INFORMATION ON THE INSTITUTION

	Name and address
	Academic calendar
	Academic authorities
	General description of the institution
	List of degree programmes
	Admission procedures
	The main regulations of the University
	ECTS institutional coordinator

Rectorate
Claravall, 1-3. 08022 Barcelona
Tel: +34 +34 93 602 22 00
Fax: +34 93 602 22 49
Information: +34 902 50 20 50
e-mail: info@url.edu
How to get there?

IQS Higher Technical School
Via Augusta, 390. 08017 Barcelona
Tel: +34 93 267 20 00
Fax: +34 93 205 62 66
How to get there?

IQS Faculty of Economics
Torrent de les Flors, 68. 08024 Barcelona
Tel: +34 93 285 94 00
Fax: +34 93 284 96 48
How to get there?

Blanquerna Faculty of Psychology, Education Sciences and Sport
Císter, 24 - 34. 08022 Barcelona
Tel: +34 902 113 782 - +34 93 253 30 06
Fax: +34 93 253 30 31
How to get there?

Blanquerna Faculty of Communication Sciences
Valldonzella, 23. 08001 Barcelona
Tel: +34 902 113 780 - +34 93 253 31 08
Fax: +34 93 253 31 23
How to get there?

Blanquerna University School of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Nutrition
Padilla, 326-332. 08025 Barcelona
Tel: +34 902 11 37 83 - +34 93 253 31 12
Fax: +34 93 253 31 12
How to get there?

La Salle Higher Technical School of Engineering
Quatre Camins, 30. 08022 Barcelona
Tel: +34 902 197 687
Fax: +34 93 290 24 16
How to get there?

La Salle Higher Technical School of Architecture
Barcelona Campus
Quatre Camins, 2. 08022 Barcelona
Tel: +34 902 197 687
Fax: +34 93 290 24 16
How to get there?

Tarragona Campus
Av. dels Països Catalans, s/n. 43007 Tarragona
Tel: +34 977 200 841
Fax: +34 977 218 604

Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities
Diputació, 231. 08007 Barcelona
Tel: +34 93 453 43 38
Fax: +34 93 453 09 57
How to get there?

ESADE Faculty of Law
Av. Pedralbes, 60-62. 08034 Barcelona
Tel: +34 93 280 61 62
Fax: +34 93 204 81 05
How to get there?

Sant Ignasi School of Tourism
Carrasco i Formiguera, 32. 08017 Barcelona
Tel: +34 93 602 30 30
Fax: +34 93 602 30 06
How to get there?

Higher School of Business Management and Administration
Av. Pedralbes, 60-62. 08034 Barcelona
Tel: +34 93 280 61 62
Fax: +34 93 204 81 05
How to get there?

Pere Tarrés University School of Social Work and Social Education
Santaló, 37. 08021 Barcelona
Tel: +34 93 415 25 51
Fax +34 93 218 65 90
How to get there?

Ebro Observatory University Institute
Horta Alta, 38. 43520 Roquetes (Tarragona)
Tel: 977 50 05 11
Fax: 977 50 46 60
How to get there?

Vidal i Barraquer University Institute of Mental Health
Sant Gervasi de Cassoles, 88. 08022 Barcelona
Tel: +34 93 434 00 01
Fax: +34 93 211 00 32
How to get there?

Borja Institute of Bioethics
Santa Rosa, 39-57. 08950 Esplugues del Llobregat (Barcelona)
Tel: +34 93 600 61 06
Fax: +34 93 600 61 10
How to get there?

ESDI Higher School of Design (this center is currently joining the URL)
Sabadell Campus
Marquès de Comillas, 79-83. 08202 Sabadell (Barcelona)
Tel: +34 93 727 48 19
Fax: +34 93 727 42 49
How to get there?

