UVic-UCC will offer a bachelor's degree in 'Global Studies' in the next academic year, providing opportunities to work in international organisations and companies

The Faculty of Business and Communication Studies (FBCS) of the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC) will expand its academic range of courses with the new bachelor's degree in Global Studies, for which teaching will begin at UVic in the 2024-2025 academic year. 

This bachelor's degree will train professionals so that they can interact in the international arena, enabling them to understand and critically analyse global challenges; identify international political, social and economic actors; analyse society's challenges from a social point of view, and work in multicultural environments linked to international organisations, among other skills. 

According to Josep Burgaya, dean of the FBCS, "in-depth knowledge of the various cultural contexts in which we have to operate is necessary in an obviously globalised world." As a result, "the Global Studies course provides this training, giving graduates skills and expertise in international relations, geopolitics, cultural contexts, international business and knowledge of languages," he points out.

Taught in English and face-to-face

The bachelor's degree course in Global Studies at the UVic-UCC will last 4 years, and will consist of 240 ECTS credits. It will be taught in English and face-to-face, and there will be 40 places available, which can be accessed through the public pre-registration system. "It is aimed at a segment of students who are demanding and ambitious in their training, and willing to study intensively in order to become highly qualified professionals," says Burgaya.

Students on the course will also be able to learn French or Chinese, which is also a distinguishing characteristic compared to other bachelor's degree programmes. In addition, according to Cristina Fernández, the course coordinator, "the interdisciplinary approach, with a commitment to social transformation, will make it possible to establish collaborations with many international and Spanish institutions that have an international presence." 

Innovative methodologies, internships and internationalisation

UVic-UCC will use innovative methodologies in the training of students on the Global Studies course. These are already in place on other courses at the University, and include project-based learning, cooperative learning, case studies, simulation, learning and service and flipped classrooms. 

In addition, internships will play an important role in complementing the knowledge acquired during the bachelor's degree course, and in this case the internships will have to be carried out in companies that use English as their working language. They can also be done in other countries. 

Internationalisation is one of the strong points of the programme, since the course includes a mandatory international mobility stay for students. This means that they have to do a mobility stay abroad, in the final year, which can take the form of either studies or internships. The coordinator of the bachelor's degree course stresses that "internationalisation is an intrinsic part of the degree, for both the faculty and the students," which is why "there are several collaboration agreements in place with other universities around the world that offer similar degrees." 

In this respect, Burgaya says "this is not just another qualification that the Faculty offers, but it is instead the culmination of our commitment to internationalisation in all the studies taught here." At the same time, adds the dean, "it involves training people who are experts in the international dimension that many professions have to take into account." And he concludes: "it closes the circle in a faculty that has been designed so that the worlds of business and communication can interact in a positive way." 

A wide range of career opportunities 

In today's globalised world, the bachelor's degree in Global Studies "allows students to acquire the knowledge to adapt to a wide range of different roles and tasks, and to obtain the perspective and skills they need to lead and manage projects and teams in many areas," points out Cristina Fernández. 

As a result, graduates in Global Studies will be able to find employment opportunities in international institutions and companies (the United Nations, the European Union, etc.), where they can take up positions in areas such as diplomacy, international relations, project management and international development. They will also be able to work in non-governmental organisations (NGOs), undertaking roles in research, programme management and communication, as well as in institutions and companies that operate internationally. Research and teaching is another possible career path. In addition to these areas, graduates in Global Studies can also find opportunities in fields such as international strategy consultancy, international journalism, cultural management and international trade. 

Graduates will have the training required for positions including: managers of International Projects, International Human Resources, Global Communication, International Trade and NGOs, and to become experts in Global Public Policies or Sustainable Development, and global risk analysts, among other roles. "This training provides a sound basis for addressing the challenges and opportunities of today's globalised world," concludes Fernández.