Master's degree in Research applied to communication

Basic Information

What knowledge will I acquire with this Master?

The University Master's Degree in Research Applied to Communication is justified by the need for comprehensive training of academic researchers in communication that allows those who pass the master's degree to be in a position to undertake their doctoral theses with guarantees within the framework of the Doctoral Programs of the universities where they are held.

Is this degree official according to the regulations required by the European Higher Education Area?

Yes (final verification report is attached), starting the first course in the academic year 2010-11.

Final verification report turned out FAVORABLE

Favorable report first modification

Favorable report second modification

Is it necessary to pass an access test?

It is not necessary.

What is the minimum number of credits for which I can enroll?

You can see it in the rules of permanence in this link

Recommended income profile

Students who have possession of an official Spanish university degree or another issued by a higher education institution of the European Higher Education Area that authorizes access to Master's degrees in the country that issued the degree.

Recommended requirements:

Degree in journalism, Degree in audiovisual communication, Degree in advertising and public relations, Double degrees in communication sciences linked to another university degree (law, economics, LADE, etc.), Degree in journalism, Degree in audiovisual communication, Degree in advertising and public relations, Double degrees in communication sciences linked to another university degree (law, economics, LADE, etc.), Bachelor's degrees and degrees in social sciences.

Objectives

Comprehensive training in the theoretical frameworks that currently define the field of research applied to communication
Learning of the design processes of research projects and the most common quantitative and qualitative research techniques and of greater incidence in current research and in the communication research market, with special emphasis on learning in the use and management of the main scientific software and focus group techniques
Comprehensive training for doctoral candidates. Carrying out research work with special emphasis on the research work of doctoral programs, writing doctoral theses and defending before evaluation commissions
Learning to write research papers: general projects, scientific articles, contributions to congresses and doctoral theses

Competences

General Competencies:

CG01 - Analyze the reality of social and communicational phenomena characteristic of contemporary societies.
CG02 - Know the global social context in which communication research is developed, taking into account social, economic, legal and historical dynamics.
CG03 - Make decisions and issue critical judgments in processes and situations related to communication research, applying the knowledge acquired to do so.
CG04 - Manage information from various sources, using search techniques, identification, selection and collection of information.
CG05 - Adapt to new situations, new or little-known environments within the context of communication research.
CG06 - Face with a creative and proactive attitude the difficulties, limitations and obstacles that may arise in the research task.
CG07 - Acquire a favorable disposition for permanent and up-to-date training to deal with changes and novelties (social, cultural, technological, etc.) that may occur in the course of professional life.
CG08 - Use the technological tools available to complete the different activities of the research processes.
CG09 - Use the necessary resources to implement strategies aimed at autonomous learning.
CG10 - Organize and plan, in a preliminary stage, human teams and work processes in the field of communication research.
CG11 - Acquire the ability to actively participate in work in large human teams, which involve the coupling of multiple visions and tasks from multidisciplinary perspectives.
CG12 - Communicate with rigor in the use of the language and clarity in the exposition of ideas.
CG13 - Demonstrate an ethical commitment respecting human rights and other democratic values in the exercise of communication research.

Specific Competences:

CE01 - Know and use competently the terminology and key concepts used in communication research.
CE02 - Knowledge of the epistemological foundations of the different communication research methods.
CE03 - Work productively with ideas and theories, linking conceptual devices with the reality that they seek to explain or understand.
CE04 - Acquire the ability to design and apply the pertinent techniques in quantitative empirical research specifically oriented to the study of contemporary communicative phenomena.
CE05 - Acquire the ability to perform univariate, bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses.
CE06 - Acquire the ability to design qualitative research specifically oriented to the study of communication through the use of conversational and observational techniques.
CE07 - Acquire the ability to analyze and interpret qualitative data, and in particular for the sociological analysis of discourse.
CE08 - Knowledge of the main research traditions developed in the field of communication research.
CE09 - Ability to relate media communication processes to the social contexts in which they take place.
CE10 - Advanced handling of computer programs for data analysis, both quantitative (SPSS) and qualitative (Atlas.ti and Nud*Ist)
CE11 - Ability to solve case studies by applying advanced statistical analysis.
CE12 - Management of specialized bibliographic and computerized databases for communication research
CE13 - Ability to write specialized scientific documents (research projects, research reports, memorandums, etc.)
CE14 - Knowledge of the historical evolution and current theoretical perspectives in research on audiences and the processes of reception and relationship with the media.
CE15 - Knowledge of the historical evolution and current theoretical perspectives in research on public relations, institutional communication and communication management.
CE16 - Knowledge of the historical evolution and current theoretical perspectives in research on political communication.
CE17 - Knowledge of the historical evolution and current theoretical perspectives in research on scientific communication.
CE18 - Knowledge of the historical evolution and current theoretical perspectives in research on educational communication.
CE19 - Knowledge of the historical evolution and current theoretical perspectives in research on media and journalistic discourses.
CE20 - Ability to carry out original research on communication with the quality standards required in academic journals and/or in congresses and scientific meetings of the specialty.

Admission and enrollment

Admission:

The requirements for access to the proposed title are according to article 18, of Royal Decree 822/2021, of September 28:

Possession of an official Spanish Graduate or Graduate university degree or equivalent is a condition for accessing a Master's Degree, or, where appropriate, having another University Master's degree, or titles of the same level as the Spanish Bachelor's or Master's degree issued by universities and higher education institutions in an EHEA country that in that country allow access to Master's degrees.
In the same way, people in possession of titles from educational systems that are not part of the EHEA, which are equivalent to a Bachelor's degree, will be able to access a Master's Degree in the Spanish university system, without the need for homologation of the title, but verification by of the university of the level of training that they imply, as long as in the country where said title was issued it allows access to university postgraduate level studies. In no case will access through this route imply the homologation of the previous degree held by the person concerned or its recognition for other purposes than that of carrying out the Master's degree.

