Master in Genetics and Genomics

Objectives and competences

Objectives and competences

Objectives

Human genome sequencing represents one of the greatest scientific achievements of the early twenty-first century. This master's degree is intended to train new professionals in genetics and genomics who are prepared technologically and scientifically with the latest advances in these scientific disciplines. These new professionals will need to incorporate and innovate basic and applied research in genetics, evolution, development and biomedicine. Training in the new technologies of genetic analysis will also enable participants to work as highly qualified technicians in companies and institutions where genetic analysis plays an increasingly important role, such as hospitals, diagnostic centres and companies providing genetic analysis. This is the only master's degree of its type offered at any Spanish university and is intended to provide a general understanding of the structure, function, regulation and evolution of genes and genomes applicable to different areas of study, including embryonic development, the principal types of human disease and molecular evolution.

Competences

Access and admission

Applicant profile and access requirements

Recommended applicant profile

Access requirements and conditions

• 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.

Applicants for this master's degree should hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent undergraduate degree in Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Biomedicine, Veterinary Science, Pharmacy, Chemistry, Medicine, Environmental Sciences, Genetics, Microbiology, Marine Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, or other undergraduate degrees in branches of experimental sciences, granted by a university within the European Higher Education Area framework or a university outside this framework (in which case, authorization or validation must be obtained from the University of Barcelona).

In addition, applicants should be able to provide accreditation of intermediate English language skills, since the classes and seminars, as well as the teaching material, will use English as the primary language

Bridging subjects:

Applicants who do not have a minimum basic knowledge of genetics will be required to complete bridging courses with a total value of up to 30 ECTS credits in disciplines such as Genetic Analysis, Molecular Genetics, Cell Biology, Developmental Biology and Genetic Engineering. The admissions committee will determine the number of ECTS credits from bridging courses that are required for each applicant.

Pre-enrolment

Calendar

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

1. Academic transcript stating the average grade and the rating scale (1 to 10) proving to have taken at least three years and the first semester of the final year of degree*.
2. Curriculum Vitae stating explicitly English skills and other activities, particularly those that are relevant to the academic, scientific and professional career. The language proficiency required in English is B2, TOEFL 90 iBT or IELTS 6.0.
3. Candidates already admitted to a research group for the Final Master Project must send a letter of acceptance signed by the group responsible.
4. Motivation letter (free format with a maximum of 400 words). It must include up to two options ("human genetics and genomics", "development and stem cells" and "evolutionary genetics and genomics") clearly specifying your first selection. 
5. Reference letter (optional)

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)

• July: 15-30
• September: 16-30

Welcome

• Student Support Service
• Grants and financial aid (in Catalan)
• Accommodation

Course curriculum

Subjects and course plans

Distribution of credits

List of subjects

Previous years

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

Teaching staff

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. In addition, 30 ECTS are dedicated to the research project for the Master Thesis, to be performed in a research laboratory.

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. 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

• Regulations on external placements
• FeinaUB

Career opportunities

What can you work on ?

The volume of data acquired through genome sequencing has placed increasing importance on genomic analysis. The potential applications of this analysis are infinite and are particularly relevant to the understanding of gene function. The master's degree in Genetics and Genomics (MGG) combines laboratory learning with in silico or computational learning, each of which is fundamental to the work of modern laboratories.

What career opportunities does the degree offer?

This programme provides students with the expertise to work in research institutes, academic organizations, hospitals, genetic diagnosis centres and pharmaceutical companies. Students are offered two pathways to professional life. On the one hand, they acquire the competences to access doctoral studies. In particular, the programme aims to prepare students to carry out doctoral studies in one of the research groups or institutions directly involved in or associated with the master's degree. Students will have the chance to meet scientists and professionals in the sector with whom they may discuss prospective employment opportunities or funding for doctoral studies. On the other, those students who prefer to wait until they have completed the master's degree will have a solid grounding in molecular genetics and genomics. The primary career opportunities can be found in hospitals, research centres and the biotech industry.

Career opportunities

Graduates will have acquired specific expertise in biomedical genetics, developmental genetics and genome analysis, making them highly sought after in the current market. Holders of this master's degree will have the skills profile to work for the following institutions:

• Research centres
• Hospitals
• Academic research units
• Diagnostic centres
• Biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry and spinoffs
• Political organizations in science and health
• Education

The degree provides training that matches the demands of prospective employers, for example:

• Genetic diagnosis
• Genome analysis
• Forensic genetics
• Developmental biology and disorders
• Research with stem cells and organoids
• Drug detection
• Development of gene therapies

Access to the labour market

Contact us

Diagonal, 643 - 08028 Barcelona

Secretary
934 021 671
secretaria-biologia@ub.edu
​​​​​master.genetica@ub.edu