Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
How do I enrol, and what's it like to study at the UOC? Your questions on a range of topics, such as the courses offered, and about learning and assessment at the UOC, are answered here.
You can also find answers to questions regarding the university as well as practical information on the technical requirements for doing courses.
What's it like to study at the UOC?
The UOC's learning model is based on information and communication technologies, and puts the student at the centre of the learning process. Students take the lead in the learning process, managing their time, planning their pace of study and forming their own academic pathways.
Authors, teachers and field experts produce content for the UOC. The learning resources, adapting to the needs of each course, come in a variety of formats: text, web, audiobook, videobook, etc.
Find out more about the UOC's learning resources.
Yes, continuous assessment ensures you are progressing academically and getting as much out of the course as possible. Course instructors provide personalized guidance throughout your studies.
All courses can be taken completely online through the Virtual Campus.
Identity recognition systems are used in the online final assessment tests, and you must have a webcam so your image can be captured to automatically check that it is you taking the test. This ensures that assessments are conducted fairly and transparently. We also use systems to detect plagiarism, to ensure academic rigour in assessment, throughout all stages of the assessment process.
The UOC's teaching model provides students with ongoing tutoring.
How do I enrol?
The UOC has different enrolment procedures depending on the type of programme. In the case of official degrees (bachelor's degrees and university master's degrees), you must apply for admission before enrolling.
The requirements for admission to the UOC vary depending on the degree or course you want to take. There are various entry routes and students should check the academic prerequisites for each programme.
The UOC has different types of enrolment depending on the course or programme. Information on the enrolment process can be found on the specific page for the programme you wish to study.
In the case of official degrees (bachelor's degrees and university master's degrees), you must apply for admission before enrolling. You will then receive a username and password to access the Induction Campus, where a tutor will guide you through the enrolment process and advise you on your choice of courses according to availability and learning pace.
The UOC allows students to start their studies at two different times, corresponding to the start of the university's two semesters.
The UOC's six-monthly enrolment system allows you to apply for admission for either of the two semesters in the academic year. This means that each year students have two times when they can apply for admission.
The dates for enrolment and associated procedures vary depending on the type of programme.
The enrolment fee depends on the programme for which the student enrols. The final fee includes everything you need to study at the UOC: learning resources, teaching and access to the Virtual Campus and all its services.
The UOC offers various payment options to make it as easy as possible for students to use the university.
Yes, as long as it is not a university master's degree. At the end of the programme, the UOC will issue the student with a university extension certificate.
Finally, students who pass a specialization programme will receive a specialization certificate, regardless of their previous studies.
No, the UOC does not have entrance exams, but you must submit all the required documentation.
If you completed your pre-university studies in Latin America or elsewhere outside of Europe, you can gain admission with official recognition of your upper secondary school education-level studies.
If you have studied at university in Latin America or elsewhere outside of Europe, whether you completed the programme or not, you can gain admission via the partial recognition of foreign studies as equivalent to Spanish ones.
If you have obtained a university degree in Latin America or elsewhere outside of Europe, you can gain admission if your degree is recognized as equivalent or has official recognition from the Spanish Ministry of Education.
You can be admitted if you have an official university degree from a Latin American country or another country outside the European Union. The procedure varies according to whether the Spanish Ministry of Education or the Catalan Ministry of Education has declared your degree to be equivalent or not.
In some cases, university master's degrees have specific academic admission requirements. You can check them in the Access requirements section for each programme.
Internationally, passports are the only official form of identification. If you do not have a passport, your country's identification document is also valid, as long as it is not a driver's licence.
About the UOC
The UOC's educational model is designed for continual adaptation and evolution. Students are supported by specialist teaching staff whose chief duties are to design, guide, encourage and assess the whole learning process.
The UOC offers more than 850 online programmes, which can be classified as follows:
Bachelor's degrees
With a study workload of 240 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credits and an estimated duration of 8 semesters, the UOC's bachelor's degree programmes offer flexible university education designed with the professional world in mind.
These are official qualifications recognized by the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). They are endorsed by the Spanish National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA) and the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU), which ensure rigour and compliance with the standards required by the European university system.
The degrees lead to the award of an official degree by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Vocational Training.
Bachelor's degrees are equivalent to a licenciatura in Latin America (pregrado in some countries).
Minors
A minor is a specialization studied within a bachelor's degree programme to learn about a specific field in greater depth and strengthen students' professional profiles.
University master's degrees
These are official courses with a minimum study workload of 60 ECTS credits and a minimum duration of two semesters. They are equivalent to maestrías in Latin America. Master's degrees offer professional and academic specialization, and qualify students for access to doctoral studies.
Like bachelor's degrees, they are official degrees aligned with European Higher Education Area (EHEA) standards and endorsed by the Spanish National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA) and the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU). They have an exhaustive internal quality assurance system that ensures rigour and compliance with the standards required by the European university system.
University master's degrees result in the award of an official degree from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport. Equivalent degrees in other countries are magister, maestría and postgraduate studies.
Lifelong learning
The UOC offers more than 300 programmes in 12 areas of knowledge backed by the application of internal protocols to meet the quality standards required by the European university system.
The UOC's Lifelong Learning programme includes master's degrees, postgraduate courses, expert diplomas and specialization diplomas. Depending on the number of ECTS credits, the duration of postgraduate courses ranges from approximately 6 months to 2 years.
Language courses
The UOC's Centre for Modern Languages offers online continuing education courses in English, French, German, Chinese, Japanese and Catalan, adapted to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Seminars and courses
Throughout the year, the UOC offers short courses and seminars (25 hours), as well as courses that can be taken freely in any of the university's fields of study, irrespective of previous training and knowledge.
As part of its continuing education initiatives, the UOC also has courses that enable students to take Spanish university entrance exams.
Doctoral studies
The UOC currently offers nine online doctoral programmes: Business Administration and Management (interuniversity); Bioinformatics (interuniversity): Education and ICT (E-learning); Humanities and Communication; Health and Psychology; Information and Knowledge Society; Network and Information Technologies; Law, Politics and Economics; and Tourism (interuniversity).
The UOC also offers research, knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship courses to students, researchers and teaching staff to support academic, scientific and business-focused research.
University master's degrees are official master's degrees that allow professional and academic specialization, as well as access to doctoral studies.
These are official qualifications adapted to European Higher Education Area (EHEA) standards and endorsed by the Spanish National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA) and the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU).
Lifelong learning master's degrees (maestrías in Latin America) are high-level programmes aimed at professional specialization and the acquisition of qualified skills. The learning pathway includes specialization diplomas and expert diplomas to help students further their careers, with a focus on achieving results. Lifelong learning master's degrees do not give access to doctoral studies.
The UOC's lifelong learning master's degrees are backed by the application of internal protocols for compliance with the quality standards required by the European university system.
It is a space that can be accessed without physical barriers from anywhere at any time, where students will find the tools they need for study and communication. It is a university campus that students can carry in their pocket and access from anywhere in the world, entering its classrooms, checking assignments or carrying out administrative procedures in the Procedures section, etc.
The Library gives you access to a comprehensive range of information resources. Its catalogue and digital collection contain documents in physical format and electronic and digital documents, which can be accessed directly online. You can also access other library catalogues around the world.
To complement all this, the Library also offers services for research and learning, bibliographic information, documentary searches, training in information skills and a range of personalized services that will facilitate students' work, helping them to find support easily and efficiently.
There are no age requirements to study at the UOC. You only need to have the prior studies indicated for each course, if any are required.
Contact our advisers if you have questions that are not covered here.
Programmes taught in English
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