General access criteria:

The specific qualifications that will facilitate access to the Master are the following:

Degree in Advertising and Public Relations
Degree in Journalism
Degree in Audiovisual Communication
Degree in Business Administration and Management
Degree in economics
Degree in Sociology
Degree in Anthropology
Degree in Political Science
Degrees in Philology
Degree in Marketing and Market Studies
Degree in Labor Relations and Human Resources

Other official degrees or titles that include communication, research techniques or sociology subjects in their study plan.

Specific access conditions or tests:

Where appropriate, if necessary, Assessment of the student's curriculum, based on their professional experience, their projection in relation to the objectives of the master's degree, as well as their academic record. The weighting of these criteria, if it were necessary to make a selection among the candidates who meet the general access requirements for exceeding the number of students who can be admitted to the Master, as indicated on the Master's website is as follows :

Adequacy of the original university degree (50%), Motivation letter (20%), Personal interview (via Skype) (20%) and Previous research experience (or research interests) (10%). In any case, the criteria of equality, merit and ability will be respected throughout the selection process. The competent body for admission is the postgraduate subcommittee of the Rey Juan Carlos University.

In the case of foreign students whose mother tongue is not Spanish, the vehicular language of the Master, a level certificate will be required on their knowledge of the Spanish language (level B.2. according to the Common European Framework of Reference) and they may establish specific access tests if the Master's management considers it appropriate.

The valuation of these elements will be made according to the following weighting:

Adequacy of the university degree 60%
Previous research experience 10%
Motivation letter 15%

Personal interview 15%

Candidate selection:

Once the pre-registration period is over, a selection will be made among the students who meet all the requirements.

Offer of places: 20 seats. If the minimum number of students envisaged is not reached in a course, the University may choose not to open the teaching group.

See admission and enrollment

Training itinerary

Master's Teaching Guides

ACCESS THE COURSE GUIDES OF THE DEGREE

Training Itinerary

Custom code	Subject	Semester	Type	NUMBER OF ECTS
621401	Theoretical-methodological paradigms in communicative research	1 º	Mandatory	6
621402	Quantitative research design and techniques	1 º	Mandatory	6
621403	Qualitative research methodology and design	1 º	Mandatory	6
621404	Research and Report Writing Resources	1 º	Mandatory	3
621405	Computer tools for data analysis	1 º	Mandatory	3
621406	Hearings and reception	1 º	Optional	3
621407	Public relations and communication management	1 º	Optional	3
621408	Political communication *	1 º	Optional	3
621409	Scientific communication *	1 º	Optional	3
621410	Communication and education *	1 º	Optional	3
621411	journalistic speech *	1 º	Optional	3
621412	Quantitative research techniques	2 º	Mandatory	3
621413	Qualitative data analysis	2 º	Mandatory	3
621414	Master's thesis	2 º	TFM	24

* Not offered

Material resources

Mobility programs

University Master's degrees, due to their duration and characteristics, in general do not specifically contemplate the mobility of their students. However, the Rey Juan Carlos University has different mobility programs for both students and University workers (PDI and PAS) and has procedures for collecting and analyzing information on these mobility programs.

URJC Mobility

Regulation

STUDENTS

COEXISTENCE REGIME

Coexistence Regulations of the Rey Juan Carlos University for the Development of Law 3/2022, of February 24, on University Coexistence, approved by Agreement of March 30, 2023, of the Governing Council of the University

SCHOOL INSURANCE

School Insurance

ASSOCIATIONS

Regulation student associations

Quality guarantee

External monitoring report

RUCT link

BOCM Link

Internal quality assurance system

Manual of the Internal Quality Assurance System

Composition of the commission

Results report

Once the monitoring of the Master's Degree has been carried out, the most relevant quantitative information on the results obtained in the monitoring of said Degree is displayed, differentiated by academic year.

Report by course:

General information collection plan

Within the quality assurance system of the Rey Juan Carlos University, the following surveys are planned:

- Student profile

- Teacher evaluation

- Degree of satisfaction:

Of the students
of the graduates
From the Faculty
Administration and Services Staff

- Labor insertion

- External internships:

Satisfaction of interns
External tutor satisfaction
Employer satisfaction

Survey results:

Improvement actions

The Quality Assurance System of the Rey Juan Carlos University establishes that the degree's Quality Assurance Commission will annually analyze the information derived from the degree's indicators and prepare a report that will include improvement plans if the results so indicate.

Improvement actions 2022 / 2023
Improvement actions 2021 / 2022
Improvement actions 2020 / 2021
Improvement actions 2019 / 2020
Improvement actions 2018 / 2019
Improvement actions 2017 / 2018
Improvement actions 2016 / 2017
Improvement actions 2015 / 2016
Improvement actions 2014 / 2015
Improvement actions 2013 / 2014
Improvement actions 2012 / 2013
Improvement actions 2011 / 2012
- Improvement actions specific to the title 2011 / 2012
- Follow-up of the improvement actions of the previous course
Improvement actions 2010 / 2011
- Common improvement actions 2010 / 2011

Renewal of accreditation

The renewal of the accreditation represents the culmination of the implementation process of the official Bachelor's and Master's degrees registered in the Register of Universities, Centers and Degrees (RUCT). The renewal of the accreditation of official bachelor's and master's degrees is organized in three phases: self-assessment report, external visit and final assessment.

In the first phase, the university describes and assesses the status of the degree with respect to the established criteria and guidelines. The result is the Self-Assessment Report (IA) that is presented. The second and third phases are carried out by a group of evaluators external to the evaluated title.”