Objectives and competences

The main objective of the course is to provide health sciences and biomedical science graduates with the research skills necessary to access doctoral studies. The focus of the programme is on improving all skills related to research methodology, within the clinical framework of each particular specialization.

The master's degree in Clinical Research has a study load of 60 credits and offers the following specializations:
  • Critical and Emergency Care
  • Organ, Tissue and Cell Donation and Transplantation
  • Liver Diseases
  • Clinical Microbiology
  • International Health

Basic information

TypeMaster's degree
Faculty or schoolMedicine Training and Research Section (Clínic)
Branch of knowledge
  • Medicine and dentistry
  • Biomedical sciences
Mode of delivery
  • Face-to-face
Credits60
Number of places available140 (across all specializations)
Length of course1 academic year
Language(s) of instruction70 % English and 30 % Spanish
Approximate price per credit27.67 euros per credit (82 euros for students who are not EU nationals and do not currently reside in Spain). Fees for the academic year 2023-2024
CoordinationALEJANDRO FORNER GONZALEZ
E-mailmrc@ub.edu
Course detailsIndicators
Open pre-enrolmentYes
Open enrolmentNo
Lead to doctoral studiesYes
Admission for applicants not holding a degree qualificationNo
InteruniversityYes
Main universityUniversitat Barcelona
Universities
  • Universitat Barcelona
  • Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
  • Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Bridging coursesNo
Specializations
  • Clinical Microbiology
  • Disorders of the Liver
  • International Health
  • Organ, Tissue and Cell Donation and Transplant

Objectives and competences

Objectives

  • To acquire the research skills necessary to access doctoral studies.
  • To master all aspects of research methodology, considering opportunities for research aimed at specific diseases and the corresponding pathophysiological mechanisms, within the clinical framework of each particular specialization.
  • To gain access to professional roles that require research training.

Competences

General competences

Upon completion of the course, successful students will be able to:
  • display an implicit capacity for original thinking in the development or application or ideas, in a research context;
  • apply the knowledge acquired to problem-solving in new or relatively unknown environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts;
  • tackle the complexity of formulating judgements based on incomplete or limited information, giving due consideration to the associated social and ethical responsibilities;
  • communicate knowledge, theories and conclusions to specialists and non-specialists in a clear and unambiguous manner;
  • display a capacity for ongoing self-directed and independent learning;
  • use the tools necessary for appropriate professional development in the field of clinical research, incorporating elements of basic and translational research;
  • work in multidisciplinary teams, collaborate with other researchers, and lead and interact with other medical disciplines;
  • apply and transfer analytical thinking (critical, logical and creative) to scientific method, making decisions and considered and ethical judgments;
  • understand and interpret new diagnostic and therapeutic technologies,
  • apply the main tools of clinical research, as well as the acquisition and analysis of data, to the hospital context, in adherence to bioethical principles;
  • use information and communication technologies to promote research;
  • obtain biomedical information from databases and other sources and formulate critical interpretations;
  • design and develop a clinical and clinical-biological research project and propose, implement and coordinate a clinical trial;
  • obtain and communicate knowledge and scientific results to specialists and non-specialists in a clear and unambiguous manner;
  • identify and apply the mechanisms and processes required to transfer technological and scientific advances to the production sector, that is, to clinical medicine;
  • critically analyse and develop the capacity to apply technological and pharmaceutical innovations in the field of health research, based on effectiveness and cost parameters.



Specific competences

With regard to the specific applications of the course, students will be able to:
  • identify needs and opportunities for research, and apply scientific and operational concepts and tools that ensure clinical quality and safety;
  • apply the principles of organization and management of care and critical analysis, and develop action plans around the key factors and resources that shape the health and wellbeing of populations;
  • apply an understanding of pathophysiological factors and different diagnostic and therapeutic techniques to diseases and their complications;
  • apply a knowledge of functional structure in diverse clinical settings;
  • address the determinants of disease and related problems from a holistic and inclusive perspective, taking into consideration health-determining factors and the provision of health care services;
  • use specific information and communication technologies for different clinical settings and apply them in complex biomedical systems;
  • interact with care plans within the framework of integrated care programmes for personalized health care.

Access and admission

Applicant profile and access requirements

Recommended applicant profile

The master's degree in Clinical Research is addressed to holders of bachelor's degrees, pre-EHEA degree and pre-EHEA diplomas in the area of health sciences who can demonstrate basic clinical knowledge of one of the specializations on offer and wish to acquire the research skills necessary to access doctoral studies. Candidates should have a good working knowledge of English.

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 degree qualifications that grant access to the master's degree in the different specializations are as follows:

Critical and Emergency Care
- Medicine
- Pharmacy
- Nursing
- Physiotherapy
- Bioengineering

Organ, Tissue and Cell Donation and Transplantation
- Medicine
- Pharmacy
- Nursing
- Psychology
- Biology
- Biomedicine

Liver Diseases
- Medicine
- Pharmacy
- Biology
- Biomedicine
- Nursing
- Bioengineering

Chronic Kidney Disease
- Medicine

Respiratory Medicine
- Medicine
- Nursing
- Physiotherapy
- Biology
- Biomedicine
- Bioengineering

Clinical Microbiology
- Medicine
- Pharmacy
- Biology
- Biomedicine
- Biotechnology

Applied and Translational Oncology
- Medicine
- Pharmacy
- Biology
- Biomedicine
- Biotechnology

International Health
- Medicine
- Pharmacy
- Nursing
- Physiotherapy
- Clinical Psychology
- Biology
- Biomedicine
- Anthropology

Pre-enrolment

Calendar

7 February - 30 May 2024.

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

Together with formal requirements on previous studies, the following criteria are also taken into account:

  • Skills and prior training in the chosen specialization, evaluated on the basis of previous studies and corresponding accreditations (courses, conferences, publications, etc.): 25%.
  • Certified experience of clinical practice or research in the chosen specialization: 25%.
  • Academic record (including assessment reports): 25%.
  • Certificate of English language proficiency (Cambridge First Certificate, TOEFL or equivalent, minimum score of 70): 25%.
    Some candidates may also be asked to attend a personal interview, to clarify any of the above aspects.


