Objectives and competences

The master's degree in Citizenship and Human Rights: Ethics and Politics offers specific training in ethics, politics and philosophy of law to provide students with the skills to understand and to take decisions regarding human rights and democratic policies, problems related to coexistence in today's multicultural contexts, subjectivity and identity, and the dilemmas encountered in bioethics and biopolitics.

The master's degree in Citizenship and Human Rights: Ethics and Politics offers specific training in ethics, politics and philosophy of law to provide students with the skills to understand and to take decisions regarding human rights and democratic policies, problems related to coexistence in today's multicultural contexts, subjectivity and identity, and the dilemmas encountered in bioethics and biopolitics. 

The degree is intended for graduates from a wide range of disciplines in humanities, law and social sciences, as well as those with a background in medicine and health sciences, and enables students to complete their education in one of the programme's areas of specialization and conduct preliminary research with a view to continuing to the doctoral programme. This multidisciplinary approach has proved highly successful in allowing students to meet their academic and research goals.

Basic information

TypeMaster's degree
Faculty or schoolFaculty of Philosophy
Branch of knowledge
  • History of art and artistic expression, and fine arts
  • Social sciences, social work, industrial relations and human resources, sociology, political science and international relations
  • Law and legal specializations
Mode of delivery
  • Face-to-face
Credits60
Number of places available50
Length of course1 academic year
Language(s) of instruction40 % Catalan - 40 % Spanish - 20% English
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
CoordinationMISERICORDIA ANGLES CERVELLO
E-mailmaster.cdh@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 Girona
Bridging coursesYes
Specializations
  • Citizenship and Human Rights
  • Ethics and Citizenship
  • Political Philosophy

Objectives and competences

Objectives

The general objective of this master's degree is to provide specialized training in ethics, politics and philosophy of law, giving students the skills to understand and to take decisions regarding human rights and democratic policies, problems related to coexistence in today's multicultural contexts, subjectivity and identity, and the dilemmas encountered in bioethics and biopolitics.
The programme has a dual focus: the primary and basic focus is research, while the supplementary optional focus is professional. There are three reasons for the emphasis on research: the need to gain greater insight into the major problems of coexistence and social and political organization in the contemporary world from an academic viewpoint; the applicability of this research to the life of institutions and associations active in this area in Western countries today, and the benefits to be gained from training students to enter professional practice and, particularly, to work in academia.
In addition, the master's degree recognizes the desire of most students to carry out placements or pursue training to become educators. As such, students have the opportunity to enrol in optional subjects entailing placements in institutions or specific preparation as educators.

Competences

Basic competences:
Upon completion of the master's degree, students will be able to:
  • Display a capacity for original thinking in the development and/or application of ideas in a research context.
  • Apply the knowledge acquired during the course to problem-solving in new or relatively unknown environments within broader contexts related to the specific field of study.
  • Integrate knowledge and tackle the complexity of formulating judgements based on incomplete or limited information, giving due consideration to the social and ethical responsibilities involved in applying knowledge and making judgements.
  • Present conclusions and the grounds on which they have been reached to specialists and non-specialists, in a clear and concise manner.
  • Demonstrate the learning skills acquired to facilitate further learning requiring a more independent and self-directed approach.


General competences:
Successful students will be able to:
  • Display critical and self-critical capabilities and the ability to work as part of a group and participate in rational discussion.
  • Write scientific articles for specialized journals.
  • Identity, consider critically and evaluate the viewpoints of interlocutors engaged in the debate on human rights.
  • Display an understanding of the ontological and epistemological foundations of tolerance and pluralism, as well as the ethical and axiological grounds for their defence as values.
  • Identify areas in which learning improvements are required.


