Master in Paleobiology and Fossil Record

Objectives and competences

Objectives and competences

Objectives

This master's degree gives continuity to undergraduate studies with the aim of providing students with the necessary skills to develop research in palaeontology at postgraduate level, preparing them to develop a doctoral thesis in this field and/or facilitating their professional insertion, for example in palaeontological heritage management companies or in biostratigraphy consultancies.

Students will be able to identify the main actors and vectors involved in fossilization processes, and will engage in the resolution of geological and/or biological problems related to palaeontology, such as palaeoenvironmental reconstruction, the evolution of biotas, biostratigraphy and palaeoclimatology.

Students will acquire a multidisciplinary understanding of palaeontology, through the inclusion in the curriculum of subjects and contents that go beyond the classical separation between disciplines.

This master's degree also aims to provide students with the theoretical and practical tools necessary to integrate the different levels of information (scientific, technological, social, educational, etc.) needed to address problems related to biological evolution and extinction that affect today's society. The course makes efficient use of new communication technologies and distance education tools, adapting them to the established objectives.

Competences

• DCapacity to independently acquire information from palaeontological publications in order to develop a synthesis.
• Capacity to apply a logical and coherent protocol of analysis to plan and develop a palaeontological study and solve a specific problem.
• Capacity to carry out teamwork for the resolution of multidisciplinary fossil-based problems.
• Capacity to convey clearly and unequivocally a practical case study in a professional report in the field of palaeontology.
• Capacity to contribute to the development of palaeontology projects with ethical responsibility and with respect for human and fundamental rights, diversity and democratic values, as well as the principles of universal accessibility and design for all, in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Capacity to identify and evaluate inequalities based on sex and/or gender in the field of palaeontology.

Access and admission

Applicant profile and access requirements

Recommended applicant profile

The master's programme is intended for graduates from various disciplines in earth sciences, life sciences and environmental sciences (such as geology, biology, environmental sciences, etc.), as well as humanities graduates (history, archaeology, etc.) with an interest in palaeontology.

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.

Pre-enrolment

Calendar

Pre-enrolment calendar

Required documentation

Selection criteria

Notification

Enrolment

2023/2024 enrolment

Welcome

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

Course curriculum

Subjects and course plans

Distribution of credits

List of subjects

Subject	Type	Language	Credits
Specialization: Paleobiology and Fossil Record
Continental Paleobiology	Compulsory		15
Final Project	Compulsory		12
Introduction to Paleontology	Compulsory		6
Marine Paleobiology	Compulsory		9
Practicals in Paleobiology I	Compulsory		12
Practicals in Paleobiology II	Compulsory		6

Bridging courses

Subject	Type	Language	Credits
Specialization: BC for admission to the Master's Degree in Paleobiology and the Fossil Record
Life on Earth	Optional		6
Paleontology 1	Optional		6
Planet Earth	Optional		4
Stratigraphy	Optional		6

Previous years

• Course plans 2023 - 2024

Teaching staff

List of spring and autumn teaching staff on a current course

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.

There is an option to complete non-curricular placements of up to 500 hours, which can be extended to 900 hours. 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 ?

Career opportunities for graduates include teaching, work in research centres, museums, centres and companies that manage and disseminate natural heritage, companies that prospect and manage geological resources, biostratigraphic consultancies, companies that supervise civil Works (protection of the paleontological heritage), and geological surveys.

Data from the university system in Catalonia

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