Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería
Agronómica, Alimentaria y de Biosistemas

Access requirements and admission profile

The provisions of Royal Decree 412/2014, of 6 June, which establishes the basic regulations for admission procedures to official university education, will set the process of access and admission of students.


Routes and requirements for access and admission

• An official Spanish university degree or other qualification issued by a higher education institution of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) is mandatory, entitling access to Master's degree courses in the country issuing the qualification.
• Graduates from educational systems outside the EHEA with non-officially recognised degrees could also be accepted when the University confirms that they accredit an education level equivalent to official Spanish university degrees and that they are suitable for access to postgraduate studies in the country issuing the degree. However, access by this route will not mean, in any case, the homologation of the previous degree held by the student, nor its recognition for purposes other than that of studying the Master's degree.
• A level of English B2 or equivalent is also a requirement for admission. The Master's Committee will assess this knowledge during the candidate selection phase if the student does not have official accreditation.

Recommended entry profile

The entry profile below is recommended for students interested in the MSc Degree in Computational Biology. Applicants should hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent, preferably in:

• Biotechnology,
• Biology,
• Genetics,
• Biomedicine,
• Biochemistry,
• Molecular Biology,
• Pharmacy
  

The following may also be considered optional profiles:

• Specializations linked to biosciences and sciences such as Mathematics and Statistics.
• Applicants with a technical degree, bachelor's degree, graduate or equivalent in Computer Engineering.
• Graduates in Agricultural, Food, Biomedical, Biological Systems and Chemical Engineering.

Student selection and admission

The ‘Student selection and admission’ PR/CL/007 procedure regulates the routes and requirements for access to the degree. Its goal is to define the selection and admission of students that are going to study any of the degrees of the first and second cycle of the UPM.

Concerning what is specified in Royal Decree 1393/2007 and in the Access and Enrolment Regulations approved by the Governing Council of the UPM in its session on 26 March 2009; this procedure aims to set a student selection and admission process that meets the requirements shown by the National Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation, (ANECA, by its Spanish acronym).

Concerning the above, this process (adapted to the specificity of the Master's programme) sets the following elements:

• The Master Degree Academic Committee may specify additional training to balance the knowledge of the students of the Master's degree. This additional training is 6 ECTS and varies according to the student's profile.
• The Master Degree Academic Committee will assess the reference elements shown here.
  
  

The student will be requested

Photocopy of ID card, B2 certificate of English language (or equivalent), academic certificate and curriculum vitae.

Admission will not mean, in any case, any change of the academic and, where appropriate, professional effects corresponding to the prior degree held by the student, nor its recognition.

The Master Degree Academic Committee will inform the student of the decision by post, email and/or website.

Additional training

The Master Degree Academic Committee may specify additional training to balance the knowledge of the students of the Master's degree. This additional training is 6 ECTS and varies according to the student's profile:

• Students who lack training in biosciences, such as engineers, mathematicians, and statisticians, must take the course "Biology for Computational Sciences" (6 ECTS).
• Students with a background in biosciences but lack computer and programming knowledge must take the course "Programming for Computational Biology" (6 ECTS).

According to the student's profile, other training complements may be chosen exceptionally among courses currently taught in the BSc Degree in Biotechnology at the UPM. In addition, these courses cover other essential aspects of Computational Biology, Genomics, Structural Biology, Molecular Evolution, Statistics, Computer Systems, Databases and Machine Learning.