Objectives and competences

This professionally-focused master's degree offers a range of compulsory and optional subjects through which students acquire the training to create and manage innovative companies. It is a markedly cross-disciplinary programme that focuses primarily on the use of practical case studies and examples taken from the real world of innovative companies.

The general goal of the programme is to provide advanced training the creation of companies and the management of innovation. It aims to provide future entrepreneurs and managers of innovative companies with the skills they will need for success, to train qualified professionals for innovation management, and to give them the tools to launch innovative business initiatives. As such, students will acquire the skills and capacities to:
  • Manage innovative projects and/or processes in any type of organization, develop new products or services, perform management roles in R&D or innovation departments, and participate in innovation programmes run by private organizations or government bodies.
  • Implement business initiatives, pursue new projects and bring them to the market.
Twenty-five lecturers from different departments are involved in teaching the programme, through lectures, guided debates, projects, and presentations by the teaching staff and guest professionals.

Basic information

TypeMaster's degree
Faculty or schoolFaculty of Economics and Business
Branch of knowledge
  • Economic sciences, business administration and management, marketing, commerce, accounting and tourism
Mode of delivery
  • Face-to-face
Credits60
Number of places available30
Length of course1 academic year
Language(s) of instruction87 % Spanish - 13 % English
Approximate price per credit27,67 euros per credit (95 euros for students who are not EU or China nationals and do not currently reside in Spain). Fees for the academic year 2023-2024.
CoordinationPATRICIA ELGOIBAR ESTEBAN
E-mailmastercreaempresa@ub.edu
Course detailsIndicators
Open pre-enrolmentYes
Open enrolmentNo
Lead to doctoral studiesYes
Admission for applicants not holding a degree qualificationNo
Bridging coursesYes

Objectives and competences

Objectives

The master's degree in Creation and Management of New Technology-Based Firms aims to provide students with an advanced level of training in the creation of new companies and the management of innovation processes. The objective is to provide the highest level of training to entrepreneurs and managers of innovative firms.
The advanced training is designed to enable students, on completion of the degree, to be able to:
  • Manage the processes of innovative business creation from set-up to consolidation.
  • Successfully design and implement projects and plans for managing R&D and innovation in companies focused on manufacturing or services.
  • Promote intrapreneurship projects in organizations.
  • Manage and optimize technology-based firms in high-performance sectors.
  • Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the science and technology environment and any participating actors, in order to reach agreements on cooperation and knowledge and/or technology transfer.
  • Carry out consulting tasks on subjects relating to entrepreneurship and innovation processes in firms.
  • Develop programmes to stimulate innovation in private organizations or in the public administration.

Competences

Basic
  • Knowledge forming the basis of original thinking in the development and/or application of ideas, typically in a research context.
  • Capacity to apply the acquired knowledge to problem-solving in new or relatively unknown environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to the field of studies.
  • Capacity to integrate knowledge and tackle the complexity of formulating judgements based on incomplete or limited information, taking due consideration of the social and ethical responsibilities involved in applying knowledge and making judgements.
  • Capacity to communicate knowledge and conclusions and the grounds on which they have been reached to specialist and non-specialist audiences in a clear and unambiguous manner.
  • Capacity for ongoing self-directed and independent learning.


General
  • Capacity to propose a business or innovation project based on an original idea, whose feasibility can then be assessed.
  • Capacity to work in a team to develop joint projects with people from different disciplines.


Specific
  • Capacity to apply the main concepts and management tools to resolve problems and business situations related to the strategic, financial and commercial management of innovative and technology-based companies.
  • Capacity to manage people and teams in organisations, in order to increase their motivation and their innovative behaviour.
  • Capacity to design, analyse and develop processes and innovative organisational structures in different types of companies.
  • Capacity to manage technology flows in organisations, to incorporate technology into the company, and manage research and development projects.
  • Capacity to apply techniques for generating ideas and creativity to come up with new business ideas or processes of innovation in organisations.
  • Capacity to find external and internal sources of funding to create new companies or business projects.
  • Capacity to analyse policies for promoting innovation, R&D, and entrepreneurship in different regions, to determine their impact on society.
  • Capacity to analyse and develop technology management processes in companies.
  • Capacity to analyse the economic dimension of technology to improve the strategy and competitiveness of technology-based companies.
  • Capacity to apply the main techniques and tools for managing technology and R&D.

