I don't have a BSc degree in Computer Science, Can I still apply if I have a Master's on a related topic or experience in the IT sector or also took courses on AI and programming on my own?

EMAI accepts students with a strong background in computer science, software engineering, and applied mathematics. The main recommended entry profiles are students with a degree in Computer Science, Engineering or a related discipline, such as Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, Physics or equivalent. If you have a degree in a related discipline that is not in the list, please write an email to [email protected].

I am going to complete my Bsc. degree after the application deadline. Can I still apply to the EMAI program

Candidates applying to the EMAI who do not have yet obtained the bachelor degree at the time of application deadline, may nevertheless apply to the Master. They will be asked to sign a statement certifying that they will have completed them before the start of the EMAI programme.

Can I apply to this master if I already benefited from an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master (EMJM) scholarship?

Students who have already benefited from an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master (EMJM) scholarship are not eligible to apply for the EMAI programme.

Where can I submit my application?

Applications are managed through the UPF portal, which is the same for students applying to other UPF masters. It is also the same portal for scholarship, fee waiver, and self-funded students. The application is free. Follow the application Instructions and include all mandatory documents.

What fees do I have to pay for applying to the master? 

We do not charge any fees neither for registration nor for applying to the programme. Among all the master's programmes that are managed through the student application portal, the EMAI programme is the only one that does not charge a fee. It can happen that fees are mentioned in the portal, but they will not refer to the EMAI. It is something that has to be fixed in future editions. Rest assured that we will not charge you anything to apply to the EMAI programme.

I couldn't find the name of my university on the list of universities in my country. What can I do?

Please send an email to [email protected] asking for your university to be incorporated in the database.

Can I edit my application documents after submission?

The deadline for submitting all the documents in the first period (including receiving the recommendation letters) is March 1st. If your application is missing some documents, the admissions office will give you 10 days to complete your application. If after 10 days after the deadline you don’t provide the missing documents, your application will be rejected. Please write to [email protected] if you have problems updating your application

Should the CV be in europass format?

The format of the CV is free, but it must have a maximum length of two pages.

I am a native English speaker who was born, grew up, and studied in the United States. Is there a way for me to avoid taking a certificate test for this application to demonstrate my English proficiency?

If you are a native English speaker you should upload a document (an official certificate or a sworn statement explaining your case) showing that you were born or grown up in an English speaking country (e.g., high school certificate).

I studied on an English speaking academic programme, am I eligible without an English Test Certificate? Will it suffice to provide a letter from my institution stating that English is our medium of instruction?

If you do not have a Certificate of English, and you studied in a Country where English is not the official language, you need to provide a document (certificate or letter) from your university stating that the instruction/examination language of the entire study was English.

You also need to take the English Level Test through the UPF School of Languages, and include the result in your application.

If there is no possibility of taking the UPF - English, you can take the online English level test through the UPF School of Languages and include the result in your application.

How old can the English certificate, e.g., IELTS, test be?

We accept English certificates that are not older than two years.

Are recommendation letters required to be written by individuals in an academic field, or can they be obtained from someone at my workplace? Do recommendation letters have to be written by someone from the Artificial Intelligence discipline?

The letters of recommendation should preferably be from someone with an academic profile and will be valued more positively during the selection process if they are related to the field of the master's degree.

Can I attach the recommendation letters in my application?

No. Recommendation letters are treated confidentially and must be submitted by the referees via an URL that the platform sends to the referee. Please provide only the contact email of the referees in your application.

My academic project supervisor at the University is retired and does not have an institutional email address. What is your advice if I want them to write a recommendation letter, as personal email is not allowed?

The only way to submit letters is via email. If your referee does not have an institutional email address, he/she can use the personal email address. Be aware that we can contact the referees during the selection process.

What documents do I need to include regarding "research experience"?

You must provide evidence of your previous research activity. You do not need to attach a research paper to your application. You need to add the bibliographical reference and a source link that we can use to download it.

Do we need to have work experience in AI to apply for this opportunity? What kind of document are you expecting to be uploaded in the "Professional experience related to the master program"?

Any official document that proves professional activities besides the curricular activities. For example, if you spent time in a company or research institution doing an internship, you have to attach a document to provide evidence of that.

Having already done another master, i.e., course masters affect my application? If not, can the transcript be added as a document to the "additional academic training related to the master".

