Bachelor's degree in Political and Administrative Sciences

Introduction

Objectives and competences

Objectives

The objective of the bachelor's degree in Political and Administration Sciences is to analyse power, the political system, the state and the administration.

It is designed to train people as professionals in a range of activities relating to the political world (analysis, consultancy and support of political activities and decisions), so that they have opportunities in the job market.

In addition, it provides empirical and practical knowledge of politics, together with classical training focused on political theory and thought.

Competences

Generic Competences

• Commitment to ethical practice (critical and self-critical capabilities/capacity to demonstrate attitudes consistent with accepted notions of ethical practice).
• Capacity for learning and responsibility (capacity for analysis and synthesis, to adopt global perspectives and to apply the knowledge acquired/capacity to take decisions and adapt to new situations).
• Ability to work in a team (capacity to collaborate with others and contribute to a common project/capacity to work in cross-disciplinary and multicultural teams).
• Creative and entrepreneurial skills (capacity to conceive, design and manage projects/capacity to research and integrate new knowledge and approaches).
• Concern for sustainability (capacity to assess the social and environmental impact of actions taken in a particular setting/capacity to adopt integrated and systemic approaches).
• Communication skills (capacity to understand and produce spoken and written Catalan, Spanish and a third language, including the comprehension and use of specialized terminology/capacity to research and integrate information in these languages).

Specific competences

• Understanding of the historical, social, economic and legal context in which political action is produced.
• Understanding of the concepts of power and state as specific political phenomena, their relationship with other aspects of social function, and the distinctions and relationships between politics and government.
• Capacity to distinguish between the normative and empirical areas of political science and apply them in the analysis of specific problems.
• Understanding of the principal political theories and ideologies, the main figures involved and their influence on society.
• Comparative understanding of the structure and operation of different political systems and institutions and specific knowledge of the Spanish case.
• Understanding of the Spanish Constitution, the general political and governmental structures in Spain, and the administrative procedures of the central state and the autonomous communities.
• Knowledge of the theoretical and empirical explanations for political actions carried out by the general public and organized groups (interest groups, etc.) and the different schools and methods of political science research.
• Knowledge of the methodologies of public policy analysis and the phases of public policy creation.
• Understanding of the structural mechanisms of international politics and the legal framework governing the operation of supranational organizations.
• Acquisition of methodological techniques (documentation, statistics, IT, etc.) for the analysis and study of political science, and capacity to produce applied research assignments, reports and appraisals.
• Ability to apply quantitative and qualitative methods and adopt the appropriate multi-disciplinary approach to specific problems (in research, academic study, political decision-making, management, etc).
• Understanding of the systems for the organization, planning and management of human resources in public administrations.
• Understanding of the structure and function of public finances.
• Understanding of the basic dynamics of the Spanish economy and the global economy and ability to relate these dynamics to political conflicts.

Access and admission

Applicant profile and access requirements

Recommended applicant profile

Students of political and administration sciences should be interested in and concerned about social and political problems and how to solve them. They should have a capacity for public service, and a desire to be of use to society. They must understand that good political order is the basis for improving in many aspects of sectors of our societies. However, the degree in Political and Administration Sciences is designed to train not politicians (not that the option is ruled out) but people who are associated professionally with taking public decisions in many fields (administration, political parties, consultancies, reports, etc.).

Access requirements and conditions

Admission for students with studies completed outside Spain.

Applicants holding higher educational qualifications from a university outside Spain should consult the page Admission with foreign qualifications to find out about specific admission requirements.
 

Pre-enrolment

Students that have studied abroad and who wish to study at the University of Barcelona may be admitted to EHEA bachelor's degree courses. Procedures for gaining admission will depend on the qualifications held by each applicant.

For further information about admission, consult the page Admission with foreign qualifications.
 

Enrolment

As a general rule, at the UB you will be required to enrol online via the Món UB portal. To find out the date and time you have been assigned, check the specific information for your course. Remember that you can lose your place if you do not enrol on the day you have been assigned.

Academic information

• Documents required for enrolment
• Procedure to formalize enrolment
• After enrolment
• Grants and financial aid

Schedules

• Academic year 2024-2025

Welcome

Support and guidance

Pre-enrolment information and events

• Welcome portal
• Student Support Service (SAE)
• Open days
• Informative sessions

Course curriculum

Subjects and course plans

Distribution of credits

List of subjects

Pathways and specializations

Previous years

• Course plans 2023 - 2024
• Course plans 2022 - 2023
• Course plans 2021 - 2022

Teaching staff

Placements

• Regulations on external placements
• FeinaUB

Career opportunities

What can you work on ?

The main sectors for employment of graduates in Political and Administration Sciences are the public and private sector, the third sector, teaching and research, and supranational institutions.

The main job opportunities for graduates are:

• Expert in public administration.
• Management of organizations: direction, management and communication.
• Analysis of public policies.
• Local development agent: implementation of local actions; promotion of business activity, job creation and sustainable development; participation in European programmes; citizen participation plans.
• Political analyst: analysis of society, opinions, values and attitudes of people and political agents; election results and political scenarios; political strategy and election campaigns; monitoring of socio-political indicators.
• Advisory and consultancy work.
• Institutional relations and corporate social responsibility.
• International consultancy: advice, cooperation and development projects in other countries, international observer, mediation in crises and conflicts.
• Teaching and research.

Access to the labour market

Contact us

Diagonal, 684 - 08034 Barcelona