Objectives and competences

Several factors are required to devise an appropriate information system: in-depth knowledge of an organization and its environment; a team of professionals with the right skills to provide quality services; the establishment of assessment systems; the acquisition and management of the financial resources needed to set up the system; and the ability to establish a dissemination method to ensure that the services reach the right audience. To respond to new environments and requirements, professionals are needed who can network and lead multidisciplinary teams in collaborative, joint projects involving several organizations.

The main objective of the master’s degree in Management and Direction of Libraries and Information Services is to provide comprehensive, specialized professional training for university graduates from all areas of knowledge, as well as managers of libraries and other information services. The course also offers specialized training for holders of degrees in information and documentation and diplomas in library and information science who do not have the specialized training or specific qualifications needed for management-level positions.

In the current context, a good manager of information centres and services puts information at the core of the organization, has an up-to-date, comprehensive knowledge of the discipline, understands how to build towards the future, knows how to negotiate and manage change, is a good communicator and collaborative colleague, and has the capacity to build, direct and coordinate working teams. To meet these objectives, the subject areas that make up the curriculum of this master's degree are intended to help students acquire a comprehensive range of skills, techniques, procedural capacities and methodological competences for global management activities, preparing them for management and leadership roles in information management units and information centres.

Future graduates of the master's degree in Management and Direction of Libraries and Information Services will have the skills and expertise to design and direct information systems, manage projects, and manage human and economic resources in information units of various types across the public and private sectors. In addition, they will be able to implement and manage quality processes to ensure that an organization's objectives are met. They will be able to work independently and manage service companies that can draw up comprehensive projects for information and document management in companies and organizations.

Basic information

TypeMaster's degree
Faculty or schoolFaculty of Information and Audiovisual Media
Branch of knowledge
  • Economic sciences, business administration and management, marketing, commerce, accounting and tourism
  • Interdisciplinary
  • Social sciences, social work, industrial relations and human resources, sociology, political science and international relations
Mode of delivery
  • On line
Credits60
Number of places available30
Length of course1 academic year
Language(s) of instructionSpanish
Approximate price per credit27.67 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
CoordinationCONCEPCION RODRIGUEZ PARADA
E-mailcrodriguezp@ub.edu
Course detailsIndicators
Open pre-enrolmentNo
Open enrolmentYes
Lead to doctoral studiesYes
Admission for applicants not holding a degree qualificationNo
Bridging coursesYes

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Objectives and competences

Objectives

The aim of this master's degree is to train specialists who can design and manage information systems, manage projects, and manage human and financial resources in all kinds of public and private information units, where they will also be able to implement and manage quality processes to ensure that the organization's objectives are met.

The degree aims to train experts in strategic planning, assessment, service marketing, and quality and resources management (human, material, economic and financial, technological and information resources, infrastructure, etc.). It also provides skills and competences applicable to the organizational development, leadership and executive management of libraries and other public and private information departments and systems (library networks, consortia, archives, newspaper archives, map collections, etc.) across a wide range of specializations and sectors.

Competences

On completion of the master's degree, students should demonstrate:

  • the capacity to analyse the working environment of an information unit or service and to identify user requirements, through the strategic gathering and interpretation of data;
  • the ability to assess and identify the critical factors that determine the success of an organization;
  • to capacity to use planning, direction and leadership techniques for the use and management of resources;
  • the capacity to plan resource use on the basis of user requirements, staff structure, collection type, etc.;
  • the capacity to plan and manage collaboratively, to ensure that services and products meet the demands and needs of the organization and its users;
  • the ability to identify the strengths and weaknesses of an organization, product or service, establish and apply indicators, and devise solutions to improve quality;
  • the capacity to use various promotion and communication strategies to involve users and capture greater market share;
  • the capacity to draw up policies, guidelines and procedures to ensure the smooth running of the organization;
  • the ability to manage and lead an efficient team and to promote personal and professional development.

Access and admission

Applicant profile and access requirements

Recommended applicant profile

The master's degree is intended for holders of university degrees in any discipline who would like to gain the knowledge and skills required for the general direction and management of an information centre or service in an area relevant to their degree.

The course is particularly useful for people with professional experience in information services in any area of specialization who require or would like a professional qualification in order to reach management-level positions.

In addition, the course is particularly attractive to diploma-holders in library and information science or graduates in information and documentation who want to continue with their training and specialize as managers/director of information units and services.

Access requirements and conditions

General requirements
In 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
To be admitted, candidates should have the knowledge and general software skills to create, process, retrieve and consume information. Professional experience in multidisciplinary teams and good social skills will also be valued. In addition, credit will be given for previous training in planning, management, direction and leadership.

The official Spanish degrees that grant access to this master's degree are the pre-EHEA diploma in library and information science, the pre-EHEA degree in documentation, and the bachelor's degree in information and documentation. Applicants who do not have a university qualification related to library and information science or information and documentation and do not have knowledge or experience in the field must take bridging courses to gain essential knowledge of the types, functions, processes and basic techniques of information departments, centres and services.

In addition to previous university training, and in accordance with current regulations, master's degree applicants must also have English language skills at level B1.

Pre-enrolment

Calendar


  • First period: 1 February - 27 April 2023.

    Notification of resolutions: 11 May.

  • Second period: 2 May - 21 June 2023.

    Notification of resolutions: 27 June.

     

  • Third period: 23 June - 7 September 2023.

    Notification of resolutions: 13 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

The selection process will take into account the following criteria:

  • Academic record for previous studies (60% weighting).
  • Curriculum vitae. Applicants must submit a full curriculum vitae indicating their official studies, professional experience and lifelong learning or further training completed (40% weighting). The 40% weighting allocated to the CV will be divided as follows:
    • Professional experience in information units and services (10%)
    • Lifelong learning associated with the functions and processes of information departments and services (10%)
    • Lifelong learning associated with general management processes (10%)
    • Professional experience involving the development of software skills and the knowledge to create, process, retrieve and consume information, or related training (5%)
    • Professional experience involving work in multidisciplinary teams and the application of social skills, or related training (5%)

Notification

The Academic Coordination Committee will examine each application and the supporting documentation and publish a list of successful candidates. On admission, the Academic Committee will notify each successful candidate of the bridging courses they will need to complete, if any.

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


Schedules

Course curriculum

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


Career opportunities

What can you work on ?

On successful completion of the course, graduates will be able to design and manage information systems, and manage projects, human and financial resources in all kinds of information units and services, including public libraries, specialized libraries, research libraries, school libraries, documentation centres, archives, newspaper archives, map collections etc.; information systems (networks of libraries and consortia, etc.); and online information services in the widest sense of the term.

They will be able to work independently and create and manage service companies that can draw up comprehensive projects for information and document management in companies and organizations.

Although the master's degree is mainly designed to provide professional skills and facilitate access to management and executive positions in information departments and services, it also provides an introduction to research and is the basic training required for subsequent doctoral studies in the area of executive management.

Contact us

Coordinator: CONCEPCION RODRIGUEZ PARADA
sed.informacio.audiovisuals@ub.edu

934 035 770
934 035 771

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