Barcelona Campus
Passeig de Gràcia, 114 - pral. 08008 Barcelona
Tel. +34 93 416 00 00
Fax. +34 93 237 74 74

ACADEMIC CALENDAR

Term starts: between September 20th and October 10th
Christmas vacation: from December 23rd till January 7th
Holy week vacation: April 10th to 17th
Period of exams for the 1st semester: consult the academic calendar of each centre
Period of exams for the 2nd semester: consult the academic calendar of each centre
End of classes: around 30th May


Public holidays:
12th October
1st November
6th, 8th and 26th December
1st and 6th January
14th and 17th April
1st May
24th June
15th August


Local holidays:
23rd and 24th September
5th June

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INSTITUTION

Origin and Evolution of the URL

The Ramon Llull University (URL) was founded on the 1st of March 1990 and proclaimed by unanimous vote by the Parlament de Catalunya (Catalan Regional Parliament) on the 10th of May 1991 . It is a private, non profit-making university providing a public service. Its aim is to offer quality in training, person-centred, to meet society's needs.

Its founding centres are: the current Facultat de Filosofia (Faculty of Philosophy) -which goes back to the last century-, the Institut Quimic de Sarrià (Chemical Institute) -which began its university activity in 1916-, the Fundació Blanquerna (Blanquerna Foundation) -with its Escola de Magisteri (Teacher Training College), which was set up in 1948-, and Enginyeria La Salle (Engineering) -which has been running for thirty-four years-.

The Ramon Llull University encompasses a series of federated higher education centres with a long history in Catalonia. These institutions, along with the Fundació del Cercle d'Economia and personalities of Catalan civil society, under the chairmanship of Cardinal Narcís Jubany, created the University on the 10th of October 1989 .

In the fourteen years since it first opened its doors, the Ramon Llull University has extended its activities and, at present, comprise the following federated institutions: the Chemical Institute, the Blanquerna Foundation, La Salle Engineering and Architecture, the Faculty of Philosophy, the Ebro Observatory, ESADE, the Pere Tarrés University Schools of Social Work and Social Education, the Vidal i Barraquer Mental Health Institute, the Borja Bioethics Institute and  the ESDI Higher School of Design (as an associated centre).

The URL's federal structure boosts the personality of its Centres and allows it the high degree of agility, flexibility and adaptability. It is a university option in tune with the demands of an increasingly dynamic and demanding society.

Characteristics of the URL

Teaching and quality. Course contents, methods and techniques of learning and teaching, small groups and close teacher-pupil relationship are essential elements for encouraging the personal and intellectual growth that necessarily accompany a quality university training. 

High-level research. The Ramon Llull University makes substantial contributions to the fields of thought, culture, science and technological development, the fruit of high-level research and co-operation with leading institutions and companies.

Service to society. From the training of professionals required by society, complementing academic training with in-service company training, taking special care to help graduates find work via employment offices. At the same time it encourages individual and collective thought about the social context in which we live and gives special emphasis to the value of solidarity.

International projection. The Ramon Llull University is open to a world which is becoming increasingly globalized, at the same time going deeper into knowledge of our surrounding environment. It serves Catalan society and is open to other cultures. Its relations and frequent exchanges with prestigious Universities and institutions around the world open the way to a great many possibilities for joint co-operation.

Private initiative and a social vocation. The Ramon Llull University promotes quality higher education through private initiative. At the same time it makes available various types of grants and subsidies to its students.

A Christian inspiration. The URL promotes an overall formation of the individual, based on a Christian concept of man, life and the world, in the image of Ramon Llull and his emblematic tree of science, which also simultaneously evokes its corporate image.

Ramon Llull: Life and Works

Ramon Llull was the son of one of the military leaders who reconquered Mallorca from the Moslems. He was born in Palma, Mallorca. He entered the service of King James I of Aragon , was appointed grand seneschal, was educated according to the rules and the knowledge of a real gentleman and in 1257 married Blanca Picany.

Despite his marriage and two children, he led a dissolute life, but changed his lifestyle in 1263 when he had a vision of Christ while writing to a woman with whom he was having an affair, followed by five more visions. Inspired by this extraordinary passion, he began his mission to convert other peoples (Jews and specially Moslems) to the Christian faith).