Yes, any training prior to application that is relevant to the EMAI programme should be added.

What is a fee waiver?

Every student who is accepted will get a fee waiver which covers all tuition and academic fees (enrollment, insurance, title expenditure, etc.). The tuition fee will not cover travel, visa, installation and subsistence costs, which the scholarship helps cover.

I understand that fee waiver is not the same as scholarships. What are exactly the scholarships?

The scholarship will be a contribution to the costs incurred by the beneficiary students and shall cover travel, visa, installation and subsistence costs. It is calculated on the basis of a monthly unit cost for the entire period needed by the enrolled scholarship holder to complete the study programme (pro-rata of the actual number of days). This period covers study, research, placement activities, thesis preparation and defence, in line with the requirement of the joint Master. During this period, the scholarship can only be awarded in full, and to full-time students.

The scholarship is awarded for full-time enrolment, and will cover the entire duration of the Master programme (24 months).

Is the number of offered fee waiver/scholarships limited by country? Can students outside of the EU, for instance American students, also apply?

Fee waiver and EMJM scholarships can be offered to students from all over the world. There is one limitation: no more than 10% of the total number of scholarships awarded during the first four editions of the EMAI programme can be awarded to candidates from the same nationality. We do not expect this constraint to affect the selection for the first edition of the programme.

Is the scholarship able to cover accommodation for cases where regular assistance is needed? Do you provide help for people with disabilities?

We did not ask for Contributions for special needs at the moment of our application to the EMJM program and it is not possible at this point to reallocate funds. Therefore, we will not be able to provide additional support in this case.

Will these scholarships be reopened next year?

Yes, the EMAI programme will offer Erasmus Mundus scholarships in all its first four editions. 

If I cannot finish the master in 2 years, can I get an extension of the scholarship?

The scholarship will cover 24 months. If you cannot finish the master during this period, there will be no extension of the scholarship.

Is there any incompatibility between having an Erasmus Mundus scholarship and another non-Erasmus Mundus scholarship?

Students who have previously obtained an EMJM scholarship are not eligible to apply for an additional scholarship under the EMJM. Apart from this restriction, EMJM scholarships are compatible with other scholarships.

What are the students' selection criteria?

Applications will be scored according to the following categories:

1. Academic Excellence (average grades, university of origin, type of previous degrees, and motivation letter)
2. Recommendation letters
3. Practical / Professional Experience (richness of extracurricular / professional activities, internships, language skills)
4. Other Criteria (inclusiveness, added value)

A final ranked list of candidates, based on all obtained points, will be produced. A main list containing the top applications will be submitted to the European Commission for scholarship approval. A reserved list is also produced.

Are the applications rolling admissions (preference given to applications submitted earlier) or all applications are evaluated equally after the deadline?

The submission date of an application is irrelevant for the selection process.

Are there possibilities for conditional admission?

We do not foresee conditional admissions.

Do you interview the applicants?

It is possible that during the selection process you will receive a notification to be interviewed.

Can I enrol in the programme part-time?

No. The Erasmus Mundus joint master’s degree programmes are full-time programmes.

What type of diploma will I get once I finish the studies and graduate?

The EMAI expects a joint degree to be delivered by the four partner universities. Exceptionally, if any national joint accreditation is not obtained, a double or multiple degrees would be issued by the relevant partners. In this case, the degree will be issued by the rules and regulations of each partner university.

What kind of support and resources are available for students during the program, such as career development or academic advising?

Every student will have an academic tutor during the entire duration of the master that will provide supervision and support. Resources for career development and academic advising are provided by all partner universities, as well as during the special events included in the EMAI programme.

Is there any option for online lectures and exams?

The teaching model in the EMAI programme is face-to-face. We do not foresee remote teaching unless there are major causes, for example, a new pandemic.

What kind of competences does the specialisation at UPF provide? It seems quite research-oriented but I'm not sure how broad "Intelligent Decision Making" is as a research topic.

Intelligent decision making is a broad term that includes disciplines such as AI planning, reinforcement learning, optimal control, or probabilistic inference.

Are there regulated professions to which this master gives access?

The EMAI title does not give access to any regulated profession in any of the countries of the partner universities with the exception of Italy. In Italy this title is registered as LM-32 (computer engineering profession) and therefore allows access to the state exam.