Access and admission

Applicant profile and access requirements

Recommended applicant profile

Applicants should hold a bachelor's degree, engineering degree, architectural degree or equivalent undergraduate qualification and have a particular interest in the creation of business opportunities and innovation projects, either in existing companies or through the creation of new firms. The master's degree is primarily targeted at students who wish to foster innovation and/or technology as differentiating factors in the development of competitive strategies. It is highly recommendable for applicants to have a good working knowledge of English and of software tools and applications.
Credit will be given for communication skills in English.

In certain cases, the Master's Coordinating Commission may consider it necessary for candidates to take training supplements beforehand.

Access requirements and conditions

General requirements
In accordance with Article 16 of Royal Decree 1393/2007, of 29 October, students wishing to be admitted to a university master's degree must hold one of the following qualifications:

  • Official Spanish university degree.

  • A degree issued by a higher education institution within the European Higher Education Area framework that authorizes the holder to access university master's degree courses in the country of issue.

  • A qualification issued by an institution outside the framework of the European Higher Education Area. In this case, applicants must request homologation of the degree to its equivalent official Spanish university qualification or obtain express approval from the University of Barcelona, which will conduct a study of equivalence to ensure that the degree is of a comparable level to an official Spanish university qualification and that it grants access to university master's degree study in the country of issue. Admission shall not, in any case, imply that prior qualifications have been recognized as equivalent to a Spanish master's degree and does not confer recognition for any purposes other than that of admission to the master's degree course.

Specific requirements
The official degrees for admission to this master's degree are established according to the academic regulations of the UB. As explained above, candidates should hold a bachelor's degree, engineering degree, architectural degree or equivalent undergraduate qualification and have a particular interest in the creation of business opportunities and innovation projects, either in existing companies or through the creation of new companies. Degrees in economics, business administration and management, industrial engineering and related disciplines are particularly useful.
Candidates must be able to demonstrate a good working knowledge of Spanish. Candidates who are not native speakers of Spanish must provide evidence of their Spanish language competence. If this is not possible, they will be asked to attend an interview with the Master's Coordination Committee.

  • Training supplements

Given the characteristics of the master's degree, in order to take the University Master's Degree in Creation and Management of Innovative and Technological Base Companies, certain notions of business management will be required. For this reason, the Master's Coordinating Commission values, for each application, if it is considered necessary for the applicant to enroll in previous training courses. These training supplements, with 5 ECTS credits, are those corresponding to the "Fundamentals of International Business" course of the Master in International Business of the University of Barcelona. Complements are carried out during the two weeks prior to the start of the master's sessions. In these cases, and as established by Royal Decree 861/2010, the training courses are considered as master credits for the purposes of public prices and the granting of scholarships and grants.


Pre-enrolment

Calendar

First period:

  • 1 February ' 22 March 2024.
  • Notification of decisions: April 18

Second period:

  • From 1 April - 31 May 2024.
  • Notification of decisions: 14 June

Third period:

  • From 3 June to 28 June 2024.
  • Notification of decisions: 8 July



Out of period documentation will not be accepted.

Notes:

  • Pre-enrolment fee: A pre-enrolment fee of 30,21 euros is charged. Students who apply to more than one master's degree must pay the fee for each pre-enrolment request. Pre-enrolment requests cannot be processed until this fee has been paid.Fees will only be refunded if the master's degree in question is suspended.
  • Reserved places: A maximum of 5% of the new places of the master's degree are reserved for students who meet the general and specific access requirements and accredit the recognition of a degree of disability equal to or greater than 33%.

