In accordance with Royal Decree 1393/2007, which establishes regulations for official university study programmes, all people who have an official Spanish undergraduate degree or a degree issued by an institution of higher education within the European Higher Education Area that allows the holder to access Master's level study programmes in that country, are able to access this Master's degree programme. People who have studied in education systems outside of the European Higher Education Area can also access this programme, without having to validate their degrees, as long as the university verifies that the degree accredits the holder as having a level of education equivalent to some corresponding Spanish degree and it allows the holder to access postgraduate level studies in the country in which it was issued.

In order to be admitted into this Master's programme, applicants must meet the requirements established by each participating university. Among these requirements, one may require previous education in some specific discipline, depending on the applicant's previous experience.

Degrees considered most apt for enrolment in the Master's degree programme in inclusive education are as follows:

• From among current official degrees:
  • Licentiate in pedagogy, licentiate in psycho-pedagogy, licentiate in psychology, other licentiates or engineers related to teaching in specific knowledge areas that allow holders to give classes at the secondary level in Catalan and Spanish language and literature, English language, mathematics, social studies (history and geography), experimental sciences (physics and chemistry), technology, physical education, arts, or music.
  • Associate degree in teaching (with different current specializations: early childhood, primary, special education, music, physical education, hearing and language, foreign language), associate degree in social education, or associate degree in social work.
• From among degrees adapted to the European Higher Education Area:
  • Bachelor's degrees in pedagogy, psychology, primary education, early childhood education, social education, social work, and other bachelor's degrees from different knowledge areas that allow holders to give classes at the secondary level before or after taking the Master's degree programme in teacher training.

Among those who have obtained one of the aforementioned degrees, priority will be given to applicants with work experience in the field of education (either in formal or informal education), and from among them, priority will be given to those who have taken the now defunct CAP (Certificato de Aptitud Pedagógica) or the Master's degree programme in teacher training with any speciality.

General objectives

The objectives in this section correspond to the second cycle "Dublin descriptors" which summarize the competences that students must have in order to be awarded a degree that indicates that they have completed the second cycle of higher education).

Upon finishing this Master's programme, students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate a level of knowledge and understanding of the ideas related to education, from an inclusive perspective, in such a way that they can apply this knowledge in both professional and research-related contexts (modules 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7);
2. Apply their knowledge and abilities to group work in order to solve problems in new environments and in broad or multidisciplinary contexts related to the field of inclusive education, both in formal situations (schools) and informal ones (social) (modules 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7);
3. Integrate knowledge and deal with its complexity, as well as make judgements about inclusive education that include reflections on the social and ethical responsibilities associated with the application of this knowledge, respecting at all times and applying in professional practice fundamental rights, the equality of men and women, human rights, principles of universal accessibility for disabled people, the values inherent to a culture of peace, and democratic values (module 6);
4. Clearly and unambiguously communicate findings and knowledge about inclusive education as well as the conceptual framework on which they are based to specialized audiences and the general public. (Module 7); and
5. Have developed learning abilities that allow them to continue their studies (doctoral, where appropriate) in a way that is largely independent or autonomous (modules 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7).

In some subjects, students may focus their attention on aspects of research or educational innovation of professional orientation in relation to inclusive education, depending on their interest. It deals with the subjects of Module 2: Research refresher, Module 6: External internships and Module 7: Master's Thesis.
The objectives in this section correspond to the first two of the third cycle "Dublin descriptors" (which summarize the competences that students should have in order to be awarded a degree that indicates that they fulfil the requirements of the third cycle of higher education). Regarding other third cycle descriptors, obviously students should be able to demonstrate their full attainment of related competences upon completing the third cycle, i.e., after completing doctoral studies.

• Upon finishing this Master's programme, graduates, in addition to the aforementioned general objectives, should be able to:
  1. Demonstrate their comprehensive understanding of the field of study on inclusive education and their control of the aptitude and research methods associated with this field of study that show that they are prepared to begin a doctoral dissertation (modules 1 and 2); and
  2. Design, implement, and adapt important research processes on some problem or issue related to inclusive education in such a way that demonstrates their ability to undertake a doctoral dissertation (module 6 and 7).

Modular structure

If the 60 credits are passed, the degree awarded is an official master's degree.

The master's degree in inclusive education is organized into 7 modules:

• Module 1: Inclusive Education: Principles and Foundations (9 ECTS credits)
• Module 2: Research Refresher (15 ECTS credits - 6 mandatory credits and 9 optional credits)
• Module 3: School organization from an inclusive perspective (9 ECTS credits)
• Module 4: Planning and organizing educational interventions with students who are children of immigrants and with students who have some disability, from an inclusive perspective (9ECTS credits)
• Module 5: Socio-educational care for persons at risk of exclusion throughout the life cycle (9 ECTS credits)
• Module 6: Internships (6 ECTS credits)
• Module 7: Master's thesis (9 ECTS credits)

Modules 1 to 5 are made up of three 3-ECTS-credit subjects each. They are all mandatory, except for module 2, in which there are two mandatory subjects and 3 optional subjects from which students must choose one.

