Coordinator: Jordi Mundó Blanch
Credits: 90 ECTS
Language: 75% Spanish; 25% English
Fee level: 27.67 euros/crèdit (75.00 euros for students outside the EU or China and non residents in Spain). Prices for the  2023-2024 academic year.
Applications: until September 10, 2023

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Overview

The Master’s Degree in Sociology: Social Transformations and Innovation of the University of Barcelona trains students to become scientists and professionals in the study of social change and the design and development of social technologies that meet the demands deriving from collective challenges while providing new solutions to them. This master’s degree prepares students with the necessary skills to successfully pursue a Doctoral programme in Sociology. The MSc in Sociology follows the directives of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and in 2017 obtained a quality award from the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency.

Programme content

In response to a structural condition of accelerated change, current sociology studies offer the most suitable approaches,models and methods to diagnose and analyse ongoing social transformations in all their complexity. Sociology studies are able to identify and assess the options for change applicable to individual cases, to conceive and evaluate intervention strategies and possible future societies.

Using a sociological approach, the master’s degree focuses on social transformation and innovation processes. These are located on different scales, from global (multiple modernities and globalization processes) to local issues (urban transformations, changes in life conditions or in intergenerational or gender relations) and also include changes in different sectors (culture, education and economics), as well as in public and private networks, institutions and organizations.

To fully understand these processes, students approach fundamental issues of contemporary societies (migrations, security, social inclusion and exclusion, conflict resolution, sustainable development, etc.). In all these fields, the analysis of change serves to unravel the key elements and to consolidate the competences that allow a positive impact on change, either by drawing desirable social futures, or by designing strategies for overcoming problems and fostering creativity and innovation.

The master’s degree is intended to put the sociological tool kit in use, so that students are provided with a comprehensive perspective on current social change and the strategic challenges it poses, while acquiring cross-disciplinary training for the scientific analysis of social transformation and innovation processes, and the skills required to design and evaluate intervention models.

The MSc in Sociology is taught exclusively face-to-face. The programme consists of 90 ECTS credits, divided into compulsory subjects (25 ECTS) and optional subjects (40 ECTS credits), as well as professional placements and the master’s degree final project (TFM). Full-time students can complete it in three semesters and part-time students in four semesters (two academic years).

Recommended pathway for full-time students:

First year (60 - 65 ECTS credits):

  • Bridging courses: (compulsory for students with no previous training in sociology): 5 ECTS credits. (Not included within the 90 compulsory ECTS that make up the master’s degree).
  • Compulsory subjects: 25 ECTS credits.
  • Optional subjects up to*: 40 ECTS credits.

Second year (25 - 30 ECTS credits):

  • Optional subjects: 5 ECTS credits.
  • Master’s Degree Final Project: 20 ECTS credits.
*The recommended pathway does not exclude the possibility of introducing any necessary changes to meet the demands of particular students. For example, a student may complete optional subjects in the third semester of the second year. It is not compulsory for students to complete 40 ECTS credits in the first year.
CurriculumTeaching plansAcademic calendarTimetableEvaluation

Who should apply?

Prospective students of the Master’s Degree in Sociology should ideally hold a bachelor’s degree in sociology, in any other discipline that encompasses studies of sociology, or in related disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. In general, holders of bachelor’s degrees in social sciences or an equivalent undergraduate degree should have the basic knowledge required to take this master’s degree (the Coordinating Committee may request that certain candidates supplement their existing knowledge with specific bridging courses before starting the master’s programme).

Positive consideration is therefore given to candidates with previous studies in the social sciences (in particular, sociology) and also in economics, law and the humanities (in particular, anthropology, geography and history). Candidates with other degrees are also welcome to apply. In this case, the selection criteria will focus particularly on their professional experience and potential to obtain the maximum benefit from the degree programme.

Students who have not completed an undergraduate degree in sociology or in another discipline providing training in aspects of sociology must take the 5-credit bridging subject Principles of Sociological Analysis, which has been specifically designed as an introduction to the master’s degree content. This subject is offered during the weeks preceding the beginning of teaching for the main subject areas.

