The ideal applicant for the Master's degree programme in biomedical research is someone who has a bachelor's or licentiate degree in one of the following areas:

• Biomedical sciences, basic and experimental biomedicine, biochemistry, or molecular biology;
• Pharmaceutics, medicine, biotechnology, biology, human biology, microbiology, genetics, dentistry, veterinary medicine, chemistry; or
• Nursing, podiatry, physiotherapy, human nutrition, or dietetics.

In other words, this Master's programme is open to graduates who have received a basic education in health sciences, molecular biology, or biochemistry and who wish to specialize or get started in the field of biomedical research so as to be able to address and solve problems whose resolution requires biomedical research.

For applicants with different studies than those mentioned above, it is advised to have a bachelor's degree with a minimum of 80 ECTS credits in subjects related to biomedicine (biochemistry, genetics, physiology, microbiology, pharmacology, etc.) in order to ensure the possession of an appropriate knowledge base on the principles of biology, especially in its molecular, cellular, tissue, organic, and systematic aspects.

The languages used for this postgraduate programme will be Spanish, Catalan, and English.

Eligibility requirements

In the UIB's Centre for Postgraduate Studies (CEP by its Catalan initials), applicants will be screened to ensure that they meet the eligibility requirements, that is to say, whether or not their degree(s) accredit sufficient capacity to study in Master's programmes. The CEP will notify students of their decisions. The following eligibility requirements will be taken into consideration in accordance with Article 16 of Royal Decree 861/2010 of 2 July, which modifies RD 1393/2007 of 29 October, which establishes the structure of official university study programmes:

1. In order to be eligible for an official Master's degree programme, applicants must have an official Spanish undergraduate degree or another degree issued by an institution of higher education from another state within the European Higher Education Area that allows for the holder to access Master's degree programmes.
2. Additionally, holders of degrees from education systems outside of the European Higher Education Area may also be eligible to access Master's programmes without needing to officially validate their degree as long as the university confirms that the degree accredits that the holder's level of education is equivalent to one that would be achieved by an officially recognized Spanish degree and that the degree allows the holder to access postgraduate-level studies in the issuing country. Access to Master's programmes in this way, in no way suggests or implies the official homologation of the aforementioned degree of the interested party, nor does it imply any kind of recognition to any effect other than allowing the holder to be able to participate in the Master's programme.

Admission requirements and criteria

Once it has been confirmed that the applicant is eligible for official Master's programmes, the CEP will pass the application onto the body responsible for admissions (the Academic Committee of the Master's programme to which admission has been requested) so that they can evaluate and make a decision about admitting the applicant to this Master's programme.

Then, the CEP will send the applicant information on the decision that was made and the dates on which he/she should enrol, if appropriate.

In order to issue a decision on admission to the Master's programme, the following requirements and criteria will be considered, in accordance with article 17 of Royal Decree 861/2010 of 2 July, which modifies Royal Decree 1393/2007 of 29 October, which establishes the structure of official university study programmes.

Admission requirements

Given that in addition to Spanish and Catalan, English will also be used in the programme, an admission requirement is that applicants have at least a B2 level of English according to the European Common Framework of Reference for Languages, or equivalent (Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, 2002).

Possession of this level can be proven in one of the following ways:

• Certificates or diplomas that an applicant can present and are equivalent to a B2 level accreditation according to the European Common Framework of Reference for Languages: learning, teaching, assessment (Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, 2002),
• Having taken and passed a 6-credit undergraduate course that leads to eligibility to the Master's programme and which was taught and assessed in English, or
• Passing the specific English language subject designed for our branch of knowledge in the UIB's biochemistry undergraduate study programme (English for Science), which is worth 6 academic credits. 

Admission criteria

The following criteria are considered for evaluating the merits of applicants who wish to participate in this Master's programme:

• The average mark on the academic transcript for courses that have been taken previously, with priority being given to holders of the degrees specified under "The ideal applicant"; and
• Years of professional experience in the field of biomedical research, with the maximum score being given to those with two or more years of experience.

In order to be properly evaluated, candidates should present the required documentation, duly accredited, in accordance with that which is established by the Academic Committee.

Applicants' merits will be assessed on a weighted scale, as follows:

• Average mark on the academic transcript, 85% of total value.
• Years of professional experience in the field, 15% of total value.

If after applying these weighting percentages there is a tie between applicants, a tie breaker will be carried out considering the following:

• The degree which enabled access to the Master's programme will be given the following preference:
  • Degrees in biomedical sciences, basic and experimental biomedicine, biochemistry, or microbiology
  • Degrees in pharmaceutics or medicine
  • Degrees in biotechnology, biology, human biology, microbiology, or genetics
  • Degrees in dentistry or veterinary medicine
  • Degrees in chemistry
  • Degrees in nursing, podiatry, physiotherapy, or human nutrition and dietetics
• The date the application was submitted.

The main objective of the Master's degree programme in biomedicine is to prepare competent researchers in the field of biomedical research with solid advanced, scientific, multidisciplinary, and inclusive training related to biochemistry, molecular biology, and healthy and diseased cellular biology.

