Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

When does the academic course start? The course starts in early September and ends in July.

Can I apply for studies if I am in the final year of my Bachelor’s degree? Yes, If you are in your final year of undergraduate degree studies, we will accept your application to the program. In case of being accepted, it will be conditional to finish your undergraduate program by mid-July.

What are the first steps required to study this university master’s degree course? The first stage is pre-enrolment; the master’s degree committee will then conduct its selection process.

What are the selection criteria? Applicants for this master’s degree course should hold an EHEA bachelor’s degree in computer science or mathematics or an equivalent qualification. A good academic record is also required and a particular interest in the field of data science. The goal of applicants should be to pursue a professional career in data science in a company or public administration, or in sectors that require specialists with a high level of training in data analysis, interpretation, and visualization (finance, biomedicine, information and communication technologies, etc.) or to start a research career in topics related to data analysis. Independently of the applicant’s bachelor’s degree, knowledge of programming, calculus, algebra, and statistics is required. Since the course is taught in English, applicants should also possess a sufficient level of comprehension to be able to follow the course in this language.

What qualifications do I need? Applicants need ONE of the following qualifications: (i) An official Spanish university degree; (ii) A university degree issued by a university regulated by the European Higher Education Area which would entitle the applicant to enroll on an equivalent master’s degree course in any other EHEA-regulated institution; (iii)  A university degree issued by a university outside the EHEA framework, although in this case, applicants must obtain either prior validation of their degree certificate or the University of Barcelona’s official, written recognition that their degree certificate adequately qualifies them for EHEA university master’s degree studies.  Successful admission does not qualify as recognition or validation of previous degrees, and in all cases, definitive admission will depend on the evaluation criteria set out by the University and the master’s degree committee. Applicants will typically have a strong academic background in Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, and an engineering field. For more information see our Student Profiles.

I do not have a B2 certificate level, what can I do? Any English certificate equivalent to B2 is valid. Check here to see the equivalences. If you need a last-minute certificate you can contact here.

If I have a university qualification from outside Spain, how can I enroll? (i) By having your degree officially accredited and recognized as being equivalent to its Spanish counterpart; (ii)  By authorization from the dean of the faculty where the course is being offered, by approval that the level of your academic studies corresponds to the level required of Spanish applicants, and by demonstrating that your qualification would entitle you to master’s degree level study in the country of issue.

Where do I enrol? Once you have been admitted to the course, contact the Secretary’s Office for Students and Teachers in the UB faculty or school where the course is being taught and they will take you through the enrolment procedure. Instructions, forms and additional information can be found on the webpage containing enrolment information.

How much does a university master’s degree course cost?  As an indication, fees for the academic year 2021-2022 were 27€ per credit (82€ for students who are not EU nationals and do not currently reside in Spain). All fees are officially regulated by the Catalan regional authorities (Generalitat de Catalunya), and supported by agreements made by the UB’s Governing Council and Board of Trustees.

What exactly are ECTS credits? The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System of credits are the academic units of measurement used by the master’s degree program to evaluate student qualifications in the following types of learning activity: lectures and practical classes, hours of study outside class,  and seminars, assignments, practical assignments and project preparation and completion of examinations or other evaluative tests.

Is there an application fee? There is a 35 euro non-refundable application fee.

How can I apply for admission to a double master’s degree course? You have to apply to both master’s degree courses and if you are accepted on both of them, you will be eligible for the double master’s degree. Notice that the two Final Master Projects (FMP), one for each Master,  should be two different documents. Said that, we consider two different options. Either the two projects are “totally independent” and so each one will be defended in different committees (corresponding to each program), or the projects might share a common part plus differentiated specific chapter(s) corresponding to the aims of each master. In this case, the coordination of the FMPs of the two masters might consider a unique committee that will elaborate on two different and independent resolutions.

Do I need to translate my documents into English to apply? All supporting documents must be translated into Catalan, Spanish, or English.

Is there any financial aid or grant that I can apply for? Check the scholarships you can apply for here. Contact beca.estudis@ub.edu if you have any other questions regarding grants or financial support.

Can I do the master’s degree course on a part-time basis in order to combine a job and the master’s degree course? Yes, we offer the possibility to do the course on a part-time basis. The minimum number of credits per year is 30, with an estimated workload of 18 hours per week.

What about the language of the master’s degree course? The master’s degree course is taught in English.

Are there recommended itineraries?

Recommended itinerary, full-time MSc (1 year):

1st semester (30 ECTS):
572661 Computational Linear Algebra (6 ECTS, 1st Semester, Compulsory)
572664 Machine Learning (6 ECTS, 1st Semester, Compulsory)
572665 Agile Data Science (6 ECTS, 1st Semester, Compulsory)
572669 Deep Learning (3 ECTS, 1st Semester, Optional)
572662 Optimization (6 ECTS, 1st Semester, Compulsory)
572666 Presentation and Visualization (3 ECTS, 1st Semester, Compulsory)

2ond semester (30 ECTS):
572184 Bayesian Statistics and Prob. Prog. (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Compulsory)
574185 Ethical Data Science (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Compulsory)
572677 Master Thesis Project (12 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Compulsory)
+ 4 optional courses to be chosen among:
572676 Time Series Analysis (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
572675 Complex Network Analysis (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
572672 Business Analytics (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
572667 Big Data (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
574186 Data Science for Health (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
572671 Probabilistic Graphical Models (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
572673 Natural Language Processing (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
572670 Recommenders (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
572674 Computer Vision (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)

Recommended itinerary, part-time MSc (2 years):

1st semester (15 ECTS)
572664 Machine Learning (6 ECTS, 1st Semester, Compulsory)
572665 Agile Data Science (6 ECTS, 1st Semester, Compulsory)
572669 Deep Learning (3 ECTS, 1st Semester, Optional)

2ond semester (15 ECTS)
572184 Bayesian Statistics and Prob. Prog. (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Compulsory)
574185 Ethical Data Science (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Compulsory)
+ 3 optional courses to be chosen among:
572676 Time Series Analysis (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
572675 Complex Network Analysis (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
572672 Business Analytics (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
572667 Big Data (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
574186 Data Science for Health (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
572671 Probabilistic Graphical Models (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
572673 Natural Language Processing (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
572670 Recommenders (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
572674 Computer Vision (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)

3rd semester (15 ECTS)
572661 Computational Linear Algebra (6 ECTS, 1st Semester, Compulsory)
572662 Optimization (6 ECTS, 1st Semester, Compulsory)
572666 Presentation and Visualization (3 ECTS, 1st Semester, Compulsory)

4th semester (15 ECTS)
572677 Master Thesis Project (12 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Compulsory)
+ 1 optional courses to be chosen among:
572676 Time Series Analysis (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
572675 Complex Network Analysis (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
572672 Business Analytics (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
572667 Big Data (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
574186 Data Science for Health (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
572671 Probabilistic Graphical Models (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
572673 Natural Language Processing (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
572670 Recommenders (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)
572674 Computer Vision (3 ECTS, 2ond Semester, Optional)

Any more questions? Please, contact us at sec.mat.inf@ub.edu