The Tecnocampus of Mataró will offer, starting in the next academic year 2024-25, a pioneering master's degree in social economy in Catalonia. This is the first Master's Degree focused on this area offered at a Catalan university. It is an official master's degree from the Pompeu Fabra University, and has the quality seal of the UPF, the first university in the State in the O-Multirank ranking.
This master's degree arises at a time when the economy and society face major challenges such as climate change, the increase in inequalities, democratic degradation, the impact of new technologies and the fight for gender equality, as as highlighted by Eloi Serrano, co-director of the master's degree with Màrian Buil. These challenges, he adds, “require a rigorous economic approach that contributes to reversing their adverse effects.”
The master's degree is promoted by the Chair of Social Economy of the TecnoCampus and joins it to enhance the specialization of the university center in the field of social economy. The master's degree reflects the experience of TecnoCampus in this area, where a postgraduate degree in management of cooperative companies and social economy, of a more professional nature, was already being offered.
In this sense, the master's degree expands the objectives of the postgraduate degree with new areas of training and with a specific itinerary for those who want to dedicate themselves to research. “We believe that scientific production in the field of social economy has a lot of potential and a path that is not being exploited,” says Serrano.
The study program incorporates aspects such as circularity, the role of the public sector in the social economy or modules of quantitative analysis and legal aspects.
One of the highlights of this study program is the teaching staff. “We have opted to incorporate teachers who stand out in this field, both from Catalonia and other parts of Spain, to offer maximum excellence,” says Serrano.
The social economy promotes organizations based on democracy and aimed at satisfying the needs of people, generating a positive impact on society and the environment. For this reason, it increasingly acquires a central role in economic studies, supported by international initiatives such as the Social Economy Action Plan of the European Commission, the recommendations of the ILO and the OECD, as well as the United Nations resolution, which recognize the essential contribution of the social economy to fair, inclusive and sustainable economic development, as well as to territorial cohesion and social innovation.
With its new master's degree, TecnoCampus aims to train managers capable of promoting the creation and consolidation of organizations that promote the structural change necessary for the planet. Additionally, it seeks to nurture those interested in developing a scientific career in this discipline.
This degree allows specialization in research in Economics and Social Business, as well as internship agreements with leading organizations in the field of Social Economy.
The professional opportunities offered include the management of Social Economy companies, consulting, the design and implementation of organizational and governance policies, the management of social innovation projects, social entrepreneurship, and public management of the third sector.
