Recognition of credits for MASTER'S degrees

These indications are in accordance with the "Regulations for the adaptation, recognition and transfer of credits in official Bachelor's and Master's degree courses at the University of Barcelona", approved by the Academic Committee of the Governing Council on June 2022.

CHAPTER I: GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Subject matter

The purpose of these regulations is to regulate the procedure and criteria for the adaptation, recognition and transfer of credits applicable to university master courses at the EUHT CETT UB.

Inter-university courses are governed by the provisions of the agreements signed and, failing this, by the criteria of the coordinating university.

Article 2. Definitions

Adaptation: it consists of establishing the equivalence between the subjects and/or credits of a degree or study plan that is being phased out, passed at the same university, and the subjects or credits of the new degree or study plan that replaces it. Equivalent subjects are recognised or passed in the new degree or study plan.

Validation: it consists of recognising subjects, subjects or credits obtained in another official university course taken in a foreign university, whether they have led to the award of a degree, and which are included in the student's transcript for the purpose of obtaining an official degree.

Recognition: it is the acceptance by the University of Barcelona of credits obtained in other official university courses previously taken and passed at the University of Barcelona or at another Spanish university, and which are added to the student's transcript for the purpose of obtaining an official qualification other than the course from which they were obtained.

It may also consist of the acceptance of credits obtained in non-university higher education, non-official university education, professional experience, institutional activities, or other academic activities of a teaching nature organised by the university, and which are incorporated into the student's record for the purpose of obtaining an official degree.

In this procedure, credits corresponding to final project cannot be recognised, except for those specifically developed within a mobility programme.

Transfer of credits: it consists of including, in all the official academic documents accrediting the courses taken by the student, all the credits obtained in official university courses taken previously (at the University of Barcelona or at another university), if they have not led to the award of an official qualification and have not been subject to recognition.

CHAPTER 2. ADAPTATION OF STUDIES DUE TO THE TERMINATION OF THE DEGREE OR THE CURRICULUM

Article 3. Degree extinction

In accordance with the University of Barcelona's Regulations on the extinction of degrees and syllabuses, the elimination of degrees or syllabuses must be progressive and must guarantee the right of students to complete their studies in the conditions in which they began them. Therefore, students can choose between continuing their studies within the framework of the curriculum they started or adapting to the new curriculum.

Article 4. Adaptation of studies

If students opt to adapt to the new study plan, the credits corresponding to equivalent studies taken in a degree that has already expired or is in the process of expiry, can be declared equivalent or can be recognised in the new master that replaces the previous one, in application of the equivalence and recognition table provided for in the applicable regulations and included in the verification report of the new study plan.

Article 5. Procedure and decision

5.1 The student must apply for adaptation to the new degree or study plan within the deadlines and periods established by the faculty or school. The resolution corresponds to the master’s Director.

5.2 The credits declared equivalent or recognised are incorporated into the new academic transcript with the grade obtained in the extinct study plan.

CHAPTER 3. RECOGNITION OF CREDITS IN UNIVERSITY MASTER PROGRAMMES

Article 6. Recognition of credits obtained in official university master

6.1 Credits obtained in official university master courses previously taken at the University of Barcelona, or at any other university, may be recognised. In this procedure, credits corresponding to the final dissertation cannot be recognised. The final project is only recognised if it has been specifically developed in a mobility programme in the same master programme.

6.2 Recognition shall be made by assessing the adequacy of the knowledge, competences and skills of the subjects passed by the student in relation to the subjects defined in the syllabus of the Master's degree to which the student is admitted.

Article 7. Recognition of credits obtained in university studies corresponding to the system prior to the EHEA.

7.1 Those who hold an official Spanish degree in architecture, engineering, engineering degree, diploma, technical architecture, or technical engineering who wish to access official degree courses may obtain credit recognition based on the academic and training coherence of the knowledge, competences and skills of the previous degree. Under no circumstances may the final project be recognised.

7.2 Exceptionally and with due justification, credits may be awarded to persons holding an official Spanish diploma, architecture, or technical engineering degree, considering the academic and training coherence of the knowledge, competences and skills obtained in previous degrees and their suitability for the master's degree syllabus they wish to access. Under no circumstances may the final master's degree project be recognised.

Article 8. Recognition of credits taken in non-official university courses

8.1 Credits taken in non-official university courses (in-house or lifelong learning) may be recognised, provided that the knowledge, competences and skills of the subjects and subjects of both curricula are appropriate, and that this possibility has been stated in the verification report.