After pilgrimages to Compostela and Rocamadour, he became a Franciscan tertiary, gave the rest of his wealth to the poor, and determined to devote the rest of his life to converting the Mohammedans. He spent the next nine years learning all he could of Moslem philosophy, religion, and culture, and learning Arabic. He founded the Trinity College on Mallorca in 1276 to put into effect his idea of a missionary school, visited Rome in 1277 to enlist the Pope's support, went to Paris in 1286 and in 1290 joined the Friars Minor at Genoa .

After a serious illness, he went to Tunis in 1292, began preaching, but was almost immediately forcibly deported by the Moors. Further appeals to Popes Boniface VIII and Clement V for aid in his mission to the Mohammedans were fruitless, as was a visit to Cyprus. After lecturing at Paris on Arabic metaphysics for a time, he was successful in getting to Bougie in Barbary in 1306 but was again imprisoned and deported. He continued his appeals for aid to the Pope and to the Council Vienne in 1311 but with no success, resumed lecturing at Paris , and again return to Bougie in 1315. This time he was stoned and left for dead but was rescued by the Genoese sailors and died on board ship near Majorca on September 29th.

Ramon Llull's literary activity was inspired in his missionary purposes and in the educational efforts, both subject that were reflected in a work with more than 270 treatises (many in Arabic) on philosophy, music, navigation, law, astronomy, mathematics and theology. He also wrote mystical poetry of the highest order and is considered the forerunner of Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross; "Blanquerna" is the first novel written in Catalan. His cult was confirmed in 1858 by Pope Pius IX. His feast day is June 30th.

Ramon Llull's style achieved a place of honour in the history of medieval Spanish literature. His principles were spread with a great influence by his followers -known as "lulistas"-, the universities of Barcelona and Valencia founded various chairs in order to disseminate the "Doctor Illuminatus"'s doctrines and in 1901 the "Luliana Magazine" came out in Barcelona, a publication dedicated to the spreading Ramon Llull's philosophy.

For specific information on each federated institution, you can consult the following websites:

ADMISSION PROCEDURES

How to apply to the Ramon Llull University:

THE MAIN REGULATIONS OF THE UNIVERSITY

	In the current Spanish education system the duration of courses is measured in teaching hours. 1 spanish theoretical credit is equal to 10 course hours. Due to a different amount of student dedication for each course hour, not all semesters have the same number of Spanish credits.
	In addition, according to the Spanish law, each curriculum needs to fulfil all the requirements established in the Official Bulletin of the State (BOE) which sets the Spanish credits for the lectures of the common part of the course and their names and contents. Nevertheless, each degree has a certain number of credits of “free configuration”, “optional selection” and “fixed by the university” through which we define the character of our studies.
	In this restricted context the Ramon Llull University maintains the old Spanish credit system because is the only way that its studies are valid in Spain, but at the same time it is working with the ECTS system. That is the reason why we indicate both figures in all our courses. The same reason mentioned above is the reason for which the relation between the number of Spanish credits and ETCS credits is not the same. Its variation is due to a difference in the real student’s workload.
	As is generally accepted, each faculty used different procedures to define the number of ECTS credits, but all of them had taken into consideration the student’s workload. The procedures used by the faculties are shared in an “ad hoc” commission that works at the highest level. Some faculties have been studying the implementation of ECTS credits for more than 2 years, others started by defining the competences of a degree and have built up the whole courses, module by module, showing the learning outcomes of each course unit.

ECTS Key features

What is a credit system?

A credit system is a systematic way of describing an educational programme by attaching credits to its components. The definition of credits in higher education systems may be based on different parameters, such as student workload, learning outcomes and contact hours.

What is ECTS?

The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System is a student-centred system based on the student workload required to achieve the objectives of a programme, objectives preferably specified in terms of the learning outcomes and competences to be acquired.

How did ECTS develop?

ECTS was introduced in 1989, within the framework of Erasmus, now part of the Socrates programme. ECTS is the only credit system which has been successfully tested and used across Europe . ECTS was set up initially for credit transfer. The system facilitated the recognition of periods of study abroad and thus enhanced the quality and volume of student mobility in Europe . Recently ECTS is developing into an accumulation system to be implemented at institutional, regional, national and European level. This is one of the key objectives of the Bologna Declaration of June 1999.