Master’s degree students are required to have good previous knowledge of Spanish and English, and skills in computer tools and applications.

Requirements

In accordance with Article 16 of Royal Decree 1393/2007, of 29 October, students must hold one of the following qualifications to access a university master’s degree:

  • An official Spanish degree.
  • A degree issued by a higher education institution within the framework of the European Higher Education Area 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, students must request homologation of the degree to its equivalent official Spanish university qualification or obtain express approval of admission 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. Successful admission does not imply that the applicant’s previous qualification has been homologated to its Spanish equivalent or granted recognition of equivalence for any other purposes than access to the master’s degree programme.

Criteria for admission

Applications that meet the master’s degree requirements will be assessed in accordance with the following criteria, listed below with their corresponding weighting:

  • Pre-requirement: Proof of advanced knowledge of Spanish (at least level B2, although level C1 or equivalent is recommended) and English (level B1 or equivalent). Students who cannot provide documentation accrediting their language skills may be asked to attend an interview or complete an online test organized by the Admission Committee.
  • Strength of academic record from previous studies. The Committee will take into account the universities at which the candidates’ previous studies were completed and their positions in national and international rankings. Weighting: 40%.
  • Academic and professional record, as summarized in the curriculum vitae. Two academic and professional letters of reference. The candidate has already received a grant for their master’s degree at the time of admission. Weighting: 30%
  • Statement of interest and possible interview: Weighting: 20%
  • Other merits: experience of academic mobility and internationalization, other aspects of interest that the candidate wishes to highlight, etc. Weighting: 10%

Student profile

The Master’s Degree in Sociology trains approximately 30 students per academic year from diverse backgrounds, a diversity that enriches the programme with different academic, professional and life experiences.

Nearly 50% of students in the last academic years were nationals from other countries. Students come from Latin America (45%), Spain (42%), Europe (7%) and Asia (4%).

Generally, students of the Master’s Degree in Sociology hold a bachelor’s degree in the area of social sciences: Sociology (27%); Economics and Business (18%); Law and Political Science (13%); History, Anthropology, Humanities, Communication, Journalism, Advertising (18%); Psychology, Healthcare, Education, Social Work (13%) and also from technical bachelor’s degrees such as Engineering and Architecture (11%).

Students come from diverse universities, many of which are leaders in their geographical area: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (Chile), Universidad Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), University of Texas at Austin (United States), Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf (Germany), Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (Spain), Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Colombia), Nankai University (China), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain)…

The breakdown of students by gender for recent academic years is 65% women and 35% men. Students are 30 years old on average. The student profile shows that they either start this master’s degree immediately after their bachelor’s degree, when they are 22 or 23 years old, or at various life stages when they decide to go back to academic training to apply it to their professional careers.

Placements and career opportunities

Placements

As part of the curriculum for the master’s degree, students are offered and encouraged to complete external professional placements by taking the corresponding subject in the third semester. An educational cooperation agreement must be signed before placements can begin; this provides a legal framework for relations between the student, the institution, and the Faculty.

Placement activities are aimed at strengthening and contrasting the knowledge, skills and abilities acquired by students in the two previous semesters through their application to practical situations or situations that require students to process or analyse applied data. Some of the institutions where former students completed their placements include: ABD, Citilab, Confucius Institute, FETS – platform for ethical banking, Fundació Pi i Sunyer, Fundació Jaume Bofill, Fundació Hàbitat 3, Secretary’s Office for Migration of the Catalan Government…

The Employment and Careers unit of the Faculty offers a placements service that is in charge of the preparation of collaboration agreements. Students benefit from a platform for job offers, featuring the positive relationships and work links established by former students, which strengthen a network of collaborating institutions and companies in continuous expansion.

Alternatively students may request the validation of the curricular subject Placements with proof of professional experience. Students are encouraged to consider their different options and attend the informative session on placements held at the beginning of every academic year.

