OBJECTIVES

The aim of this Master’s Degree course is to attain the following specific and strategic objectives:

1. To adopt University initiatives which complement the efforts of Spanish diplomacy to foster external relations and cooperation, and develop the relationship between the European Union and Latin America, especially Central America.
2. To offer a valid and solid professional alternative to university graduates who wish to specialise in Regional Integration, and, over time, to convert the University of Alcalá (a university with all the advantages of a small university, but situated in the centre of the Spanish State) and the other Universities where taught courses are given, into centres of excellence within their sphere of influence as regards Regional Integration.
3. In order to achieve  the foregoing objectives, to promote the legal aspect of these studies by incorporating professionals with wide experience of these issues onto the teaching staff, as can be seen from the list of teaching staff.
4. To provide an advanced dogmatic training in Regional Integration in the context of a minimum study of internal Law.
5. To facilitate the preparation of a doctoral thesis at either of the participating Spanish universities, via an attractive research-focused programme

The primary objective of the University Master’s Degree in Regional Integration is for students (principally graduates or holders of diplomas in Law, Economics or other Social Sciences) to acquire an advanced, multidisciplinary education in Regional Integration, aimed at specialisation in academic practice and research.  Likewise, the Master’s Degree will also promote respect for democracy and fundamental human rights, the rule of law, equality between men and women and equal opportunities and universal access for people with disabilities. Most of the present objectives and skills have been adopted by the Centro Interuniversitario para Estudios de Integración (Inter-University Centre for Integration Studies), the only existing network and organisation of international standing and influence, which serves as a forum for scientific and practical debate at the highest level on regional integration processes and particularly on Central American integration.  It also carries out professional activities, organises courses, seminars and study days, and publishes work carried out within the organisation (http://cipei.unanleon.edu.ni/objetivos.html).

• Structure of the Master’s Degree: credits and subjects
• Distribution of subjects by year/semester
• General course programme

MASTER’S DEGREE: CREDITS AND SUBJECTS

DISTRIBUTION OF SUBJECTS BY YEAR/SEMESTER

GENERAL COURSE PROGRAMME

The structure of the Master’s Degree programme in Regional Integration reflects the lack of similar postgraduate education  in particular in regional integration processes,  in Central America and the Caribbean. Accordingly, and in order to achieve the flexibility and balance appropriate for these studies, it has been considered necessary to include in the course programme a wider range of subjects. which from a eurocentric perspective, represent the acquisition of basic knowledge, knowledge which at least in part, one could expect to acquire on a degree course.  However, this is not the case in Central America, and particularly not the case at those universities where the classroom-based part of the course is taught and where studies of this kind do not enjoy the same eminence as in Europe.  An exhaustive effort has been made to maintain the advanced level which defines all officially recognised Master’s Degrees.  This Master’s Degree is innovative in its multidisciplinary approach to the subject. The Master’s Degree in Regional Integration has an academic and research focus, is partially classroom-based, and consists of a total of 60 ECTS credits which are divided into the following modules:

• The history and basis of regional integration processes: a multidisciplinary perspective
• Comparative analysis of regional integration systems with special reference to the European Union (EU) and the Central American Integration System (SICA)
• Economic, legal and employment aspects of regional integration processes
• Community member freedoms in regional integration processes
• Foreign policy in regional integration processes
• The individual in regional integration processes
• Internal policies and actions in regional integration processes
• Master’s Final Project

As regards the timetabling of the course programme, it is envisaged that the Master’s Degree course in Regional Integration will be divided into two stages, or successive periods.  These stages will be cumulative, in the sense that students who wish to obtain the Master’s Degree will be required to successfully complete each of the stages.

1st Stage: Partially classroom-based, this stage will consist of 8 consecutive weeks of theoretical and practical classes (June and July), held simultaneously at the three participating Central American Universities (UNAN-León, UNAH and UNA-Costa Rica).  During this time, teaching will be intensive from Monday to Friday, morning and afternoon.  Once the classroom-based period has concluded, a non classroom-based period will begin, from August to November, during which tutorials will be held, students will be given reading guidance, case studies will be presented, and short pieces of supervised work will be produced, which will involve the search, retrieval and organisation of documentary sources.  The subject matter of these projects will reflect the contents of the different modules.  One tutor for each module will take responsibility for directing and supervising students’ work during this non classroom-based period.

2nd Stage: Master’s Final Project. Once the previous stage has been successfully completed, each student will be assigned a topic and a dissertation supervisor.  Students will have 6 months (December to May) to prepare a piece of work and, with their supervisor’s prior approval, proceed to defend their dissertation before a board of examiners consisting of three university professors responsible for teaching on the Master’s programme, as well as the academic coordinator from the Central American University, where the first stage of the Master’s Degree was studied.

Once the 60 credits have been successfully completed, those students who have been awarded the best grades will be offered the possibility of preparing their doctoral thesis at one of the participating Spanish universities, following a prior applicant selection process, conducted by the Master’s Academic Committee. To this end, the Committee will endorse any application for a grant or support on the part of successful applicants.

The Planning and timetabling of teaching is aimed at facilitating public servants’ and professionals’access to the course,in addition to providing any possible special educational needs.

