Information

Master's degree in Advanced Building Construction

Barcelona School of Building Construction (EPSEB)

The master's degree in Advanced Building Construction (master's degree website) produces graduates for the building construction sector, which is increasingly automated. In the current context, which has seen a decrease in the number of new buildings being built in Spain, concepts such as sustainability and energy efficiency are increasingly important, as are the recovery, conservation and improvement of built heritage. The master's degree therefore provides an education that confronts the sector's new challenges and the skills students need to understand and deepen their knowledge of the construction process and pursue a research career.

General details

Duration and start date: 1.5 academic years, 90 ECTS credits. Starting September
Timetable and delivery: Afternoons. Face-to-face
Fees and grants: Approximate fees for the master’s degree, excluding other costs (does not include non-teaching academic fees and issuing of the degree certificate):
€2,490 (€9,496 for non-EU residents).
More information about fees and payment options
More information about grants and loans
Language of instruction: Spanish
Information on language use in the classroom and students’ language rights.
Location: Barcelona School of Building Construction
Official degree: Recorded in the Ministry of Education's degree register

Admission

General requirements

Academic requirements for admission to master's degrees

Specific requirements

Applicants must be holders of one of the following qualifications:

Diploma in Technical Architecture, bachelor's degree in Building Construction Science and Technology (bachelor's degree in Building Engineering), bachelor's degree in Architectural Technology and Building Construction.
Pre-EHEA degree in Architecture.
Diploma in Public Works.
Pre-EHEA degree in Civil Engineering.

Although as a rule admission to the master's degree is not contemplated with qualifications other than those mentioned above, the academic committee of the master’s degree may consider admitting students who cannot demonstrate sufficient training in building construction, in which case it will decide on the bridging courses they must take, which may not exceed 30 ECTS credits.

Documents
Applicants must upload the following documents to the pre-enrolment application so that their applications can be reviewed:

DNI or passport • Academic record that includes the final mark for the degree* (transcript, syllabus, etc.)
Degree certificate
Certificate stating that your degree makes you eligible for admission to postgraduate studies or a master's degree (for foreign degrees)
Curriculum vitae (CV)
Letter of motivation
English level
Spanish Level B2 in the case of non-Spanish speaking candidates

(*) You must request the equivalence of your mark in the Spanish education system through the Ministry of Education's e-services portal. You must attach the resulting document when you submit your academic transcript in the pre-enrolment application.

Admission criteria

Academic transcript (45%)
Correspondence between the competencies of the entrance qualification and those of the master's degree (30%)
Curriculum vitae (10%)
Letter of motivation (5%)
Other merits (5%)
English level (Level B2) (5%)

Places

Pre-enrolment

Pre-enrolment period open.
Expected deadline: 31/05/2025.
How to pre-enrol

Enrolment

How to enrol

Legalisation of foreign documents

All documents issued in non-EU countries must be legalised and bear the corresponding apostille.

Curriculum

First semester

Second semester

Third semester

CompulsoryECTS
OptionalECTS
ProjectECTS

Professional opportunities

Professional opportunities

Graduates of the master's degree are generally employed as managers or as experts working in the following areas:

Management of conservation and maintenance of the built heritage
Project management and supervision
Energy efficiency and bioclimatic architecture
Consulting, advisory services and technical auditing
Drafting and development of technical projects
Technical management of buildings in the use and maintenance stages
Building construction production management
New building construction technologies
Rehabilitation of existing buildings
Environmental impact studies and energy auditing
Public administration
Teaching and research

Competencies

Generic competencies

Generic competencies are the skills that graduates acquire regardless of the specific course or field of study. The generic competencies established by the UPC are capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship, sustainability and social commitment, knowledge of a foreign language (preferably English), teamwork and proper use of information resources.

Specific competencies

Capacity for innovation: understanding the reasons for and mechanisms of technological and technical change.
Awareness of the construction materials and techniques in each historical period and ability to appraise their influence in architectural design.
Knowledge of the principles of thermal, optic and acoustic physics.
Capacity for modelling physical processes and using numerical methods to solve the resulting models.
Capacity for describing heat exchange phenomena, thermal perception, air quality in interiors, ventilation, lighting conditions, and noise propagation and control.
Capacity for designing HVAC installations, lifts, security and surveillance systems, home automation installations, and information and communication networks.
Capacity for managing installations and their cost and maintenance.
Capacity for carrying out and managing installation projects.
Capacity for modelling building structures and evaluating their load-carrying capacity.
Capacity for evaluating the behaviour of the ground as a function of its characteristics and type of foundation.
Capacity for designing and dimensioning the reinforcement of structural elements.
Knowledge of the characteristics of seismic action and the application of prevailing regulations to seismic calculations of building structures.
Knowledge and application of basic concepts of pre-stressing with post-tensioned reinforcement.
Capacity for determining the thermal behaviour and energy efficiency of existing buildings.
Capacity for designing a methodological guide to the assessment, diagnosis and rehabilitation of a building.
Understanding of the keys to the historical documentation of buildings.
Capacity for designing rehabilitation interventions with a sufficient historical basis to preserve a building's functional, technical, artistic and historical values.
Capacity for applying advanced graphic surveying techniques in the assessment of existing buildings.
Knowledge of material characterisation techniques and ways of solving concrete problems in this area.
Capacity for analysing and applying the analytical processes studied to solve concrete problems in existing buildings until a final diagnosis is reached.
Familiarity with evaluation methods based on observed or measured data and the results of numerically supported analytical processes.
Knowledge of specific techniques for correcting damage to existing buildings and improving them.
Capacity for applying the knowledge acquired to drafting the corresponding rehabilitation projects.
Capacity for modelling numerical problems.
Capacity for implementing models.
Capacity for making decisions based on results analysis.

Quality accreditation

Check the degree’s main quality indicators in the University Studies in Catalonia portal of the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency. Find information on topics such as degree evaluation results, student satisfaction and graduate employment data.
Further information