The education provided in this Master's programme is geared towards competitive translational research that contributes to improving the level of knowledge about the molecular underpinnings of human pathology, the discovery and development of new preventative procedures, therapies, and diagnoses based on molecular bioscientific knowledge.

In order to meet this general objective, the studies and activities in the Master's programme will allow students to:

1. Expand their knowledge on the molecular and cellular causes and mechanisms involved in the aetiology and pathophysiology of diseases, taking on an inclusive vision;
2. Acquire the advanced skills needed to be able to work in an experimental laboratory within the field of molecular and cellular biomedicine;
3. Understand the utility and limitations of modern technologies for researching, diagnosing, treating, and preventing diseases;
4. Acquire the knowledge and capacity to identify problems, find practical solutions, and know how to apply them in the context of research or professional practice within the field of biomedicine;
5. Have the knowledge and skills needed to plan, develop, and carry out a research project within the field of biomedicine;
6. Acquire the technical and scientific competences that allow for precise and reproducible results to be obtained that can then be used to draw valid conclusions in a specific specialized area within the field of molecular biomedicine;
7. Show a good level of knowledge and skill when handling the most relevant basic bioinformatics tools for molecular biomedicine;
8. Develop the ability to clearly and concisely communicate and present scientific work, both orally and in writing;
9. Acquire the abilities needed to continue learning independently throughout their lifetimes;
10. Acquire a solid base from which to begin a research-focused doctorate programme or to carry out tasks in the field of biomedicine that do not require a doctorate degree or an official medical degree;
11. Acquire a multidisciplinary vision about the scientific approaches to biomedical problems, considering the ethical, social, economic, and environmental implications of their implementation; and
12. Use interdisciplinary competences that give them useful abilities and contribute to the comprehensive training of researchers in the area of basic biomedical research in all of its aspects: critical spirit, creative work, working in a team, communication, organization, and management.

Doctorate in any of the following programmes:

• Doctorate in translational research on public health and major and chronic diseases
• Doctorate in nutrition and food science

The Master's degree programme in biomedicine at the University of the Balearic Islands is made up of 60 ECTS credits that are distributed in three modules: basic, elective, and thesis.

• Basic module (common, mandatory), 15 ECTS credits.
• Elective module (or specialization module), 25 ECTS credits. The subjects taken in the module allow students to choose a specialization. Each specialization is made up of mandatory and elective subjects for that specific specialization.
• Master's thesis module, 20 ECTS credits.

There are three specializations in this programme. In order to be awarded any of the three that are offered, in addition to passing the required subjects, students will have to complete a Master's thesis that is in line with the field of knowledge of their chosen specialization and receives the approval of their tutor.

The basic module, which is mandatory, includes subjects that provide students with an advanced level of education on the fundamentals of biomedical research and the most frequently used experimental techniques in biomedicine. It also includes a subject in which the various research groups in the field of biomedicine will give a series of seminars explaining their lines of work, their studies, and their main findings. Thus, this module incorporates experimental design, the tools used for developing and interpreting research results (experimental techniques, statistics, and bioinformatics), and other interdisciplinary aspects such as scientific communication, ethical principles, and biosafety, among others.

In the elective module, students will take a series of courses that will allow them to specialize in one of the following areas:

• Cancer research (mandatory subjects and elective subjects),
• Metabolic syndrome and ageing research (mandatory subjects and elective subjects), or
• Translational biomedical research (mandatory subjects and elective subjects).

In each area of specialization, students must take a series of mandatory subjects (15 credits for the first and second specializations, and 20 for the third) and some elective subjects (10 credits for the first and second specialization, and 5 for the third).

The Master's thesis module is mandatory for all three specializations and it requires students to carry out a research project in a research group in the Department of Fundamental Biology and Health Sciences, the Department of Biology, or the IUNICS or IdISPa institutes (pending authorization from the Academic Committee of the Master's programme); present the project; and defend it.

Students must carry out the activities specified for each subject as per the course syllabus, which can be found in the subjects section, and complete a Master's thesis.

Students must pass 15 ECTS credits worth of common mandatory subjects and 25 ECTS credits worth of specific subjects for each specialization (for cancer research, and metabolic syndrome and ageing research, 15 of these credits are mandatory and 10 are elective within the specialization; for the specialization in translational research in biomedicine, 20 of the credits are mandatory within the specialization and 5 are elective). They must also complete a Master's thesis, worth 20 ECTS credits, on a topic in the field of their chosen specialization.

Director of the Master's programme

Dr. María del Pilar Roca Salom

Dr. Ana María Proenza Arenas

Coordinators

• Dr. Priam Francesc De Villalonga Smith
• Dr. Magdalena Gianotti Bauzá

Academic Committee of the Master

The Academic Committee of the Master's programme is comprised of:

• The director of the degree programme, and
• Four professors/researchers from the Fundamental Biology and Health Sciences Department at the UIB who are involved in the teaching of the programme.

The Academic Committee has the following duties:

• Coordinate the professors who teach in the degree programme,
• Make recommendations on credit recognition upon students' requests,
• Choose candidates for admission to the programme,
• Assign tutors and directors for students' Master's theses, and
• Any other duty required by current legislation.

Further information on the credit transfer and recognition system, regulations and procedure