Frequently asked questions

ATTENTION: All the information you find in this section can be found on The Barcelona School of Civil Engineering’s website and the Academic Regulations.

1. What is the initial phase?

The initial phase is made up of the 60 credits from the first year of the degree you are taking. In the case of choosing the full-time modality, you will have to enroll in the full 60 credits, in the case of choosing the part-time modality, you will have to enroll in 36 credits (18 ECTS per semester).

1.1. How much time do I have to pass the initial phase? What if I can’t do it in time?

In the first year, you will have to pass a minimum of 12 credits otherwise, you will not be able to continue with your degree or any other with a common initial phase at UPC.

For full-time enrollment, the initial phase must be passed in two courses, for part-time enrollment you have 4 courses to pass the initial phase.

If you don’t pass in the time stated then you will not be able to continue the same studies at the center or any degree that has a common initial phase. As an exception, there are times when another year is added in the case that the student’s performance is good in the other subjects. To request this exceptional extra year, you will have to do it through our online administration (e-secretaria) attaching all the pertinent documentation using your student identification.

1.2. Can I enroll in 2nd-grade subjects without having passed all of the 1st grades?

To be able to enroll in 2nd-year subjects, you must have passed a minimum of 18 credits in the initial phase. You can enroll for up to 60 ECTS in total.

If you have a first-year subject with a grade of 4 or higher, you can choose between re-enrolling or waiting for compensation (further developed on point 3). In case of re-enrollment, the highest mark obtained will remain.

2. What is the non-initial phase (a.k.a. final phase)?

The final phase is made up of 60 credits from second-year, 60 credits from third-year, and 42 credits from 4th-year. It doesn’t include the Final Thesis nor the optional recognition credits (you will find more information in point 9 and point 11).

3. What is and how does subject compensation work?

If you have up to 12 credits with a grade equal to or greater than 4 and the average grade of your academic records is equal to or greater than 5, these 12 credits will be ‘compensated’, meaning that it will be as if you had passed them.

It is possible to make two compensations, the first during the initial phase and the second during the non-initial phase. You will have 12 credits to compensate for the first and another 12 credits to compensate for subjects from the other courses in the final phase.

As stated in point 1.2, if you have subjects with a grade equal to or higher than 4, you can choose whether to re-enroll or wait until the end of the curriculum block to be compensated. If you re-enroll in any of these subjects, the highest grade will always be the one to be reflected.

4. What are curricular assessments? How can I defend my situation in curricular assessments?

The curricular evaluation is the act/meeting in which the subjects of each phase are assessed definitively. It is at this point that it is decided that it will happen to the students that don’t meet all the conditions of permanence or compensation.

There are two curricular assessments, one for the initial phase and another for the non-initial phase. They usually occur at the end of the second semester. You will be able to request an extraordinary curricular evaluation- through e-secretaria- in the case of having passed all the subjects of the curriculum during the first semester.

During the act/meeting, the DAEC has two representatives with voice but without vote, the Center Delegate and another representative. If you find yourself in a situation that needs to be defended during the curricular assessments, you should contact us without hesitation via  daec.camins@upc.edu, in this way we will be able to defend you.

5. What are the prerequisites and corequisites?

When a subject has prerequisites it means that to be able to enroll, there are one or more subjects that the student must have previously passed.

One subject is a corequisite of another or others if they must be enrolled simultaneously.

You can consult the prerequisites and corequisites in the following link: ACADEMIC REGULATIONS SPECIFIC TO THE DEGREE STUDIES OF THE SCHOOL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING ACADEMIC YEAR 2020-2021 in section 2.2.8.

6. Can I change my registration during the course?

To modify your registration, you will have to consult the procedure calendar, which you can find at the following link: Calendars.

There are different periods in which you can modify your registration, keep in mind that not all periods allow monetary refunds when you unregister from a subject.

