Student  Guide

In the "Guide to the University" you will find very useful information such as how to use the Campus Global, the printing and copying service, Wi-Fi connection on the University premises, the academic calendar, etc.

We strongly encourage all students to read it before the start of the academic year.

 

Plagiarism

Please, remember that the Department of Political and Social Sciences will not tolerate plagiarism. The sanction will be the immediate fail in the corresponding course or master thesis. Additionally, the University may initiate proceedings against the student that could lead to his/her expulsion from the programme. Using someone's words without properly referencing the source will be considered plagiarism.

Self-plagiarism or recycling fraud is not tolerated either. By self-plagiarism we refer to the reuse of significant, identical, or nearly identical portions of one's own work without acknowledging that one is doing ot citing the original work. Self-plagiarism is considered a serious ethical issue in settings where someone asserts that a publication consists of new material, such as in publishing or factual documentation.

You can find more precise definitions and information about what and what is not plagiarism from theses resources:

Students are invited to place the following compromise of academic honesty at the head of any essay to submit for any course of the program:

 
Declaration of academic honesty
 
I hereby affirm that this paper was authored by me personally and that I have not taken any outside assistance. Likewise, I assure that neither work, nor any parts thereof, has been submitted elsewhere as proof of performance by either myself or others. Words and ideas appropriated from other written or published works, be it in print or electronic form, are correspondingly identified. All secondary literature and miscellaneous sources are substantiated and included in the bibliography. The same applies to graphics and images as well as all internet sources. I agree that my work can anonymously be sent and saved in electronic form for the purposes of plagiarism comparison. I am aware that the correction of the work can be waived if this declaration is not given.
 
Barcelona, [date]
 
Signed:
XX

 

International Students

The Spanish University System

Students from outside Spain may find it useful to learn about some features of the Spanish University System and this University:

- At the UPF the academic year is divided into three terms: the first term runs from September to December, the second term from January to March and the third term (from April to June). Other universities in Spain divide the academic year into two semesters (the first running from October to February and the second from March to June). In both cases, enrolment takes place only once a year, before the beginning of the first term/semester.

- The grading system in Spain is based on a scale from 0 to 10. 10 is the maximum mark a student can obtain. 0 to 4.9 is Fail, 5 to 6.9 is Pass, 7 to 8.9 is Outstanding and 9 to 10 is Excellent. Students with a mark between 9 and 10 may additionally be awarded a High Distinction. This is only given to the very best students (High Distinctions can only be given to 5% of the students in one class and the lecturer or professor may choose not to award any).

- To enter any master's degree, if you have a diploma from a university outside the European Higher Education Area (EHEA, click here to see member countries), you will need to have your academic qualifications (diploma and academic record/transcript of records) officially legalized. This has to be done in the country where the documents were issued. This legalization is not the same as the verification or "homologación", which is the process of recognition by the country in which you live, of a foreign diploma and is usually needed if you wish to work in the public sector, etc.

- The University Pompeu Fabra is a state-funded University and its tuition fees and taxes are established by the Generalitat de Catalunya (the Catalan government). The tuition fees are calculated taking into account the price per credit published every year in July, and they include the administrative fees. Fees for the official diploma and other documents are not included in the tuition fees, but are payable when these are requested. As certain students are eligible for deductions in some cases and not everybody completes the MA, it would not make sense to pay for the diploma or a copy of the academic record in advance.

 

Living in Barcelona

Students from outside Catalonia are encouraged to visit the website below Living in Barcelona, which provides interesting and very useful information (entry requirements, health coverage, etc.).

 

The Mobility and Welcome Office (OMA)

If you have any questions concerning the documents you need to obtain once you are here, such as the student residence card, and you have not found the answer in the website Living in Barcelona, you can contact the Mobility and Welcome Office. They will inform you about how to obtain the student residence card and, if you need to renew it, they will do this for you.

 

Learning Spanish and Catalan

The Language Training Programme at UPF offers courses of Spanish, Catalan, and many other languages.

You can also apply to join the Language Volunteering Programme, which offers you the possibility to find a partner for a language tandem.

Student Participation

We recommend you to visit the Student Participation website, managed by the SACU (the University Community Assistance Service) to learn about:

  • Extracurricular activities for UPF students (sports, theatre, volunteering, etc.).
  • Services (housing, free psychological counselling service, arrangements for disabled students, etc.).
  • Student participation in the governing bodies of the UPF, student associations, etc.

The information is only available in Spanish and Catalan, but you can find a summary and contact details if you wish to learn more in this downloadable brochure, which is written in English.

By the second or third week of the academic year you will be asked to choose a representative among the students on your master. The election is informal and will be held at the beginning of one of the compulsory classes attended by all students. Representatives will be able to ask for a virtual area in the Aula Global (the intranet for professors and students) in order to communicate with their fellow students. To apply for one, you need to send a message through the User Support Centre (CAU) of the SACU (see "Services and Procedures" in order to find out more about "CAUs").

