Curriculum

Study Structure


YEAR 1		YEAR 2
FIRST SEMESTER (Q1) Autumn (September - January)	SECOND SEMESTER (Q2) Spring (February - July)	THIRD SEMESTER (Q3) Autumn (September - January)
6 COMPULSORY subjects	6 OPTIONAL subjects	3 OPTIONAL subjects + Master's Thesis
*30 ECTS()**	30 ECTS	30 ECTS

(*) 1 ECTS equals 25 hours of student work. Important: with the current academic calendar (13 weeks, 3 hours/week per subject), a 5 ECTS subject implies approximately 39 hours of face-to-face work and 86 hours of independent work.


Type	SUBJECT Coordinating lecturer, other lecturers Teaching language	BASIC CONTENTS	CREDITS
Compulsory Q1	Sustainability, Development, and State of the World Bàrbara Sureda, Olga Alcaraz Teaching language: Spanish	Global growth and inequalities; biophysical limits, carrying capacity, and socio-economic metabolism; impacts on water, soil, food, and health; socio-ecological conflicts and global justice; evolution of the concept of sustainability and sustainable development; sustainability indicators; strategies such as circular economy, degrowth, or "buen vivir"; international institutions; Agenda 2030 and Paris Agreement. Course guide: CAT, ESP, ENG	5
	Environmental and Ecological Economics José María Gil, Zein Kallas, Jordi de la Hoz, Elena Martín Teaching language: Spanish	Fundamentals of natural resource economics; supply, demand, and market types; externalities, public goods, and ecosystem services; monetary valuation of environmental impacts; economic instruments of environmental policy; extended cost-benefit analysis; introduction to ecological economics. Course guide: CAT, ESP, ENG	5
	Biodiversity and Modelling of Socio-Ecological Systems Martí Rosas, Jordi Morató Teaching language: English	Biodiversity and complexity; dynamics of populations, communities, and ecosystems; cycles; planetary boundaries and resilience; nature-based solutions; traditional ecological knowledge and intangible cultural heritage. Course guide: CAT, ESP, ENG	5
	Elements of Statistics and Spatial Analysis Pablo Buenestado, Núria Ferrer Teaching language: Spanish	Integration and management of geospatial data and geographic information systems (GIS); types of databases and accessibility; data processing and descriptive statistics; probability models; spatial regression; statistical inference; geostatistics; georeferenced data processing; GIS software and tools (QGIS). Course guide: CAT, ESP, ENG	5
	Innovation, Planning, and Sustainable Management in Organizations María Gonçalves, Víctor López-Grimau, Marc Guevara, Gema Vélez Teaching language: Spanish	Integration of sustainability in public and private management; governance and transparency; decision-making hierarchy (policies, plans, programs, projects); strategic environmental assessment and environmental impact assessment; sustainable business management and corporate social responsibility; environmental management tools and professional ethics. Course guide: CAT, ESP, ENG	5
	Environmental Perception and Territorial Conflicts Míriam Villares, Elisabet Roca Teaching language: Spanish	Human ecology and evolution of the society-nature relationship; socio-environmental movements and climate justice; perception of risks and impacts; environmental psychology and emotions: analysis of social perception; political ecology and analysis of socio-ecological conflicts; collaborative conflict management. Course guide: CAT, ESP, ENG	5