8.2 The maximum number of credits from non-official university studies that may be recognised may not exceed 15% of the total number of credits of the syllabus being studied by the student. If credits are also recognised for work and professional experience, this maximum 15% includes both recognitions.

8.3 In accordance with the provisions of article 10.6 of RD 822/2021, a percentage of more than 15 % may be recognised, up to the total number of credits from non-official university studies (except for the final project), provided that the master itself has been terminated and replaced by the official master in which the credits are recognised.

8.4 Recognised credits do not have a numerical grade and, therefore, do not count towards the average mark on the student's academic transcript.

Article 9. Recognition of credits for work and professional experience

9.1 Work and professional experience, if it is related to the knowledge, competences, and skills of the degree the student is studying, may be recognised when this possibility has been stated in the verification report.

9.2 The maximum number of credits that may be recognised based on professional or work experience may not exceed 15% of the total number of credits of the syllabus being studied by the student. If credits taken in non-official university studies are also recognised, this maximum 15% includes both recognitions

9.3 Recognised credits do not have a numerical grade and, therefore, do not count towards the average mark of the student's academic record.

Procedure for applying for professional recognition

CHAPTER 4. TRANSFER OF CREDITS

Article 10. Transfer of credits

10.1 The transfer of credits consists of including, in the student's academic transcript and in all official academic documents, the courses studied by the student and the credits obtained in official courses previously studied at the University of Barcelona or at any other Spanish university if they have not led to the award of an official degree and have not been subject to recognition.

10.2 Only credits obtained in previous official university studies are transferred if the student has applied for recognition or if he/she expressly requests the transfer of credits. When the student expresses the wish to take concurrent courses of study, credits obtained in previous official courses of study that have not led to the award of a degree shall not be transferred.

10.3 Transferred credits are not considered for the purpose of calculating the credits to be passed to obtain the official degree, nor when calculating the average of the student's academic record.

CHAPTER 5. RECOGNITION AND TRANSFER PROCEDURE

Article 11. Application

11.1 Credit recognition or transfer procedures are initiated at the request of the student.

11.2 The student submits the application to the Secretary's Office with the accrediting documentation, in accordance with the provisions of article 15 of this regulation. The application must include all previous training obtained in official university courses or in other official higher education courses, and accreditation of previous work and professional experience. You must also indicate if you have taken other official studies and have not completed them and if you wish to combine these studies, for the purpose of including or not in your transcript the transfer of the credits obtained.

Article 12. Documentation

12.1 In order to apply for the recognition of credits obtained in official university courses previously taken at higher education institutions outside the UB, the following documentation must be provided:

Personal academic certificate specifying the training attained. It shall indicate, as a minimum, the name, credits, academic year and grade of the subjects passed.
Teaching plan of the subjects, issued by the centre of origin, stating the results of the training, and learning process (knowledge or contents; competences, and skills or abilities) and the number of credits.
Curriculum or table of subjects required for the diploma of the previous education, issued by the institution of origin.
Any other documentation that the centre considers appropriate for processing the application.

12.2 In order to apply for the recognition of credits obtained in non-official university courses (UB-specific or lifelong learning) previously taken at Spanish higher education institutions outside the UB, the following documentation must be provided:

Information on the agreements covering the award of the degree at the higher education institution of origin, in which the level of the degree being presented can be identified.
Personal academic certificate specifying the education attained. It shall indicate, as a minimum, the name, credits, academic year and grade of the subjects passed.
Teaching plan of the subjects in which the outcomes of the training and learning process and the number of credits or hours per week per semester or year are stated.
Curriculum or table of subjects required for the qualification of the previous education, issued by the institution of origin.
Information regarding the conditions of access to the degree at the time when the student entered the course.
Any other documentation that the centre considers appropriate for processing the application.

12.3 In order to apply for the recognition of credits obtained in university courses (official or otherwise) taken previously at UB faculties and schools, the following documentation must be provided:

Academic record.

12.4 In order to apply for validation from official studies previously taken at a university outside Spain, the following documentation must be provided:

Personal academic certificate or European diploma supplement specifying the education and training attained. It shall indicate, as a minimum, the name, credits, academic year, and grade of the subjects passed.
Teaching plan of the subjects in which the outcomes of the training and learning process and the number of credits or hours per week per semester or year are stated.
Curriculum or table of subjects required for the diploma of the previous education, issued by the institution of origin.
Information on the grading system of the home university.
Any other documentation that the centre considers appropriate for processing the application.