Why introduce ECTS?

ECTS makes study programmes easy to read and compare for all students, local and foreign. ECTS facilitates mobility and academic recognition. ECTS helps universities to organise and revise their study programmes. ECTS can be used across a variety of programmes and modes of delivery. ECTS makes European higher education more attractive for students from other continents.


Wat are the key features of ECTS?

ECTS is based on the principle that 60 credits measure the workload of a full-time student during one academic year. The student workload of a full-time study programme in Europe amounts in most cases to around 1500-1800 hours per year and in those cases one credit stands for around 25 to 30 working hours.

•  Credits in ECTS can only be obtained after successful completion of the work required and appropriate assessment of the learning outcomes achieved. Learning outcomes are sets of competences, expressing what the student will know, understand or be able to do after completion of a process of learning, long or short.

•  Student workload in ECTS consists of the time required to complete all planned learning activities such as attending lectures, seminars, independent and private study, preparation of projects, examinations, and so forth.

•  Credits are allocated to all educational components of a study programme (such as modules, courses, placements, dissertation work, etc.) and reflect the amount of work each component requires to achieve its specific objectives or learning outcomes in relation to the total amount of work necessary to complete a full year of study successfully.

•  The performance of the student is documented by a local/national grade. It is good practice to add an ECTS grade, in particular in case of credit transfer. The ECTS grading scale ranks the students on a statistical basis. Therefore, statistical data on student performance is a prerequisite for applying the ECTS grading system. Grades are assigned among students with a pass grade as follows:

A Top 10%
B Top 25%
C Top 30%
D Top 25%
E Top 10%

A distinction is made between the grades FX and F that are used for unsuccessful students. FX means: “fail- some more work required to pass” and F means: “fail – considerable further work required”. The inclusion of failure rates in the Transcript of Records is optional.

What are the key documents of ECTS?

•  The regular Information Package/Course Catalogue of the institution to be published in two languages (or only in English for programmes taught in English) on the Web and/or in hard copy in one or more booklets. The Information Package/Course Catalogue must contain the items of the checklist including information for host students from abroad.

•  The Learning Agreement contains the list of courses to be taken with the ECTS credits which will be awarded for each course. This list must be agreed by the student and the responsible academic body of the institution concerned. In the case of credit transfer, the Learning Agreement has to be agreed by the student and the two institutions concerned before the student's departure and updated immediately when changes occur. Ç

• The Transcript of Records documents the performance of a student by showing the list of courses taken, the ECTS credits gained, local or national credits, if any, local grades and possibly ECTS grades awarded. In the case of credit transfer, the Transcript of Records has to be issued by the home institution for outgoing students before departure and by the host institution for incoming students at the end of their period of study.


How to obtain the ECTS Label

•  An ECTS label will be awarded to institutions which apply ECTS correctly in all first and second cycle degree programmes. The label will raise the profile of the institution as a transparent and reliable partner in European and international cooperation. The criteria for the label are: an Information Package/Course Catalogue (online or hard copy in one or more booklets) in two languages (or only in English for programmes taught in English), use of ECTS credits, samples of Learning Agreements, Transcripts of Records and proofs of academic recognition.

• An application form has been published.  The application deadline is Nov 1st, annually. The label will be valid for three academic years. The list of institutions inpossession of the label will be published on the Europa web site.

What is The Diploma Supplement?

The Diploma Supplement is a document attached to a higher education diploma providing a standardised description of the nature, level, context, content and status of the studies that were pursued and successfully completed by the graduate. The Diploma Supplement provides transparency and facilitates academic and professional recognition of qualifications (diplomas, degrees, certificates). A Diploma Supplement label will be awarded to institutions which deliver a Diploma Supplement, to all graduates in all first and second cycle degree programmes, in accordance with the structure and recommendations to be found on: http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/policies/rec_qual/recognition/diploma_en.html

ECTS INSTITUTIONAL COORDINATOR

Prof. Dr. Rosa Nomen
Vice-rector for Students and International Relations
Ramon Llull University
( rnomen@rectorat.url.edu · tel. +34 93 602 22 00)