Teaching assessment

By the end of each term, students are asked to assess the teaching they have received. Students will receive an e-mail from the office at the beginning of each assessment period. The assessment can be carried out through Campus Global or using an App called Avaldo, available both for Android and iOS. More information

Library and IT services (CRAI)

The Library and the IT services form the CRAI (Learning and Research Resource Centre). Download this brief guide in English to learn more about the services available to you. At the beginning of each academic year, we organize a session for the new students in our Department in which the CRAI will inform you about its services and the academic resources available to you at the library. We will inform you in due course regarding the exact dates of these sessions.

Services and Procedures

Campus Global

This is the intranet of the UPF, and you can access it via the home page of the University. Check the "Guide to the University" to learn more about how to enter and its contents.

 

CAU (User Support Centre)

The User Support Centre is a virtual space in which different University services will deal with your queries or requests, such as the IT Services, the University Community Assistance Service, the Library, etc. You can enter the CAU from the top menu once you are inside the Campus Global.

 

Student Information Desk (PIE)

The student information desk is located at the library's main entrance desk, and is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 9pm at the library's main entrance desk (here you can check their opening hours during holidays). You can also contact them:

By phone: (+34) 93 542 22 28

Using a CAU (they will answer your query within 48 hours).

 

Your UPF e-mail address

You will be given a UPF student e-mail address the day after you have enrolled and when you enter the UPF intranet (Campus Global) for the first time (check how to do this in the Guide to the University). Once all the students have enrolled on the course and you have checked that your e-mail account is working correctly, we will use your UPF e-mail address in all our communications with you. If you have any problems with your account, please contact the IT services (through the CAU system or at the library desk). You can re-route your UPF account to the e-mail account you normally use.

 

Student Card

Once enrolled, you can request a student card. It is important that you have one as some UPF services require it and you can obtain discounts by showing it (at gyms, museums, etc.: check the SACU for further information). The Student Card is issued by the Santander bank as the University has an agreement with this institution. When requesting your card, you can ask for it to be linked to a bank account (optional). At the beginning of the course we will tell you the exact dates, place and time when you can request it. You will need to bring your passport and two passport-size colour photographs. Outside these dates, you can apply for it at the PIE.

More information available here.

 

Enrolment changes

Once enrolled, you will not be able to change any first-term course. If you wish to change a second- or third-term course, you will need to fill out a form at the Department's office between November and December and, once the change has been authorized by the Postgraduate Office, pay a fee.

 

Cancellation of the enrolment

If you decide to leave the MA programme before the end of November, you must inform the Department's Office and the Postgraduate Office. Your file will then be closed as if you had never enrolled, but the tuition fees you have paid cannot be refunded under any circumstances. Furthermore, if you have any amount pending you will have to pay it.

 

Professional Careers Office

If you are interested in doing an internship, you should contact the Professional Careers Office of UPF. They also have employment offers (a job bank called Campus Treball), a wide variety of courses and they can offer you guidance.

 

Academic calendar

You can find the academic calendar in the Guide to the University. This calendar shows teaching days, holidays and examination days. Bear in mind that this calendar is designed mainly for undergraduate students as master's students seldom have exams (you are normally asked to hand in papers). However, it can be useful to know when classes start and end each term.

 

Graduation ceremony

The graduation ceremony for master's and PhD students takes place every year at the end of June or the beginning of July. We will be able to tell you the exact date during the second term. During the ceremony you are given a commemorative diploma (not the official one). You can check more information here

 

UPF Alumni

If you are interested in joining the network of UPF alumni, you can consult their home page.

 

Payment of tuition fees

You can pay the tuition fees using your credit card (in the same moment that you enrol online) or via your Spanish bank account (with this option you can pay in two instalments, the first in September/October and the second in December). We will give you more details before the enrolment process.

 

Diploma

Once you have graduated and your file has been closed, you can request the official diploma issued by the Spanish Ministry of Education.  See here the current price of the diploma. You can request it online. Once the diploma is received by the University, the Academic Management Service will contact you. You must collect it personally. If you are unable to do so because you are abroad, you can grant power of attorney to a third party who can pick it up on your behalf or we can send it to the nearest Spanish consulate to your home (this option may take some time).

As it usually takes some time to obtain the diploma (about a year), when you ask for it you will be given a certificate that is the legal equivalent of the diploma until you receive it. This document is written in English, Spanish and Catalan.

 

Academic record

Once you have graduated and your file has been closed, you can request a copy of your official academic record in English, Spanish or Catalan. The current price of this document is 27.27€ (plus 5 euros if you would like the University to send the document directly to your home in Spain or 6 euros abroad). This takes approximately 10 days, or 5 days if you state in your application that it is urgent. You can apply for it at the PIE. You can also request it online using your UPF student card with electronic signature, and will then receive it by e-mail a few minutes after your application.

Further information and queries

If you need any further information, do not hesitate to contact us at the Department's Office:

- E-mail: [email protected]

- Telephone: +34 93 542 29 04  

- Office 20.199 (Jaume I building, first floor)

- Office hours: Monday - Thursday from 9:30am to 2pm and from 4pm to 5.30pm / Fridays from 9:30am to 2pm.

You can also contact the Student Information Desk (PIE).

If you have any IT queries (regarding the use of computers, printers, the Wi-Fi network, problems entering UPF applications, etc.), you can send them a message through the CAU or visit them at the library's main entrance desk.