Objectives and competences
The master's program aims to provide advanced training and the appropriate tools to train future researchers and professionals in basic, translational, and clinical research in the field of cancer.
The master's program involves professors from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Biology, and Pharmacy and Food Sciences. The master's program offers the opportunity to carry out the final project in leading laboratories integrated into the best research institutions in Barcelona, including the University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Hospital Clínic, IRB and IDIBELL, among others.
Online informative session: 4th April 2025, 12:00 am
Basic information
| Type | Master's degree |
|---|---|
| Faculty or school | SED of Medicine and Health Sciences (Clínic) |
| Branch of knowledge |
|
| Mode of delivery |
|
| Credits | 60 |
| Number of places available | 50 |
| Length of course | 1 academic year |
| Approximate price per credit | 19.37 euros per credit (82 euros for students who are not EU nationals and do not currently reside in Spain). Fees for the academic year 2025-2026 |
| Coordination | NIEVES AGELL JANE |
| master.cancerresearch@ub.edu | |
| Open pre-enrolment | No |
| Open enrolment | No |
| Lead to doctoral studies | Yes |
| Admission for applicants not holding a degree qualification | No |
| Bridging courses | No |
Objectives and competences
Objectives
Competences
Access and admission
Applicant profile and access requirements
Recommended applicant profile
Students who have completed degrees in the field of health sciences or biological sciences will have access to this master's program. In any case, it will be reviewed that the respective curricula ensure that students have knowledge of biology principles, in their molecular, cellular, tissue, organic, and systemic aspects. Examples of current access degrees would be those corresponding to the following disciplines:
- Degree in Biomedical Sciences, Human Biology, or equivalent
- Degree in Biology or equivalent
- Degree in Biochemistry or equivalent
- Degree in Medicine
- Degree in Pharmacy
Depending on the specific curriculum of each student (specific subjects taken in the degree), degrees such as Biotechnology, Nanosciences, Veterinary Medicine, Biomedical Engineering, among others, will also be considered.
Access requirements and conditions
General requirementsStudents 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.
Pre-enrolment
Calendar
From 11 February to 15 June 2025Notification of resolutions: 30th June 2025
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
Selection criteria
- Standardized academic record. The applicant must clearly indicate the average grade obtained in undergraduate or bachelor's studies. Foreign students must calculate the equivalence between their grading scale and the Spanish grading scale. 10 points
- Recommendation letter, signed by a principal investigator of a research group, indicating the potential interest in hosting the candidate (if admitted to the master's program) to carry out the final master's project in their research group. 2 points
- Other merits: Extraordinary undergraduate/bachelor's awards; previous professional experience in the field of biomedical research, publications, motivation letter. 2 points
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 | 21 |
| Optional | 15 |
| Compulsory placements | 0 |
| Compulsory final project | 24 |
| TOTAL | 60 |
List of subjects
| Subject | Type | Language | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Specialization: Cancer Research | |||
| Genomics and Proteomics | Optional | 1st semester | 3 |
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. 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 ?
- Entry point for developing an academic and/or scientific career in the biomedical field and specifically in the field of cancer.
- Research in oncology in companies and hospitals (public and/or private).
- Advisory roles in prevention, diagnosis, and development of new therapies in the field of cancer.
- Data analysis of clinical trials in oncology.
The scope of the master's program is biomedical research, specifically cancer. In an academic context, the master's program prepares students for pursuing a Ph.D., especially in basic and translational cancer research. It is also an ideal complement for developing research or advisory roles in private companies in the oncology sector, both in diagnostics and therapy.