Specific competences:
With regard to the specific applications of their knowledge, students will be able to:
  • Identify and classify the fundamental concepts of ethics, philosophy of law, political science, social theory and bioethics.
  • Devise arguments according to the concepts relating to the problems underlying practical reason.
  • Recognize and analyse the primary political and social theories, in order to apply them optimally to practical problems in the areas of citizenship and human rights.
  • Recognize and analyse the primary ethical and political debates on justice, freedom and equality, in order to produce well-founded research and assessments.
  • Identify and classify the fundamental concepts of public ethics, in order to guide and to apply criteria on human rights and the central questions of bioethics.
  • Identify and classify the theories and debates on human rights and the different generations of rights, in order to provide sound criteria for the management of conflict.
  • Identify and classify the concepts underlying different forms of democracy, in order to conduct adequate analysis of political problems and issues of public ethics.
  • Identify the concepts relating to different dimensions of human existence and work in its cultural relevance, in order to conduct rigorous examinations of the problems facing the individual subject in contemporary ethics and politics.
  • Identify and analyse basic concepts of social criticism, in order to formulate reasoned judgements on problems related to citizenship and human rights.

Access and admission

Applicant profile and access requirements

Recommended applicant profile

Applicants should hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent undergraduate degree in one of the disciplines listed in the Specific Requirements section below. These degrees provide the basic content needed to pursue this master's degree. The course also caters for applicants who are interested in pursuing advanced studies or research and hold a degree in another specialization from a Spanish, Latin American, EU or Eastern European university.
Some of the specializations offered are particularly suitable for those with professional experience in social services, institutions and associations involved in political activity, or in jobs related to cultural diversity and bioethics consulting.
Students who choose the specialitzation in English must provide evidence of English-language competence at level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

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
Admission requirements and preferred previous studies:
  • Philosophy
  • Humanities
  • Law
  • Political and Administration Sciences
  • Medicine
  • Sociology
  • Social and Cultural Anthropology
  • Nursing
  • History
  • Social Education
  • Social Work
  • Other bachelor's degrees, equivalent undergraduate degrees and diplomas in related disciplines.


Students who choose the specialization in English must provide evidence of English-language competence at level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Bridging courses:
Candidates may be required to complete bridging subjects with a study load of up to 30 credits. This will depend on their previous studies and the specialization they choose. These bridging subjects form a compulsory part of the master's degree for those students required to complete them.
As a general rule, candidates will be asked to complete the bridging subjects if they do not hold a degree in one of the following disciplines: philosophy, humanities, law, political and administration sciences, medicine, sociology, social and cultural anthropology, nursing, history, social education and social work.
The following subjects will be used as bridging courses:
  • The Relationship Between Human Beings and Nature (5 credits)
  • The Basis of Conscience (5 credits)
  • History of Contemporary Philosophy I (5 credits)
  • History of Contemporary Philosophy II (5 credits)
  • Political Philosophy I (5 credits)
  • Ethics (5 credits)

Bridging subjects can be completed during the course simultaneously with the main subjects in the master's degree syllabus.

Pre-enrolment

Calendar

12 March - 5 July 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




Where to submit the documentation:
The documents should be scanned and uploaded when completing the online application form.

Selection criteria

  • Academic record (60%)
  • Professional experience related to the specializations (20%)
  • Language skills (20%)

Notification

Admissions are decided by the Joint Coordination Committee, which is responsible for:
  • Conducting the selection process or creating an admissions sub-committee for this purpose.
  • Acting as repository for the list of candidates seeking admission and the selection of students and overseeing the appeals process.
  • Analysing the proposals of coordinators from each university during the admissions process and taking a decision on the list of students to be admitted.

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 15
Optional 35
Compulsory placements 0
Compulsory final project 10
TOTAL 60

List of subjects

Subject Type Language Credits
Specialization: BC for admission to the Master's Degree in Citizenship and Human Rights: Ethics and Politics
The Basis of Conscience Optional 1st semester 5
The Relationship Between Human Beings and Nature Optional 1st semester 5