Required documentation

Selection criteria

  • Curriculum vitae (40%). It must be sent in Spanish. Particular credit will be given for:
    1. Previous experience in business creation.
    2. Previous experience in technology-based companies or other types of companies in emerging sectors.
    3. Previous training in business creation, innovation management, management of technology-based companies, or company management in emerging sectors.
  • Motivational video (35%). To evaluate the motivational video, aspects such as the clear and coherent presentation of the reasons that lead the student to want to study the master's degree, the adaptation of the student's expectations to the offer of the master's degree, the relation are taken into account. between the previous experience and the objectives that are intended to be achieved by studying the master's degree and the use and management of terms in the field of entrepreneurship and innovation. In case of doubt about any candidate, the master reserves the right to conduct a personal or virtual interview with the candidate. The main purpose of the interview is to check the aspects mentioned in the motivational video and, if applicable, the language level.
  • Previous studies, preferably in a related discipline (15%). Applicants with scientific and technical training will be given priority, but students with other profiles (e.g. from the social sciences or humanities) who have a special interest in the management of innovation and entrepreneurship are also welcome.
  • Academic record for previous studies (5%).
  • International experience (5%). Credit will be given for professional experience in a foreign country.

Notification

The body in charge of resolving applications is the master's degree Admissions Committee. This procedure is carried out in the period established in the pre-enrolment calendar. Once the Committee has met and the corresponding resolution has been reached, electronic confirmation is sent. The faculty's Master's and Doctoral Office will contact admitted students to inform them of the steps to take to complete enrolment.

Enrolment

As a general rule, at the UB you will be required to enrol online. Remember that you can lose your place if you do not enrol on the day you have been assigned

Course curriculum

Subjects and course plans

Distribution of credits

Type ECTS
Compulsory 30
Optional 15
Compulsory placements 0
Compulsory final project 15
TOTAL 60

List of subjects

Subject Type Language Credits
Specialization: Creation and Management of New Technology-Based Firms
Business Creation: Business Project Development Compulsory 1st semester 5
Centres for Technology and Research and Science Parks Optional 2nd semester 2.5
Companies in Emerging Sectors Optional 2nd semester 2.5
Company Innovation Compulsory 1st semester 5
Creative Cities II Optional 1st semester 2.5
Creative Cities: Intervention Models and Entrepreneurial Dynamics Optional 1st semester 2.5
Digital Companies and Virtual Business Optional 2nd semester 2.5
Family Business, Innovation and Globalization Optional 2nd semester 2.5
Final Project Compulsory 1st semester
2nd semester
15
Institutional or Company Placement Optional 1st semester
2nd semester
5
Integrated Management of New Companies Optional 2nd semester 2.5
Key Agents, Tools and Financial Resources for New Companies Compulsory 1st semester 5
Management Accounting Optional 2nd semester 2.5
Management Skills and Competence-Based Management Compulsory 1st semester 5
Project Management Optional 2nd semester 2.5
Social Media Marketing Optional 2nd semester 2.5
Technology Management and Management of Research and Development Projects Compulsory 1st semester 5
Tools for Business Management, Operations and Environmental Analysis Compulsory 1st semester 5

Previous years

Placements

Placements in a company or another type of organization are an integral part of university studies, providing first-hand experience of working methodologies in students' chosen professional fields. They offer invaluable practical experience for the transition into work after graduation.



Placements are supervised by tutors and subject to assessment. They are therefore included in the academic record.  There is also an option to complete non-curricular placements of up to 500 hours, which can be extended to 900 hours. For both curricular and non-curricular placements, an educational cooperation agreement is signed between the UB and the company, institution or other organization at which the placement will be carried out.



Institutional information


Career opportunities

What can you work on ?

The orientation and focus of the competences in this master's degree are designed to contribute to the training of professionals from a variety of disciplines who pursue entrepreneurship and innovation activities that are largely linked to the application of new technologies. These are high value-added activities that are critical for business development: the expectations of future growth are significant and provide potential sources of business opportunities and increased employment, one of the critical issues facing the Spanish economy today.

Access to the labour market

Data from the university system in Catalonia

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