6.1. How can I do that? (Video)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GMXHSTZDKKrNLirEo6ROV9byc9_HERyT/view?usp=sharing

7. How can I view my file? (Video)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZgWvighDStYv_91lpEvDHEz4ga701xhT/view?usp=sharing

8. How can I accredit the languages I have a title for or that I am studying? (Video)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Xde5xjf7KEbitrLHVz8L8bz3G_lvzAj3/view?usp=sharing

8.1. Why is crediting your languages useful?

In order to obtain most of the degrees offered in the School of Civil Engineering, a third language must be accredited. On the other hand, those leaving through the Erasmus program will have to accredit languages, ​​not only due to many foreign universities requiring it as a part of the application process but also because they play an important role in the placement process.

If you take language courses while you are at university, you will also be able to recognize elective credits. Depending on the hours of the course, you can recognize up to 4 credits.

9. What are free choice credits?

In UPC official studies, credits can be recognized from activities (academic or not) that can be later used to obtain an official degree. Concerning undergraduate studies, UPC sets as a possibility for credit recognition a maximum of 6 elective ECTS for cultural activities, solidarity work, cooperation, and student representation and training in the framework of mobility. These activities must be done simultaneously with the studies.

9.1. How can I get them?

The UPC has a table of activities that are likely to be recognized during the course. You can consult them at the following link: Table of recognition of optional credits.

On the other hand, the School of Civil Engineers organizes some activities such as transport seminars and the explosives course with which can also be recognized as free choice credits. You can check them out here: Activities School of Civil Engineering.

During the academic year, we (the DAEC) organize Istram courses, AutoCAD courses, Revit courses, amongst others. With these courses, you can also recognize optional credits. Follow us on social media (@daec_upc on Instagram) and you’ll be up to date on all the activities we do!

10. How can I place requests at the online administration (e-Secretaria)? (Video)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Xix7QJIepFZ8Ly0teFf1CMTLvn3OkEH4/view?usp=sharing

11. What is the Final Thesis (TFG in Catalan)?

The TFG (or Final Thesis which translates into Treball de Fi de Grau) has three objectives:

  • To familiarize ourselves with projects as a tool to use in our future as part of the labour force and / or research.
  • To provide us with an overview of all the studies we have conducted.
  • To deepen skills such as decision making, technical document development, work planning, oral and written presentations…

All the information regarding the TFG can be found in the following link: Final Thesis 

11.1. How can I choose the Final Thesis?

There are 3 ways to choose the topic for your Final Thesis:

  • Consulting the topics proposed in the PORTAL CAMINS and talking to the teacher responsible for the chosen topic.
  • Proposing a topic yourself and contacting the teacher who could be the tutor of your Thesis.
  • Within the development of the framework of a mobility program.

The processes involved in enrolling, depositing, etc are thoroughly detailed here: https://camins.upc.edu/en/Studies/final-thesis?set_language=en 

11.2. How do you enroll?

Before enrolling, your tutor must register through the PORTAL CAMINS. Once you are registered, then you will be able to enroll.

To enroll in the Final Thesis you must have met the prerequisites and corequisites established by the School of Civil Engineers. The procedure is carried out through e-secretaria, as usual.

11.3. How can I deposit the Final Thesis?

You will find all the information on how to turn it in at the following link: https://camins.upc.edu/en/Studies/final-thesis?set_language=en 

The Final Thesis is deposited in a digital format. Delivery is done through the e-secretaria and ATENEA.

6 documents must be submitted:

  • 1 document that consists of academic work.
  • Up to 5 documents for the annexes.

11.4. What does the oral presentation consist of?

The Final Thesis presentation will be carried out publicly in front of the Thesis Tribunal which consists of 3 teachers from the School of Civil Engineers. It is a presentation of your work with a duration of 20 minutes, followed by a round of questions and comments by the court.

There are three calls to defend the Thesis. One in October, February, and July. You can consult the specific dates here:   

https://camins.upc.edu/en/Studies/final-thesis?set_language=en

11.5. In which languages ​​can I write the Final Thesis?

It can be written in Catalan, Spanish, or English. It can also be done in other languages, if that’s what you want to do the tutor must approve first.