Objectives and competences
One of the most distinctive demographic characteristics of today is the progressive ageing of the global population. Europe is gradually becoming one of the world's oldest continents. The United Nations has estimated that 27.4% of the European population will be aged over 75 by 2050.
This trend represents a major social challenge and has created a demand for skilled professionals capable of providing quality services for older adults. These include interventions to promote active ageing, with the implementation of policies and actions to impact positively on the health and welfare of the elderly. There is, of course, also a need for professionals who can provide assistance to dependent senior citizens and their families.
This trend represents a major social challenge and has created a demand for skilled professionals capable of providing quality services for older adults. These include interventions to promote active ageing, with the implementation of policies and actions to impact positively on the health and welfare of the elderly. There is, of course, also a need for professionals who can provide assistance to dependent senior citizens and their families.
The master's degree in Psychogerontology is designed to address this need and provides quality training aimed at psychologists interested in working in the field of ageing, combining excellence in professional practice with knowledge of concern for the scientific and ethical criteria for action.
The master's is coordinated by the University of Santiago de Compostela, but the entire course can be completed at the University of Barcelona.
The master's is coordinated by the University of Santiago de Compostela, but the entire course can be completed at the University of Barcelona.
Basic information
| Type | Master's degree |
|---|---|
| Faculty or school | Faculty of Psychology |
| Branch of knowledge |
|
| Mode of delivery |
|
| Credits | 60 |
| Number of places available | 25 |
| Length of course | 1 academic year |
| Approximate price per credit | 27.67 euros per credit (82 euros for students who are not EU nationals and do not currently reside in Spain). Fees for the academic year 2024-2025 |
| Coordination | FELICIANO VILLAR POSADA |
| Course details | Indicators |
| Open pre-enrolment | No |
| Open enrolment | No |
| Lead to doctoral studies | Yes |
| Admission for applicants not holding a degree qualification | No |
| Main university information | Master's degree course homepage |
| Interuniversity | Yes |
| Main university | Universitat Santiago |
| Universities |
|
| Bridging courses | No |
Objectives and competences
Objectives
These studies are designed to provide the advanced training that would enable graduates to work with older adults, both in the field of promoting healthy and active ageing and in providing psychological care through dependence and pathologies associated with ageing.
Competences
- understand the professional skills required by psychologists working with older people and how they relate to other professionals trained in other disciplines;
- work in multidisciplinary teams;
- understand, compare and critically evaluate the different trends and traditions in the field of psychogerontology and the current theoretical and practical problems;
- develop the capacities in professional practice and research required to carry out tasks of assessment, psychological intervention and research into ageing;
Specific competences
With regard to the specific applications of the curriculum, students will also be able to:
- understand, select and apply tools for psychological assessment in the field of ageing;
- interpret the results of an assessment and produce accurate diagnoses of specific individuals, groups or situations;
- plan and develop intervention programmes, selecting the objectives, procedures and tools most appropriate to the characteristics of the problem and the context;
- design, develop and evaluate prevention, intervention and optimization programmes for older individuals and groups;
- apply theories on ageing to the conceptualization of specific cases and situations;
- assess and intervene in the family environment of older adults, both healthy and sick;
- design and plan environmental and social intervention programmes to help improve the quality of life of older people;
- understand the resources and organization of the healthcare system for the elderly;
- adjust actions to the corresponding legal and administrative framework and promote the changes needed to improve care for the elderly;
- identify and formulate research problems and participate in the design and development of research projects in psychogerontology;
- understand, apply and interpret data analysis applied to the study of ageing.
Access and admission
Applicant profile and access requirements
Recommended applicant profile
Access requirements and conditions
General requirementsIn 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 course is only open to psychology graduates. Holders of psychology degrees issued outside Spain must ensure that they meet the criteria established by the Coordination Committee.
In addition, the following selection criteria will be taken into account:
- Grade point average for the undergraduate degree used for the purpose of application.
- Officially accredited English-language skills, at a sufficient level to ensure a good comprehension of scientific texts.
- Motivation for study, attitude and interpersonal skills, evaluated in a personal interview.
- Academic and professional experience gained after completion of the undergraduate degree used for the purpose of application (scientific publications, academic stays in renowned centres, research experience, work experience, scholarships or grants, awards, etc.).
Pre-enrolment
Calendar
First period: 3 April - 20 June 2024.Notification of resolutions: 26 - 30 June.
Second period: 8 July - 2 September 2024.
Notification of resolutions: 5 - 8 September.
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
- Pre-enrolment application
- Photocopy of degree certificate or equivalent qualification. In case of admission, foreign degrees that require so should be translated and authenticated through diplomatic channels before completing the enrolment.
- Other specific documentation related to the selection criteria
Selection criteria
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
- Documents required for enrolment
- Procedure to formalize enrolment
- Grants and financial aid (in Catalan)
- Economic information (in Catalan)
Course curriculum
Subjects and course plans
Distribution of credits
| Type | ECTS |
|---|---|
| Compulsory | 24 |
| Optional | 15 |
| Compulsory placements | 13 |
| Compulsory final project | 8 |
| TOTAL | 60 |
List of subjects
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