All documents submitted must be official and issued by the competent authorities, attaching the corresponding sworn translation, provided that the academic documentation is not written in Spanish, Catalan, or English. Certificates must be duly legalised in accordance with the provisions established by the competent bodies, except for documentation from European Union member countries.

12.5 In order to apply for recognition on the basis of previous work and professional experience, the following documentation is required:

Documentary evidence issued by the company in which the work or professional activity has been carried out. It shall indicate at least the period during which the professional activity was carried out, the weekly hours and the functions performed.
Documentary justification with a work life report, or similar document endorsed by a public administration that includes at least 3 years of work experience, with a minimum of 3,500 hours worked in total in the last 5 years.
Personal interview with the Coordination of Studies in case any clarification is required.

12.6 In order to request only the transfer of credits, it is necessary to provide the following documentation:

In the case of having studied official UB courses, the academic transcript.
In the case of having taken official studies at other universities:
- Personal academic certificate specifying the education attained. It shall indicate, as a minimum, the name, credits, academic year and grade of the subjects passed.
- Proof of payment of the fees for the transfer of the file.

12.7 9 All documents submitted must be originals or certified true copies with a secure verification code (CSV) that allows the veracity of the document to be verified in the electronic archives of the issuing body.

Deadline for submitting the application: from 10 to 31 October. Resolution 15 November

Article 13. Resolution

13.1 The recognition of credits in master's degree courses is the responsibility of the Coordination of Studies of the speciality of each course. The resolution issued by the Director of the master’s degree must indicate the credits corresponding to subjects or subjects that are recognised and, where applicable, the course that is transferred. The resolution must also include the list of subjects to be taken by the student in the case of partial recognition of subjects.

13.2 The Academic Secretary's Office of the centre must notify the person concerned of the decision by means that allow him/her to be aware that he/she has received the notification.

13.3 If the student only requests the transfer of credits, the Academic Secretary's Office incorporates the training accredited by the student in the transcript of records.

Article 14. Expression of willingness to undertake recognised training

Students have the option of taking a subject that has been recognised. This option becomes effective at the time of enrolment.

Article 15. Effects of the resolution

17.1 The resolution of the procedure gives the right to modify the enrolment depending on the result of the recognition.

17.2 The recognised training is considered to have been passed in the corresponding teaching and in the student's transcript, in which the following information is specified, according to the origin of the recognised credits:

Official university studies: the university and the degree from which the student came, the name and number of credits of the subject passed and the grade obtained.
1. Recognition of a subject from another subject: the mark obtained in the subject.
2. Recognition of a subject or subject from several subjects or subjects: weighted average of the marks obtained in the different subjects.
3. Recognition of several subjects from one subject or subject: the mark obtained in the subject.
4. Recognition of different subjects from different subjects: weighted average of the different subjects.

Non-official university studies (own or lifelong learning): the university and degree of origin, the name and number of credits of the subject passed and, in the case of recognition considering own studies that have been extinguished by the implementation of the official degree, the grade obtained.
Work and professional experience: the accredited work and professional activity and the period during which this activity has been carried out.

15.3 The grades included in the student's transcript are considered in calculating the weighted average.

15.4 The information that must be included in the student's file regarding the credits transferred must be exclusively that which is specified in the academic certificate issued by the university of origin, which must refer to the university and degree in which the credits were obtained, the academic year, the grade obtained and any other circumstance that is mentioned in the corresponding academic certificate.

Sole derogating provision

The Regulations for the recognition and transfer of credits in official undergraduate degree courses at the University of Barcelona, approved by the Governing Council on 7 June 2011 and amended on 29 May 2013, 8 October 2015 and 13 July 2016, and the Regulations for the recognition and transfer of credits in official university master's degree courses at the University of Barcelona, approved by the Governing Council on 7 February 2012, and any other regulations or provisions of the same rank, are hereby repealed, and the Regulations for the recognition and transfer of credits in official university master's degree courses at the University of Barcelona, approved by the Governing Council on 7 February 2012, and any other regulations or provisions of equal or lower rank that are in conflict with the provisions of these regulations.

Final provision

These regulations are published in the EUHT CETT UB Student Guide and will come into force in the 2022-2023 academic year.

Updated on September 2022