Since its beginnings, La Salle Campus Barcelona-URL has been a pioneering force, creating innovative, disruptive programmes that provide the market with the professionals they need. Continuing with that tradition, this year, we have presented our new educational courses for the 2019-2020 academic year at the Barcelona Education Fair, incorporating three new three-year degrees, all in line with European standards. These undergraduate degrees include our Degree in Digital Arts, the Degree in Digital Interaction and Computer Techniques in the field of Multimedia and the Degree in Digital Business, Design and Innovation.
Technology, innovation, entrepreneurship and internationality are the basic cornerstones that define the DNA of La Salle Campus Barcelona-URL. Their goal is to train people who will go on to lead change in a global world. La Salle-URL is committed to innovation and technology, which is present both in the content of the degrees and in our methodology, where Learning by Challenge is promoted, meaning students learn through real challenges posed by real companies. Also, this 2018-2019 academic year, a new cross-cutting project of educational innovation has been put in place for the entire Campus based on the new pedagogical approach La Salle is employing across its entire educational system: The New Learning Context. In the first phase, new active learning methodologies will be promoted, backed up by a plan to digitalise learning processes. The final objective will be to work using transversal projects across different degrees at the universities.
The artists of the third millennium
The most important new feature of the 2019-2020 academic year is in the field of Digital Arts, Animation and VFX, with La Salle-URL inaugurating its new Undergraduate Degree in Digital Arts, training the artists of the third millennium. This degree explores the fundamentals of more traditional art while incorporating the foundations of digital creativity, along with the technologies and tools for these new creations. As such, students will receive training in classical artistic techniques as well as in the possibilities opened up by new technologies for creativity.
This area also includes the Degree in Animation & VFX, the first in Catalonia in this field, which is this year seeing its first graduates with 60 new specialised professionals arriving on the market.
A comprehensive experience in entrepreneurship and digital business
The university has also created the Degree in Digital Business, Design and Innovation, taught 100% in English, which provides students with the knowledge they need to begin their own start-up or prepare to manage teams that lead change and innovation in large companies. Throughout the process they will enjoy master mentoring and coaching sessions and take part in international placements and global exchange programmes to get to know other cultures and some of the most important commercial hubs in the world. All this is coupled , with an education based on real.life projects, using methodologies such as Design Thinking, Lean Start-up and Agile Development (SCRUM) so they can enter the business world with the ability to constantly adapt to the changes brought by the digital revolution.
La Salle-URL also stands out in entrepreneurship, both in terms of methodology and in terms of fostering an innovative spirit among all its students, as well as boasting the La Salle Technova Barcelona centre on campus, an innovation park with accelerator and incubator services that can help students collaborate and work directly with the companies set up there.
Multimedia at your fingertips
The other highlight was the new Degree in Digital Interaction and Computing Techniques that trains students to become professionals in multimedia product design. These students will develop a professional career as experts in communication and creation of interactive contents thanks to our training based on four blocks: the design of multimedia products, electrical engineering; programming and multimedia production, thus acquiring knowledge about development and programming of mobile and web applications; programming for communication with peripherals or for generating special effects; and interaction, which allows the user to communicate with the machine and enjoy experiences.
An answer to the modern needs of information technology
Last year, another 3 year degree was launched but in computer science, the Degree in Software Application Techniques. This new degree focuses on the methodological, technical and technological issues of computer science taking a highly practical approach, with international study tours in the first and second years and an optional semester on a global exchange programme in the third year. La Salle’s Degree in International Computer Engineering is the only degree programme in Barcelona that equips you with the skills and knowledge you need to meet the new international demands of the computer engineering sector and the global business world in general.
New Architecture Methodology
Finally, although not necessarily a new degree course, the university highlighted changes in the area of Architecture, with work to implement a project of structural and methodological improvements to courses in the field to adapt much more closely to the needs of architecture students. To this end, cross-disciplinary work across the whole La Salle-URL campus will be promoted, fostering joint work with other educational fields (Engineering, Management and Animation and Digital Arts). The so-called transversal campus aims to be a living laboratory, with the city of Barcelona as the ideal classroom, working with the talent of Barcelona's highest-level architects. Additionally, students will work on real projects, similar to the way they have worked on our stand this year at the Education Fair, which was designed by a group of architecture students from different years.