2010 academic year will either be able to complete their studies under the old program, or, if they wish, may study the corresponding bachelor’s degree introduced as part of the new program. It should be borne in mind that some bachelor’s degrees will not start until the 2010-2011 academic year.

The introduction of the new bachelor’s degrees does not involve wholesale changes in the way classes are taught or how students study. The main difference is that the new credit system allows more flexibility in course planning, therefore making it possible to revise working strategies, resources, and assessment methods and to adapt them to the specific objectives of a course. The new approach also allows a greater diversity of activities as a complement to the traditional lecture format, more active student participation, and more continuous assessment methods throughout the year in addition to the final exams. To achieve this level of flexibility, the internal UB regulations have been revised to allow students to register as part-time if they wish to combine their studies with some form of employment. The aim is to improve the quality of teaching and to make university degrees comparable with those of other countries and, therefore, recognized in Europe.