Applications for admission may be submitted by candidates who meet the access requirements and also to those who do not meet all requirements at the time of application but expect to have met them before starting the course. Applicants must submit all documentation to be assessed along with a statement of interest outlining the reasons for their interest in the master's degree programme.

Notification

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 18
Optional 24
Compulsory placements 0
Compulsory final project 18
TOTAL 60

List of subjects

Subject Type Language Credits
Specialization: Clinical Microbiology
Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and Design of New Antimicrobials Optional 2nd semester 3
Applied Bioethics and Legal Framework in Clinical Research Optional 2nd semester 3
Final Project Compulsory 2nd semester 18
Infection by Multidrug-Resistant Microorganisms: Monitoring, Molecular Studies and Control of Hospital Outbreaks Optional 2nd semester 3
Infection in Immunosuppressed Patients Optional 2nd semester 3
Infectious Diseases in a Changing World Optional 2nd semester 3
Microbiological Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases (I) Microbiological Diagnosis Optional 2nd semester 3
Microbiological Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases (II) Genotypic Methods Optional 2nd semester 3
Microbiological Monitoring of Infectious Diseases Optional 2nd semester 3
Pathogenicity and Antibiosis: Nanotechnology Approach Optional 2nd semester 3
Principal Microorganisms Responsible for Human Infections Optional 2nd semester 3
Research Tools and Methodology Compulsory 2nd semester 6
Statistical Modelling Optional 2nd semester 3
Syndromic Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases Optional 2nd semester 3
Systems Medicine Compulsory 2nd semester 6
Tools for the Design and Analysis of Research Compulsory 2nd semester 6
Tuberculosis and Other Mycobacterial Infections: Successes and Challenges of the Twentieth Century Optional 2nd semester 3
Specialization: Disorders of the Liver
Alcohol-Related and Non-Alcohol-Related Liver Disease Optional 2nd semester 3
Applied Bioethics and Legal Framework in Clinical Research Optional 2nd semester 3
Cholestatic Liver and Autoimmune Diseases Optional 2nd semester 3
Complications of Cirrhosis. Ascites, Kidney Disease, Encephalopathy and Infections Optional 2nd semester 3
Complications of Cirrhosis. Gastrointestinal Bleeding and Portal Hypertension, Pulmonary Diseases and Portal Hypertension, and Rare Hepatic Vascular Diseases Optional 2nd semester 3
Final Project Compulsory 2nd semester 18
Immunology and Liver Transplantation Optional 2nd semester 3
Liver Cancer Optional 2nd semester 3
Research Tools and Methodology Compulsory 2nd semester 6
Statistical Modelling Optional 2nd semester 3
Systems Medicine Compulsory 2nd semester 6
Tools for the Design and Analysis of Research Compulsory 2nd semester 6
Viral, Toxic and Metabolic Liver Diseases Optional 2nd semester 3
Specialization: International Health
Applied Bioethics and Legal Framework in Clinical Research Optional 2nd semester 3
Applied Epidemiology in International Health Optional 2nd semester 3
Conducting Clinical Trials Optional 2nd semester 3
Determinants of International Health Optional 2nd semester 3
Environmental Epidemiology Optional 2nd semester 3
Final Project Compulsory 2nd semester 18
Health Systems and International Health Organizations Optional 2nd semester 3
Main Health Problems and Solutions Optional 2nd semester 3
Maternal and Reproductive Health in International Health Optional 2nd semester 3
Noncommunicable Diseases in a Global World Optional 2nd semester 3
Qualitative Research Methods Optional 2nd semester 3
Research Tools and Methodology Compulsory 2nd semester 6
Statistical Modelling Optional 2nd semester 3
Strategies for the Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases Optional 2nd semester 3
Systems Medicine Compulsory 2nd semester 6
Tools for the Design and Analysis of Research Compulsory 2nd semester 6
Vaccine Development and Application in International Health Optional 2nd semester 3
Specialization: Organ, Tissue and Cell Donation and Transplant
Applied Bioethics and Legal Framework in Clinical Research Optional 2nd semester 3
Cell Therapy Optional 2nd semester 3
Final Project Compulsory 2nd semester 18
Health Systems and International Health Organizations Optional 2nd semester 3
Research Applied to the Donation Process Optional 2nd semester 3
Research in Abdominal Organ Transplantation Optional 2nd semester 3
Research in Special Donation Situations Optional 2nd semester 3
Research in Thoracic Organ Transplantation Optional 2nd semester 3
Research in Tissue Transplantation Optional 2nd semester 3
Research Tools and Methodology Compulsory 2nd semester 6
Statistical Modelling Optional 2nd semester 3
Systems Medicine Compulsory 2nd semester 6
Tissue Banks Optional 2nd semester 3
Tools for the Design and Analysis of Research Compulsory 2nd semester 6

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 750 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.



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