OBJECTIVES

The general objectives can be summarised as the intention to train researchers in Human Sciences, capable of using all those elements relevant to the broad range of knowledge, techniques and applications provided by this series of disciplines with precision, in order to prepare an original, well-founded piece of research in their field, employing the pertinent digital media in each case.  In turn, this training will also provide a solid educational background for teaching. 
The course therefore addresses plural methodological needs, which are often not clearly delineated, together with the necessity for their successive or combined use in the different research stages, with the aim of producing high quality results or conclusions based both on the first moment, which should ensure the correct identification of the subject of study, and an efficient approach to the same subject through appropriate use of the tools which, be they conceptual, empirical or digital, are currently available and applicable.
Nevertheless, the importance of the general skills established in current regulations should be observed (please see the White Book of Philology), together with the definition of basic skills.  That is, those criteria relative to: specific knowledge in the research area, oral and written communication skills, the capacity for both analysis and synthesis, instrumental and information management skills together with research and planning skills, the promotion of critical and self-critical capacities in addition to creativity, resolution and determination, and, in general, an awareness of team work and quality together with a broad interdisciplinary vision within a international multicultural context.

COMPETENCIAS

General Competences (CG)

• 1):Emprender una investigación original, bien fundamentada y concluida en Ciencias Humanas o incluso concretamente en sus diferentes metodologías.
• 2):Realizar específicamente una investigación conducente a una Tesis de Doctorado en Ciencias Humanas según todas las exigencias metodológicas propias del desarrollo de un estudio de este tipo en esa rama del conocimiento.
• 3):Comprender y hacer uso de la complementariedad metodológica, sus convergencias y posibilidades combinatorias como procedimiento natural conducente a una investigación humanística bien fundada.
• 4):Conocer y aplicar rentablemente todos aquellos medios instrumentales y procedimientos aplicativos derivados de los mismos en situación útil para el ejercicio de la investigación científicohumanística en sus diferentes métodos y campos.
• 5):Transmitir, comunicar, ejercer la enseñanza de los conocimientos, teorías y técnicas metodológicos relevantes en Ciencias Humanas.

Specific Competences (CE)

• 1.:Conocer y definir de manera precisa los diferentes métodos propios de la investigación en Ciencias Humanas, así como en su caso la repercusión ética de los mismos.
• 2.:Describir y analizar con todo el rigor exigible los principios y técnicas fundamentales de los referidos métodos.
• 3.:Observar y explicar la contigüidad, presuposición y relación entre varios métodos o entidades culturales comparables entre sí.
• 4.:Exponer los grandes momentos históricos del pensamiento metodológico humanístico y sus instituciones científicas y académicas.
• 5.:Determinar objetos concretos de investigación científico-humanística, o de utilidad aplicativa, y su posibilidad de constitución más correcta así como su preferente adscripción a una o varias metodologías o procedimientos.
• 6.:Desarrollar alguno o varios procedimientos teóricos o aplicativos nuevos destinados al tratamiento investigador: bien por mejora en la economía del tiempo en el proceso de investigación, o en el manejo de fuentes, estudio o edición de textos, bien en la eficaz visibilización figurada o conceptual de elementos necesarios a la investigación y sus conclusiones, o cualesquiera otras posibilidades coherentemente determinables, en forma digital o no.
• 7.:Utilizar y aplicar adecuada y rentablemente los métodos más relevantes de la investigación científico-humanística compaginando la perennidad milenaria de sus técnicas más antiguas con las más recientes y a un tiempo mediante sus diversas posibilidades de instrumentalización de la naturaleza que fuere.

• 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 course programme is divided into two semesters comprising an academic year worth 60 credits.  The first semester consists of 30 credits, 28 of which correspond to compulsory subjects whilst the remaining 2 correspond to optional subjects.

The second semester consists of 6 compulsory subjects and 1 optional subject, together worth 18 credits, and the Final Project which concludes the course and is worth 12 credits, again comprising a total of 30 credits.

The course programme is divided into two semesters, or sequential modules, comprising an academic year worth 60 credits.  6 of these modules will be taught by acknowledged experts from other universities who have links with the Research and Project Teams in which the university teachers involved in the present course participate.  In addition, it is envisaged that various Doctors linked to Organisations and Departments within the University of Alicante will be involved.

The course is structured around a core of compulsory subjects (worth 3 and 2 credits) and various optional subjects (worth 2 credits).  Given the course’s combination of theory and methodology and often, the immediate practice of the same,  as required by a selectively methodological study of the Human Sciences and their applications, the system of organising study sequentially is more efficient and effective.  Consequently, individual subjects will coincide with other, associated subject matter.

Teaching combines the basic methodological aspects (philological, historical, hermeneutics, argumentation-rhetoric, comparative and iconological) with more in-depth or practical aspects (translation, implied meaning, teaching and learning second languages and literatures), together with their consequent applications, digital or not, whether these form part of the basic methodological aspects (for example, Basics and development of the philological method: from Aexandria to the digital era), or are practically stand-alone (Seeking, creating and research in philological resources using ITCs), or are even at times completely stand-alone, despite the theoretical principles on which they are based  (Hypertext theory).  The study of bibliographical resources is optional, given that students who enroll on this third cycle university course probably already possess sufficient experience and skills in this area.  It should be noted that the optional nature of musicology does not reflect an assessment of its worth but rather represents a means for students to clarify their choices or to identify possible future doctorate students predisposed to this field of research as a result of their prior training in music.  Although a study of the methodology of teaching second languages is compulsory, since this represents a field which in one way or another concerns all researchers, the parallel phenomenon of second language literature teaching methodology is optional .

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

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

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

In principle, this degree is primarily aimed at graduates of the humanities (Language and Literature, Philosophy, History, etc.); this, however, does not negate  the current fundamental aspect of freedom of research,  which has given rise to the somewhat characteristic diversity presented by students enrolled on third cycle university courses.

Students who wish to enroll on this Master’s Degree course are required to present their application within the prescibed time limit and according to the procedures established and published by the Continuous training center, using the corrresponding and usual channels.

Should demand exceed the number of places envisaged, admission and exclusion criteria will be applied through a points system, 70% of which will relate to the applicant’s academic record, whilst the remaining 30% will relate to professional and/or research achievement.

PRE-ENROLMENNT AND ENROLMENT 

PRE-ENROLMENT +info

Students who wish to study for an Officially Recognised Master’s Degree at the UA should complete pre-enrolment in accordance with the deadlines and conditions specified annually.

ENROLMENT +info

Following publication of the definitive list of those admitted to the course, an email containing the user password will be sent to the students, enabling them to enrol via the Campus Virtual in accordance with the deadlines and conditions specified annually.

In the registration process, the documents issued abroad must be official, duly notorised and translated. Further information:

• http://sga.ua.es/en/academic-regulations/legalizacion/legalization-of-documents.html

NUMBER OF PLACES

Focus

Research.

Degree course specialisation profile

Training for scientific and humanistic research within the present framework of the use and promotion of methodologies and the different possibilities they currently offer, or which are still in development stage.

Professional profile

Professions for which the degree qualifies its holder

Since this is a Master’s Degree in Research, it associated with the characteristic profile of research activites and functions, particularly those related to third cycle university activity and the academic and scientific consequences of the same.  Nevertheless, this does not imply that the training provided on the course is not pertinent or useful in certain professional fields, including teaching (with the exception of secondary education), editing, archivists or librarians in public organisations and business, or the organisation and coverage  of  events and cultural heritage.

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