Optional Q2	Ecological and Transformative Urbanism Josep Mercadé, Elisabet Roca, Francesc Baró Teaching language: English	Foundations of ecological urbanism: planetary urbanization, city models. Urban metabolism and urban morphology; green infrastructure and ecosystem services; mobility and accessibility (15-minute city); urban environmental justice, green gentrification, and social vulnerability. Course guide: CAT, ESP, ENG	5
	Climate Change and International Policies Olga Alcaraz, Bàrbara Sureda Teaching language: Spanish	Scientific bases of climate change (greenhouse effect, carbon cycles); emission sources and sinks; sectoral impacts; historical evolution of emissions; future scenarios (Kaya identity, global carbon budget); international framework (UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol, Paris Agreement); climate justice, equity, and financing for a just transition. Course guide: CAT, ESP, ENG	5
	Just Energy Transition José López, Jordi de la Hoz, Elena Martín Teaching language: Spanish	Energy systems and balances; renewable sources and storage technologies (batteries, hydrogen); economic and political challenges of the transition; energy poverty and inequalities; inclusive governance and energy communities; European regulatory frameworks and energy efficiency strategies. Course guide: CAT, ESP, ENG	5
	Tools for Sustainability in Production Processes Núria Garrido, Jordi Segalàs, M.Dolors Álvarez, Gemma Molins, Gemma Cervantes Teaching language: English and Spanish	Measuring business sustainability: indicators, footprints, and environmental, social, and economic life cycle assessment; circular business models; digital net impact methodologies. Course guide: CAT, ESP, ENG	5
	Sustainable Design Jordi Segalàs Teaching language: English	Ecodesign principles and European directives; sustainable product and service design strategies (Cradle to Cradle, Design for Sustainable Behaviour, Product Service Systems, Design for the Base of the Pyramid, etc.); circular and regenerative design; design for sustainable transitions; innovation in materials and processes. Regulations and labeling. Course guide: CAT, ESP, ENG
	Strategies for a Just Global Transition Miren Etxebarría, Sergi Saurí, Gema Vélez, Eva Vidal Teaching language: Spanish	Analysis of public policies on sustainability and social justice; responsible public procurement; technological innovation and sustainable ICT; housing, infrastructure, and transport in a just transition; economic and social tools for structural change. Course guide: CAT, ESP, ENG	5
	Cooperation for Equitable Development Eva Vidal, Miren Etxebarría Teaching language: Spanish	Analysis of global and intra-territorial inequalities; gender equity and minorities; international cooperation as an instrument of global justice; evaluation of programs and resources; sustainable construction in cooperation; ICT and human development. Course guide: CAT, ESP, ENG	5
	Transdisciplinary Research Gemma Tejedor, Elisabet Roca Teaching language: Spanish	Foundations of transdisciplinary research (td) and action-research; problem co-definition and collaboration with social actors; social and td research methods (multi-criteria evaluation, theory of change, etc.), co-creation and creativity (storytelling, photovoice, etc.), and futures thinking; integration of citizen science approach. Course guide: CAT, ESP, ENG	5

Optional Q3	Decarbonization Strategies and Climate Resilience Boris Lazzarini, Manel Balfegó Teaching language: Spanish	Carbon footprint calculation (GHG Protocol, ISO 14064); Science Based Targets (SBTi); development of reduction plans; carbon markets and offsetting mechanisms; physical and transitional risks; participatory governance and resilient adaptation. Course guide: CAT, ESP, ENG	5
	Industrial Ecology and Circular Economy Gemma Cervantes Teaching language: Spanish	Principles of industrial economy and ecology; industrial symbiosis; sectoral implementation strategies (water, energy, agri-food); analysis of industrial metabolism; European regulations and policies; social dimension and communication of circularity. Course guide: CAT, ESP, ENG	5
	Adaptation Strategies and Urban Green Infrastructure Elisabet Roca, Francesc Baró, Josep Mercadé, Núria Garrido Teaching language: English	Urban adaptation to climate change: droughts, floods, heatwaves, and storms; green infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and 'sponge city' models; quantification of urban ecosystem services; equitable governance and planning; energy efficiency and building resilience. Course guide: CAT, ESP, ENG	5
	Decision Support for Nature-Based Engineering and Ecosystem Regeneration Jordi Morató, Martí Rosas, Manel Balfegó Teaching language: English	Ecological modeling and analysis methods; restoration and nature-based planning; design and monitoring of nature-based solutions; co-production of knowledge and environmental justice; integration of traditional knowledge and governance frameworks. Course guide: CAT, ESP, ENG	5
	Intelligent Data Analysis for Decision Making Xavier Angerri, Karina Gibert Teaching language: English	Data science and knowledge discovery (KDD, AI, Society 5.0); predictive and descriptive modeling (PCA, clustering, regression, decision trees); data integration and digital twins; intelligent decision support systems; AI ethics and responsible data management. Course guide: CAT, ESP, ENG	5
	Master's Thesis Support Workshop María Gonçalves, Boris Lazzarini Teaching language: Spanish and English	Project planning and methodology; applied ethics in research; critical thinking and decision analysis; scientific and social communication of results. Course guide: CAT, ESP, ENG	5

TFM	Master's Thesis	Autonomous development of an integrative project demonstrating acquired competencies; can be carried out in collaboration with companies, institutions, or research centers; public defense before an academic committee.	15

OPTIONAL SUBJECTS: 6 optional subjects must be enrolled in Q2 and 3 optional subjects in Q3.