Module 6 (internships) is worth 6 credits and module 7 (the master's thesis) is worth 9 credits. Both must be completed to be awarded the degree.

The languages used to give classes in the various modules are the two official languages in the autonomous community: Catalan and Spanish. However, some activities will occasionally be carried out by a visiting professor, thanks to the contacts that research groups maintain with similar groups from other European universities. Thus, during the programme, English or Italian may also be employed.

The first three modules are taught during the first semester, and the four remaining modules are taught during the second semester. Depending on the characteristics of the centre and the needs of the master's student, internships may be started during the first or last quarters or carried out over the school term along with the master's programme. Similarly, the master's thesis can be completed and presented before the defence panel during the academic year following the year in which the modules were taken.

Focus of the programme

In some courses, students can, depending on their interests, focus on research or more professionally-driven educational innovations with respect to inclusive education. Specifically, this refers to the subjects in Module 2: Research Refresher, Module 6: Internships, and Module 7: Master's thesis.

Organization of classroom activities

This master's programme is a blended learning programme that utilizes online support. Due to the nature of the programme, 33.3% of the credits come from subjects involving student-professor contact, and 66.6% of credits come from individual work.

Basic competences

General competences

Interdisciplinary competences:

Specific competences 

See the "evaluation criteria and exams" section.

In the Master's degree programme in inclusive education, the three subjects in each one of the modules will have separate one-time-only assessments. In subjects in which more than one professor is involved, the professors will assess students jointly.

Assessment of modules 1, 3, 4, and 5

The general and specific competences that the subjects in these modules aim to develop in the Master's students will be evaluated as follows:

1. 50% of the final mark for each subject in modules 1, 3, 4, and 5 is determined by (1) participation in face-to-face classes and in guided work sessions, (2) completion of the activities in the individual work plan, and (2) the Learning Folder which will include all of the activities undertaken by the student in the guided work sessions and the individual work plan along with a final report that includes a personal reflection on the contents of the subject and the student's own learning process.
2. The other 50% of the final mark for the subjects in these modules will be determined as follows:
   • In modules 1 and 4, by the group work (maximum 4 students) that focuses on some topic related to the contents of module 1 or 4, respectively. This part will be assessed, in module 1, by the module coordinators at each university to whom students must turn in the work on the date specified on the Master's programme calendar; and in module 4 it will be assessed by the module coordinator, to whom students must turn in the work on the date specified on the Master's programme calendar. The group work from module 1 must be presented orally in each university on the date specified on the Master's programme calendar.
   • In modules 3 and 5, by the work in pairs or group work, structured like a scholarly article that focuses on some topic related to the content of these modules. It will be assessed by the module coordinator to whom the work must be turned in, in writing, before the deadline listed on the Master's programme calendar.

Assessment of module 2

The general and specific competences that subjects 2.1 and 2.2 of this module aim to develop in Master's students will be evaluated in accordance with the following criteria:

1. 50% of the final mark will be determined by (1) participation in face-to-face classes and guided work sessions and (2) completion of the activities in the individual work plan.
2. The other 50% of the final mark will be determined by, for subject 2.1 (qualitative research), an individual piece of work involving the design of a qualitative study that could be related to the research that the student will carry out as his/her Master's thesis, and for subject 2.2 (quantitative research), by the individual completion of various statistical calculations (using SPSS or Excel) based on a case study provided by the professor.

Assessment of module 6 and 7 (External interships and Master's thesis)

The competences associated with the External interships will be evaluated on the following elements:

1. A report from the university tutor (50%).
2. An innovation or improvement project that the student will have to present and which must include an analysis (from an inclusive perspective) of the measures for emphasising diversity in the centre or institution where the practicum was carried out (50%).

Master's thesis

The competences associated with the Master's thesis  will be evaluated on the following elements:

1. A report by the members of a jury on the written and oral presentation of the Master's thesis (60%).
2. A report by the Master's programme professor that tutored the student through the process of creating the Master's thesis (40%).

These two reports must each have a mark of 5 out of 10 for the weighted average of the two to be calculated.

Oral defence of the Master's thesis

Students who have presented the required written documentation within the dates established by each university, according to their regulations, will be scheduled to publically defend their Master's thesis.

Dr. María Dolores Forteza Forteza