The College of Economic and Business of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra was established in the 1990-91 academic year. Last year marked its tenth anniversary. These ten years have seen a constant drive for academic excellence and a firm international focus. Among those leading this drive were the previous deans, Ramon Marimon, Xavier Calsamiglia and Andreu Mas-Colell. Nine sets of graduates have left the College in this period, and their incorporation into the working world has been highly successful. The College is headed by the dean, at present Guillem López Casasnovas, who works in collaboration with the vice-dean of Academic Affairs and the vice- dean of Economic and Institutional Relations, a head of general studies, a head of studies for specific degrees, and an academic secretary. Together, these constitute the dean's staff, who are assisted by the Faculty tutor, who liases with students, and also by the coordinator of exchanges with other universities, both in Spain and abroad. One of the governing bodies of the College is the advisory council. The main goal of the Council is to adapt the College's curriculum to the changing needs of society and to monitor the quality and success of our graduates. To achieve this goal, the Council is composed of well-known members of the academic community and economic practitioners (managers of corporations, policy makers and representatives of other economic institutions). The Council meets regularly and currently consists of 26 members representing leading corporations and private institutions such as Accenture, Agrolimen, Bankpyme, Banc de Sabadell, Bonpreu, Caixa de Manresa, Cuatrecasas, DKV Seguros, General de Valores y Cambios, Ercross, IOR Consulting, Mercado Oficial Español de Futuros Financieros, Reial Automòbil Club de Catalunya, Restaurant El Bulli, Price Waterhouse-Coopers.
The College offers two types of degrees or majors:
The academic year is organized on a three-term basis (similarly to American and British universities). Each term comprises ten weeks of class followed by an exam period. The first two academic years (first cycle) are made up of compulsory subjects. The following two years (second cycle) comprise mainly optional subjects. Following a standard procedure, the student can take four subjects per trimester, throughout the duration of his or her major.
The College has introduced new Organisational structures in its courses. A student can now obtain a double major in either Economics and Law or Business Management and Administration and Law, over a period of six years. Similarly, a certain number of students may obtain a second major (either Economics or Business Management and Administration) having already completed the first degree (Business Management and Administration or Economics). This option has an estimated overall duration of five years. Furthermore, an agreement with the School of International Trade, an associate college of UPF, enables its graduates to obtain the degree in Business Management and Administration. Business Sciences three-year degree graduates may also enter the College's programs in accordance with the general regulations governing Catalan universities.
Access to the College, via the University's Entrance Examination, has been in great demand over the years. The admission grades are the highest among Catalan universities, and from 1994-95 to the present have increased from 6.86 to 7.89 (out of 10) for Business Management and Administration and from 6.73 to 7.25 for Economics. Academic performance has also been markedly positive: the percentage of students graduating within the stipulated four-year period has been in the region of 70%, one of the highest rates in Spain.
The College encourages students to take courses in english. First cycle students may apply to take certain subjects in English. When students register in the second cycle, they are told in what language courses will be taught. Approximately, ten per cent of classes are taught in English. If a student desires, he or she can take up to two-thirds of the courses in English.
Every year the College organizes the "lliçó d'economia" where a well-known scholar (sometimes a Nobel Laureate in Economics) presents his/her leading contributions in Economics. Sanford J. Grossman, Reinhart Selten, James March, Allan Williams and Peter A. Diamond were the guest speakers of the last five events. Jointly with CREI, the College organizes the annual seminar entitled New Frontiers in Economic Policy.
The College is active within the Erasmus and Socrates European exchange programmes. Among the universities with which it organises exchanges are the Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelms University of Bonn (Germany), the University of Zürich (Switzerland), the University of Padua (Italy), the University of Toulouse (France), the New University of Lisbon (Portugal), the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium), the Linköping University (Sweden) and the University of Amsterdam (the Netherlands). Some sixty students from the College are currently studying abroad as part of these exchange programmes, and approximately fifty foreign students are taking classes here. Exchange agreements have also been established as part of the Seneca programme with other prestigious universities in Spain, including Carlos III University in Madrid, the University of Alicante, ICADE and the Public University of Navarra.
Starting in the 2002-2003 academic year the College will host up to 45 students from the USA every year, as part of an agreement signed with the Institute for International Studies in Chicago. The latter is an organisation representing the best American universities with the aim of enabling their students to undertake part of their studies in Europe. These students will follow the English language stream which is offered by our College.
The College actively cooperates with companies through work placement agreements. These involve student internships for periods of three months, extendible to six months. These agreements are drawn up in accordance with each individual student's academic performance and needs.
The College's buildings and facilities, at the UPF's Ciutadella campus, are new and designed with educational needs in mind. Students have access to modern Library facilities and study rooms. There are also computer rooms with Internet access via the "anella científica" or scientific ring, a fibre optic network linking the Catalan universities with the world network. Classrooms are equipped with the latest multimedia resources. A considerable proportion of teaching is supported by the Campus Global, a UPF intranet service facilitating both communication between teachers and students and access to course materials. The College's webpage can be consulted for further details.
Despite its relative youth, the College maintains close links with its alumni. These former students have a representative on the College Board.
The College participated in the cross-sectional evaluation process of the Catalan Schools of Economics and Business undertaken by the Agency for the Quality of the Catalan University System of the Catalonian government, and the results obtained were highly satisfactory.
The College also plays an active role in many of UPF's more general activities and programmes, examples being the Benvinguts ("Welcome") programme for first year students, the Aula de Cultura (weekly leisure and cultural activities), the Language Training Programme, the Academic and Career Guidance Service, and the Employment Service, used by both present and former students.