Objectives and competences
The main objective of the course is to provide health sciences and biomedical science graduates with the research skills necessary to access doctoral studies. The focus of the programme is on improving all skills related to research methodology, within the clinical framework of each particular specialization.
The master's degree in Clinical Research has a study load of 60 credits and offers the following specializations:
- Critical and Emergency Care
- Organ, Tissue and Cell Donation and Transplantation
- Liver Diseases
- Clinical Microbiology
- International Health
Basic information
| Type | Master's degree |
|---|---|
| Faculty or school | Medicine Training and Research Section (Clínic) |
| Branch of knowledge |
|
| Mode of delivery |
|
| Credits | 60 |
| Number of places available | 140 (across all specializations) |
| Length of course | 1 academic year |
| Language(s) of instruction | 70 % English and 30 % Spanish |
| 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 | ALEJANDRO FORNER GONZALEZ |
| mrc@ub.edu | |
| Course details | Indicators |
| Open pre-enrolment | No |
| Open enrolment | Yes |
| Lead to doctoral studies | Yes |
| Admission for applicants not holding a degree qualification | No |
| Interuniversity | Yes |
| Main university | Universitat Barcelona |
| Universities |
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| Bridging courses | No |
| Specializations |
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Objectives and competences
Objectives
- To acquire the research skills necessary to access doctoral studies.
- To master all aspects of research methodology, considering opportunities for research aimed at specific diseases and the corresponding pathophysiological mechanisms, within the clinical framework of each particular specialization.
- To gain access to professional roles that require research training.
Competences
Upon completion of the course, successful students will be able to:
- display an implicit capacity for original thinking in the development or application or ideas, in a research context;
- apply the knowledge acquired to problem-solving in new or relatively unknown environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts;
- tackle the complexity of formulating judgements based on incomplete or limited information, giving due consideration to the associated social and ethical responsibilities;
- communicate knowledge, theories and conclusions to specialists and non-specialists in a clear and unambiguous manner;
- display a capacity for ongoing self-directed and independent learning;
- use the tools necessary for appropriate professional development in the field of clinical research, incorporating elements of basic and translational research;
- work in multidisciplinary teams, collaborate with other researchers, and lead and interact with other medical disciplines;
- apply and transfer analytical thinking (critical, logical and creative) to scientific method, making decisions and considered and ethical judgments;
- understand and interpret new diagnostic and therapeutic technologies,
- apply the main tools of clinical research, as well as the acquisition and analysis of data, to the hospital context, in adherence to bioethical principles;
- use information and communication technologies to promote research;
- obtain biomedical information from databases and other sources and formulate critical interpretations;
- design and develop a clinical and clinical-biological research project and propose, implement and coordinate a clinical trial;
- obtain and communicate knowledge and scientific results to specialists and non-specialists in a clear and unambiguous manner;
- identify and apply the mechanisms and processes required to transfer technological and scientific advances to the production sector, that is, to clinical medicine;
- critically analyse and develop the capacity to apply technological and pharmaceutical innovations in the field of health research, based on effectiveness and cost parameters.
Specific competences
With regard to the specific applications of the course, students will be able to:
- identify needs and opportunities for research, and apply scientific and operational concepts and tools that ensure clinical quality and safety;
- apply the principles of organization and management of care and critical analysis, and develop action plans around the key factors and resources that shape the health and wellbeing of populations;
- apply an understanding of pathophysiological factors and different diagnostic and therapeutic techniques to diseases and their complications;
- apply a knowledge of functional structure in diverse clinical settings;
- address the determinants of disease and related problems from a holistic and inclusive perspective, taking into consideration health-determining factors and the provision of health care services;
- use specific information and communication technologies for different clinical settings and apply them in complex biomedical systems;
- interact with care plans within the framework of integrated care programmes for personalized health care.
Access and admission
Applicant profile and access requirements
Recommended applicant profile
The master's degree in Clinical Research is addressed to holders of bachelor's degrees, pre-EHEA degree and pre-EHEA diplomas in the area of health sciences who can demonstrate basic clinical knowledge of one of the specializations on offer and wish to acquire the research skills necessary to access doctoral studies. Candidates should have a good working knowledge of English.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 degree qualifications that grant access to the master's degree in the different specializations are as follows:
Critical and Emergency Care
- Medicine
- Pharmacy
- Nursing
- Physiotherapy
- Bioengineering
Organ, Tissue and Cell Donation and Transplantation
- Medicine
- Pharmacy
- Nursing
- Psychology
- Biology
- Biomedicine
Liver Diseases
- Medicine
- Pharmacy
- Biology
- Biomedicine
- Nursing
- Bioengineering
Chronic Kidney Disease
- Medicine
Respiratory Medicine
- Medicine
- Nursing
- Physiotherapy
- Biology
- Biomedicine
- Bioengineering
Clinical Microbiology
- Medicine
- Pharmacy
- Biology
- Biomedicine
- Biotechnology
Applied and Translational Oncology
- Medicine
- Pharmacy
- Biology
- Biomedicine
- Biotechnology
International Health
- Medicine
- Pharmacy
- Nursing
- Physiotherapy
- Clinical Psychology
- Biology
- Biomedicine
- Anthropology
Pre-enrolment
Calendar
7 February - 30 May 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
- 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(in Catalan)
Selection criteria
Together with formal requirements on previous studies, the following criteria are also taken into account:- Skills and prior training in the chosen specialization, evaluated on the basis of previous studies and corresponding accreditations (courses, conferences, publications, etc.): 25%.
- Certified experience of clinical practice or research in the chosen specialization: 25%.
- Academic record (including assessment reports): 25%.
- Certificate of English language proficiency (Cambridge First Certificate, TOEFL or equivalent, minimum score of 70): 25%.
Some candidates may also be asked to attend a personal interview, to clarify any of the above aspects.
Applications for admission may be submitted by candidates who meet the access requirements and also to those who do not meet all requirements at the time of application but expect to have met them before starting the course. Applicants must submit all documentation to be assessed along with a statement of interest outlining the reasons for their interest in the master's degree programme.
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 | 18 |
| Optional | 24 |
| Compulsory placements | 0 |
| Compulsory final project | 18 |
| 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 750 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