• Entry Requirements and Selection Criteria
• Admission and Assessment Criteria
• Pre-enrolment and Enrolment
• Number of Places

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS AND SELECTION CRITERIA

According to the Regulations of the University of Alicante, the following requirements must be complied to have access to official taught Master’s degrees:

1. To be in possession of a SPANISH OFFICIAL GRADUATE DEGREE CERTIFICATE or other issued by an institution of higher education  within the EHEA (European Higher Education) that enables the holder to have access  to Master’s degrees in the issuing.
2. To be in possession of an officially approved  FOREIGN HIGHER EDUCATION DEGREE CERTIFICATE that had been recognised as equal to the degree that allows access to the requested studies.
3. To be in possession of a UNIVERSITY DEGREE CERTIFICATE obtained in a University or Higher Education Institution of COUNTRIES OUTSIDE THE EHEA, without the prior approval of their studies. In this case, the following should be considered:

• Non- recognised degree certificates shall require a technical report showing an equivalence statement issued by the University of Alicante (ContinUA – Continuing Education Centre), for which the corresponding fee should be paid.
• Access through this way does under no circumstances imply prior official approval of the holder’s degree certificate, nor its recognition for purposes other than studying a master's degree.

ADMISSION AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

1.- Admission Profile

ThisMaster’s Degree has been designed primarily for graduates or holders of a Diploma in Law, Economics or other Social Sciences and it is aimed at researchers, university teachers, lawyers, civil servants and other agents professionally involved in regional integration, who wish to acquire the tools necessary to be more effective  in this field.  The course is also open to employees of International Organisations and NGO members, diplomats and judges who wish to improve their training in this area.

Although the course is open to all graduates or diploma holders, applicants should preferably hold a degree or diploma in Law, Economics, Political Sciences, Sociology, or other Social Sciences and Humanities degrees.

2.     Assessment criteria

Where demand exceeds the number of places available (25 per university) in the Master’s Degree in Regional Integration, the Master’s Academic Committee  will carry out a selection process based on the equitable assessment of applicants’ academic records and academic and professional achievements, together with their knowledge of other languages and any other relevant achievement or qualification presented.

Applicants’ achievements and qualifications will be weighted as follows:

-Academic record (40%)

-Professional achievements (40%)

-Knowledge of languages other than Spanish (15%)

-Other relevant achievements or qualifications (5%)

PRE-ENROLMENT AND ENROLMENT

As the coordinating university responsible for admissions, enrolment and issuing of the degree, the University of Alcalá will hold all information specifically relevant to administrative and procedural questions.

The Postgraduate School at the University of Alcalá de Henares will hold all information related to postgraduate studies offered as well as the admission and enrolment requirements.This information will be available and updated at the following link:

http://www.uah.es/postgrado/ESCPOSTGRADO/inicio.asp

The University of Alcalá has a university study promotion department which regularly  visits eduation centres to meet prospective students. The International Relations Office  also organises “welcome days” where prospective students are given a tour of the university’s academic,cultural and sporting facilities, as well as the the opportunity to meet their future university professors.

Contact numbers: (0034) 91 885 53 84 / 43 88 / 40 06.   email address: promocion.uni@uah.es

In addition, the University of Alcalá has an information centre staffed by personnel trained to deal with any queries related to: admissions; studies; centres and departments; grants and exchanges; services and activities; accommodation;courses;grants; prizes; Master’s Degrees;activities organised by the university or externally organised events .

This information found clicking on the following link:https://portal.uah.es/portal/page/portal/servicio_comunicacion/ciu

In addition to the foregoing, the other universities participating in the Master’s Degree in Regional Integration provide the following information services:

The classroom-based part of the course is held at the following universities in Central America:

• The National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN-León, León, Nicaragua),
• The National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH, Tegucigalpa, Honduras)
• The National University of Costa Rica (UN-Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica)

The aforementioned universities also offer information related to the course programme and admission requirements, and this information is available and updated at the following links:

Prior to the commencement of the course, students will be provided with all the academic information necessary to plan their learning process (learning guides, timetables, tutorials, examinations, etc.) at each of the participating universities, both via the services indicated above and by those responsible for academic coordination of the Master’s Degree at the respective universities. Other channels of information (pamphlets, publicity in the local press, etc.) will also be used.

NUMBER OF PLACES

TIMESCALE FOR IMPLEMENTATION

1. Timescale for implementation of the new Master’s Degree Course

The aim is to implement this Master’s Degree course in June 2010.  It is not expected that the course will coincide exactly with the academic year in Spain, since the academic calendar in Central America is different.  The enrolment period for the first module will begin in February 2010.  The first module, which is intensive and classroom-based, will be taught in June and July 2010, in Central America.  Once this period has concluded, a non classroom-based period will begin, which will finish in May 2011.  Once this second phase has concluded, students will be given a date for  submitting the oral defence of  their Master’s dissertation, in June 2011.

2. Equivalence Recognition Procedures, where appropriate, between the current and the new course programme.

Students of the Master’s Degree in Regional Integration at the UNAN-León may apply to the University coordinator for recognition of the credits obtained on that course, in accordance with the credit equivalence system established by the same University and detailed in a credit equivalence table which will be published in due course.

Applications for credit equivalence should be made in the first year of study on the  Master’s Degree programme  for which recognition is requested.

3. Studies that will be discontinued and replaced by the proposed Degree course:

Not applicable.

Internal Quality Assurance System (SGIC) of the Title

• Structure of the Centre for Quality
  • Comission of Internal Quality Guarantee
  • Other Commissions  
• Handbook SGIC
• Procedures
  • Strategic (PE)
  • Key (PC)
  • Support (PA)
  • Measurement (PM)

• Management of the SGIC (Access to ASTUA)

Follow-up of the Title

• Self-reports UA
• External reports AVAP 
• Other reports
• Improvement Plans
• Progress and Learning Outcomes