Student Guide 2025/2026

Programmes and courses to meet the challenges of today

The UOC meets your lifelong learning needs with an extensive range of programmes and courses, which are constantly updated and expanded to encompass new fields of knowledge. You can take an official programme such as a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree,or vocational training through our partnership with Jesuïtes Educació. We also have a wide selection of lifelong learning programmes and courses open to everyone, allowing you to enhance your personal and professional growth.

Find out about courses and programmes newly available for the academic year 2025/2026.

Bachelor's degrees

These are the first level of university studies, and they provide a general education. Bachelor's degrees entail 240 ECTS credits, and our programmes fall within the UOC's main fields of study: arts and humanities; information and communication sciences; law and political science; economics and business; computer science, multimedia and telecommunications; health sciences; and psychology and education sciences.

Each bachelor's degrees programme of study contains at least 60 basic ECTS credits, of which at least 36 are linked to subject areas in the degree's branch of knowledge. There are also compulsory courses and optional courses, as well as a bachelor's degree final project and, in some cases, external internships in companies or institutions.

The UOC's bachelor's degrees are official university studies that provide flexible university education focused on the professional world. They allow you to develop your studies with a unique learning method whereby you manage your own time with full support from the tutoring teams and teaching staff.

Take a look at the UOC's bachelor's degrees and the career opportunities they offer

 

University master's degrees

University master's degrees are official studies that allow you to complement your bachelor's degree with advanced studies focused either on professional specialization or on academic research. An official master's degree introducing students to research tasks is a requirement for admission to doctoral studies. 

University master's degrees at the UOC have between 60 and 90 ECTS credits, and are made up of compulsory and optional courses as well as a final project course. Internships are also possible.

If you have an official bachelor's degree, at the UOC you can study your official master's degree online, at your own pace, and combine your studies with work and other areas of your life.

Take a look at the UOC's master's degrees and the career opportunities they offer

 

Doctoral programmes and knowledge transfer

Our doctoral degree programmes provide the techniques and competencies required to develop high quality research in academic, scientific and business spheres. They culminate in the preparation and defence of a doctoral thesis and students completing them obtain a doctoral degree, the highest qualification that the university can confer. 

Our doctoral degree programmes reaffirm the UOC's leading position as a pioneering institution in Europe and an international benchmark in e-learning. At the UOC, you can do your doctoral degree part-time or full-time, either online or on-site.

The UOC also offers research, knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship courses aimed at enhancing the careers and profile of research staff. These are short courses in English, aimed at students, researchers and teaching staff, which are focused on learning and developing competencies related to research work.

Take a look at the doctoral and knowledge transfer programmes

 

Vocational training from Jesuïtes Educació in collaboration with the UOC

Jesuïtes Educació is responsible for the academic organization of the vocational training that we currently offer as on-site programmes, and the UOC provides the platform, technology and methodological support. This agreement enables innovative high quality vocational training that goes far beyond what is available elsewhere in terms of methodology, technology and service.

These are vocational training programmes focused on learning know-how, based on projects, seminars and theoretical and practical training in the workplace. They enable students to obtain an official qualification, at their own pace, without being subject to timetables.

Take a look at our range of vocational training courses

 

Lifelong learning programmes

Lifelong learning programmes aregeared towards helping you acquire the knowledge required for the professional profiles in the most demand. They have been designed taking the latest trends in society into account and, therefore, are a great way to progress in the world of work.

There are three types of lifelong learning programmes:

  • Lifelong learning master's degrees: the professional focus of UOC-certified master's degrees lets you educate yourself in order to enhance your career. They contain between 60 and 66 ECTS credits. 
  • Specialization diplomas (formerly known as postgraduate diplomas): containing 30 to 36 ECTS credits, these courses help you specialize in your field and give your career a boost.

  • Expert diplomas (formerly known as specialization diplomas): these are short courses of between 10 and 21 ECTS credits, with a strong focus on the profession world.