Career opportunities

At the end of this master’s degree, students are expected to reach the specific objectives linked to an appropriate application of sociological tools, an improved position in professional areas and, in general terms, to an improvement of social results. The skills acquired facilitate diverse career opportunities, given that this master’s degree is intended to:

  • Train students as experts in social and organizational change, capable of leading analyses and effective management, whether in the public, private or the third sector and also as innovative social researchers qualified to work in all kinds of social research centres or to enrol in a doctoral programme.
  • Train specialists with the skills and competences required to plan, design and execute social innovation and transformation proposals.
  • Improve the professional skills of students with practical experience and experience in other areas of knowledge who wish to widen or enhance their theoretical training and technical abilities in sociology and in the analysis of social change and innovation.

75% of former students are working in activities related to academia, research or the master’s degree programme. 40% of former students decide to pursue further studies and enrol in a doctoral programme, whether at the University of Barcelona (50%) or at international institutions (50%).

Mobility

Students of the Master’s Degree in Sociology have the chance to participate in a mobility programme within the Erasmus programme, as well as through other UB agreements. Students are advised to complete their stay abroad during the second or third semester of the master’s degree and encouraged to complete at least 15 ECTS (preferably optional) credits at the host university. Currently the master’s degree offers the following Erasmus agreements, which include financial aid for students:

The International Relations Office is in charge of managing the international mobility programmes of the Faculty of Economics and Business and of searching for new agreements with universities around the world. It actively contributes to the internationalization of the Faculty and, especially, of its students.

Lecturers

Fees and funding

Fees

Student’s fees for university master’s degrees are decreed on an annual basis by the Catalan government and Universitat de Barcelona. Please find below the public fees that correspond to the academic year 2023-2024:

  • 27.67 euros per ECTS (75.00 euros for non-EU students, from China and non-resident in Spain).

In addition, students with a degree awarded outside Spain should pay €218.15 before the enrolment as equivalence fee.

Funding

You can find information about available scholarships at the Universitat de Barcelona’s website.

Apply now

To request admission to the master’s programme in Sociology, click HERE. Students should follow these steps: Please read this information carefully and follow the instructions given.

First

Confirm that you meet the access and admission requirements to the Master’s degree in Sociology.

Second

Make sure that the period to apply for admission is open for the academic year in which you look forward to start the programme. For academic year 2023-2024:

  • First period | From January 18th until June 30th, 2023.
  • Second period | From July 3rd to September 10th, 2023. The second period is subject to the remaining available places.

Third

Please fill in the pre-enrolment form.

  • Request for pre-enrolment
  • Curriculum vitae (CV)
  • Statement of interest
  • Two letters of reference*
  • Official accreditation of English language skills (B1 or equivalent)
  • Applicants whose first language is not Spanish must also provide official accreditation of B2 or equivalent skills**

*No specific layout is required for the letters of reference or the statement of interest. However, they must be addressed to the “Coordinating Committee of the Master’s Degree in Sociology: Social Transformation and Innovation” and state the applicant’s ability to successfully complete this master’s degree. They can refer to the professional or academic record of the candidate.
**Candidates whose first language is not Spanish or Catalan must provide a certificate of oral and written language skills issued by an officially accredited entity. Specifically, applicants must accredit the Diploma in Spanish as a Foreign Language (DELE), issued by the Cervantes Institute, or the Advanced Level Certificate, issued by the Official School of Languages in Spain. The level required is B2, although the recommended one is C1.

Fourth

Payment of the pre-enrolment fee for the master’s degrees of the University of Barcelona. In the list of master’s degrees, select the option “Sociology: Social Transformations and Innovation”. In order to successfully process the form, applicants must pay the pre-enrolment fee of €30.21 and attach the following documents:

  • Bachelor’s degree qualification or equivalent (if available).
  • Official academic record of the bachelor’s degree.
  • Passport or identification document.

Fifth

The body in charge of the resolution procedure is the master’s degree Admissions Committee. This decision is made within the deadlines established in the pre-enrolment calendar. Once the admission decision has been taken, the decision will be notified electronically. From this point onwards, the Master’s and Doctoral Office of the Faculty will contact the admitted students to inform them of the steps to follow until they enrol in the Master’s degree.