Bridging courses

Subject Type Language Credits
Specialization: Citizenship and Human Rights
Agreement and Disagreement in the Anti-Globalization Movement Optional 2nd semester 2.5
Citizenship in the World of Globalization Optional 2nd semester 5
Citizenship: Ethics, Politics and Law Compulsory 1st semester
2nd semester
5
Crisis in Rights and Civil Disobedience Optional 1st semester 2.5
Critical Theory of Society Optional 1st semester 5
Cultural Ethics and Diversity Optional 1st semester 5
Ecological Thought Optional 1st semester 2.5
Ethics in History and in Contemporary Society Optional 2nd semester 5
Final Project Compulsory 2nd semester 10
History of Words and Power Optional 2nd semester 2.5
Human Rights: History and Theory Compulsory 1st semester 5
Institutes with Political Participation Optional 1st semester 2.5
Philosophy and Hermeneutics Optional 1st semester 5
Placements in Institutions Optional 2nd semester 15
Political Liberalism and its Problems Optional 2nd semester 5
Research Methodology Compulsory 1st semester 5
Teaching and Learning of Philosophy Optional 2nd semester 5
Specialization: Ethics and Citizenship
Agreement and Disagreement in the Anti-Globalization Movement Optional 2nd semester 2.5
Citizenship: Ethics, Politics and Law Compulsory 1st semester
2nd semester
5
Crisis in Rights and Civil Disobedience Optional 1st semester 2.5
Critical Theory of Society Optional 1st semester 5
Cultural Ethics and Diversity Optional 1st semester 5
Democracy and Representation Optional 2nd semester 5
Ecological Thought Optional 1st semester 2.5
Experience and Otherness Optional 2nd semester 5
Final Project Compulsory 2nd semester 10
History of Words and Power Optional 2nd semester 2.5
Human Rights: History and Theory Compulsory 1st semester 5
Institutes with Political Participation Optional 1st semester 2.5
Philosophy and Hermeneutics Optional 1st semester 5
Placements in Institutions Optional 2nd semester 15
Research Methodology Compulsory 1st semester 5
Rights of the Individual and Citizens' Rights Optional 2nd semester 5
Teaching and Learning of Philosophy Optional 2nd semester 5
Specialization: Political Philosophy
Agreement and Disagreement in the Anti-Globalization Movement Optional 2nd semester 2.5
Citizenship: Ethics, Politics and Law Compulsory 1st semester
2nd semester
5
Crisis in Rights and Civil Disobedience Optional 1st semester 2.5
Critical Theory of Society Optional 1st semester 5
Ecological Thought Optional 1st semester 2.5
Final Project Compulsory 2nd semester 10
History of Words and Power Optional 2nd semester 2.5
Human Rights: History and Theory Compulsory 1st semester 5
Institutes with Political Participation Optional 1st semester 2.5
Neoconservative Criticism of Liberalism Optional 2nd semester 5
Philosophy and Hermeneutics Optional 1st semester 5
Placements in Institutions Optional 2nd semester 15
Politics and Subjectivity in Modernity and Postmodernity Optional 1st semester 5
Research Methodology Compulsory 1st semester 5
Teaching and Learning of Philosophy Optional 2nd semester 5
The Concept of the Political and the Common World Optional 2nd semester 5
The Theological-Political Problem in Modern Philosophy Optional 2nd 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 master's degree prepares students for a range of professional areas:
  • Research.
  • Philosophy teaching in secondary and university education.
  • Advanced training to other professionals in the education sector.
  • Advanced training to law professionals (judges, prosecutors, lawyers).
  • Political tasks within institutions or political parties.
  • Professions linked to culture and social work: assessors and cultural activity programming, publishing, intercultural communication or mediation, social work, street education, activities in NGOs.
  • Assessors and educators in bioethics and professional ethics in a variety of areas: health centres and educational institutions run by municipal and national authorities.

These career opportunities include new professions or specializations with a demand that will increase in the coming years, in Spain and around the world. In increasing numbers, many individuals are coming from Latin America to gain European higher education qualifications in disciplines related to the socio-political issues noted above as well as the issue of human rights.
Possible roles:
  • Member of ethics committee.
  • Political office and work within the public administration.
  • Researcher.
  • Educator.
  • Cultural manager.
  • Social manager.
  • Assessor (in areas addressed by the master's degree).

Access to the labour market

Data from the university system in Catalonia

Contact us

Faculty of Philosophy
Montalegre, 6 - 08001 Barcelona

Secretary: 934 037 722 - 934 037 719
secretariafilosofia@ub.edu

Coordinator: 93 403 75 16
master.cdh@ub.edu