In order to take a UOC-certified master's degree or diploma, you must have an official university degree or proof of work experience equivalent to a bachelor's degree.

With these programmes, you'll be able to broaden or update your knowledge in fields in the highest professional demand, following an innovative methodology that allows you to study at your own pace. 

Take a look at the range of lifelong learning master's degrees

Take a look at the range of lifelong learning diplomas

 

Postgraduate courses

The UOC's online postgraduate courses are capsules of university knowledge focused on the topics that interest you most.

Take a look at the postgraduate courses available

 

University entrance exam preparation courses

If you don't have an academic qualification that gives you access to university, the entrance exam for people over 25 years old can open the door to bachelor's degree studies. If you're over 45 years old, you'll have to take the university entrance exam for people over 45 and pass a personal interviewat the university where you want to study.

At the UOC we offer you an entrance exam preparation course to help you gain the knowledge you need to pass the exam. The course is 100% online, and includes various study techniques and the entire syllabus you need. You will also be working with the same methodology and the same resources as the other students use, which will make it easier for you to integrate into the UOC's university community. 

Also note that, if you're over 40 years old, you can also gain admission to university if you can prove that you have work experience related to the bachelor's degree course you have applied for, and pass a personal interview.

Find out more about the university entrance exam preparation course 

 

Language courses

The range of language training available at the UOC covers over 50 online courses of various levels and durations, for learning English, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Catalan and Spanish.

The courses do not have timetables or classes, and you will be able to learn and practise all aspects of language skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. Students passing the courses are awarded a UOC language certificate.

Take a look at our language courses

 

Courses in soft skills at the UOC Skills Lab

The UOC Skills Lab is the new multi-level soft skillscentre providing high quality support, where you can practise and develop personal skills that are currently in high demand in the professional world.

The UOC Skills Lab offers you short courses, organized in levels, which enable you to certify your knowledge with Canvas Credentials badges.

As regards the courses on offer, this year there are three new skills that can help you stand out in the world of work: leadership and management of teams, conflict resolution, and effective communication. The range of courses, including those already offered (change management, creativity, and emotional intelligence), continues to grow and adapt to current professional needs.

Take a look at the soft skills courses available at the UOC Skills Lab

 

Courses at the UOC Coding School

The Coding School lets you acquire the market's most sought-after skill set, with practical programming courses in Python, JavaScript and Java. The learning system is divided into six sequential levels, and you will learn entirely online and at your own pace. You can start from scratch or from a more advanced level if you already have some knowledge of coding. In one semester you can make as much progress as you want, depending on your capacity and availability.

Take a look at courses at the Coding School

 

Microcredentials

Some of the short specialized training courses (such as soft skills and coding courses, some webinars, open courses and postgraduate courses) make you eligible for a microcredential. 

Microcredentials are digital certificates that show you have key professional skills to help you stand out in professional environments.

Microcredentials are a European Union initiative to promote lifelong learning with university quality standards. The microcredential certifies the learning outcomes you have obtained, and is aimed at facilitating your professional progress, employability and enriching your personal profile.

Take a look at the UOC's range of university microcredentials

 

Seminars

The UOC's seminars provide a flexible learning experience, lasting just a month, deepening your understanding of the subjects that interest you most. They are discrete learning units dealing with culture and society that provide detailed analysis of current issues.

Take a look at the seminars available and choose one that suits you

 

Profession-focused courses

Profession-focused courses provide training focused on the world of work to help you acquire skills in the areas currently in demand in the labour market. They are fully online continuing education courses of medium duration, enabling you to update and develop your professional competencies.

Take a look at the range of profession-focused courses

 

Open courses

The UOC also offers students the opportunity to take a series of bachelor's degree and master's degree courses without having to meet any admission requirements or do the whole programme, with all the advantages of the university's methodology.

You'll be able to enjoy the pleasure of learning with this unique opportunity to sample the UOC's 100% online educational, without any long-term commitment.

Take a look at the list of open courses

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