Academic Year 2026-27

Specific requirements

Students must be in possession of an official University degree in a scientific or technological field corresponding to at least 180 ECTS credits (validated for European students or students from partner countries), in the fields of physics, engineering physics, telecommunications engineering, electrical, mechanical and electronic engineering and optics, or in a related field such as nanoscience and nanotechnology, nanophotonics and bioengineering.

Other qualifications (in chemistry, materials science, biology, etc.) may be considered by the admissions committee.

Admission criteria

Admission to the master’s degree in Photonics is evaluated by the Academic Commission in view of:

• Applicants’ academic records (academic performance as well as their scientific background).

The following aspects will also be considered:

• Recommendation letter from a person with a scientific or academic background in the field of optics/photonics or a related discipline, who has interacted with the student.
• Proof of scientific activity or professional experience in the field of optics/photonics (collaboration with established research groups, scientific publications and presentations at conferences, technologic experience).
• A personal interview with the admissions committee (if necessary).

Application procedure (on-line pre-registration)

To be admitted for academic year 2026-27 all applicants must pre-register through UPC university website:

Online pre-registration at UPC

Applicants should upload copies of the following documents:

• Curriculum Vitae.
• Motivation letter expressing your interest to enrol for the master’s degree in Photonics, and pointing out your level of English.
• Photocopy of the applicant's Spanish ID card (DNI), foreigner ID card (NIE), or passport.
• Original and photocopy (or certified photocopy) of the Bachelor of Science or Technological Degree diploma entitling the student to enrol in the master's degree or proof of the issuing fee payment. If you make the application before you graduate a certificate stating the expected graduation date would suffice for the evaluation process.

  For foreign diplomas: translation to English. If the qualification is not homologated, the original and a photocopy (or a certified photocopy) of the document issued by the awarding university or institution or by the competent authority for such matters in the issuing country. This document must show that the course in question had a duration of, at least, three years and that the resulting qualification entitles the holder to pursue postgraduate studies (master's degree courses) in the issuing country. If that is not possible, it must indicate the level of higher education that the qualification entitles its holder to access.

• Original and photocopy (or certified photocopy) of the academic certificate (transcript of records) (complete or partial) listing the subjects completed, the marks received and the number of credits/hours of each one. This certificate must also show the overall average mark earned by the applicant. In case you upload normal copies, you should keep in mind that for your final registration, in July-September (in case you are admitted), you will be requested to provide legalized documents.

For foreign diplomas: This certificate must also explain the marking system used.

• If the applicant holds any additional qualifications in the field of the master's degree other than the one that qualifies him or her to enrol, he or she must provide documentary evidence thereof (original and a photocopy or a certified photocopy).
• A letter of recommendation from one or two reference persons with a scientific or academic background in the field of optics/photonics or a related discipline, or at least the contacts (name, affiliation and e-mail address).
• Documents that can prove your English level: an official English certificate (recommended), accreditation of courses, seminars or summer schools you attended in English, short research or Erasmus mobility stays abroad, BSc project written and presented in English, etc.

As you will see in the pre-registration website, students must pay a pre-enrolment fee of 30€ and consider also other financial details such as advancement of part of the tuition fee, if the student wants admission to be guaranteed.

Further information about pre-enrolment (as well as FAQs and tutorial) can be found at:

https://telecos.upc.edu/ca/els-serveis/secretaria-oberta/acces/acces-a-masters

https://telecos.upc.edu/ca/els-serveis/secretaria-oberta/acces/faqs-masters-pre-enrolment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4592bsFkSI&feature=youtu.be

Alternatively, you can directly contact us through the 'Contact' Section or send a message to master.photonics@etsetb.upc.edu.

Please take into account that we cannot offer scholarships. We hope you can get a scholarship from some grant-awarding institution, maybe from your country (see 'Grants' Section for some help), which in general is not easy, or you can cover yourself your travel and living expenses as well as the tuition fees (it is expected these will be above 2000€).

Deadline for Application

June 15, 2026 is the deadline for pre-registration. You will be notified by e-mail of the outcome of your application as soon as possible, hopefully well before that date, after a meeting of the Selection commission. In case you need an advance notification (to apply for a Visa or a Grant, for example) please contact the master's coordinators (see 'Contact' Section).

Please note that the master is limited to 35 students. If there are places available, the admission process could be shortly re-open in September. If the online pre-registration procedure is closed, you should address directly to the master's coordinators (see 'Contact' Section), sending them all necessary information (CV, diploma, transcripts, motivation, letter,...).

Enrolment

September 3rd, 2026 (TBC) is the day for ON-LINE enrolment (you will receive detailed info by e-mail from the secretary of the Escola Tècnica Superior d'Enginyeria de Telecomunicació de Barcelona at UPC, Campus Nord, BCN).

The course program, with the master structure, modules and list of compulsory and elective courses for the academic year 2025-26 can be downloaded from:

• Course Program (for year 2025-26)

The timetable is:

• Timetable (timetable for year 2025-26, updated October 27, 2025)

Further information: please find objectives and contents of each specific course in:

• Curriculum (for year 2025-26)

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Master in Photonics is a program thougth on a face-to-face basis and held in-situ.

All courses and activities are carried out in English.

Nevertheless, you may take the opportunity of studying in Barcelona to learn Spanish or Catalan languages.

This can even result in ECTS credits for you, but these credits are outside the Course Program of the master’s degree (be it the master’s degree in Photonics or the Europhotonics), thus they cannot be accounted within the ECTS credits necessary to complete the master’s degree. These credits can be incorporated into your records in UPC, and if you do that they will appear in certificates you might request as well as in the “European Supplement” to the Degree Diploma. Usually a language course gives the student about 2-3 ECTS, depending on the courses.

The courses can be taken at any of the three universities participating in the master’s degree: UPC, UAB, and UB. Since UPC is the coordinating university, we suggest to try first in UPC.

At UPC, students can take language courses in the following places or centers:

Catalan language

In the "Terminology and Language Service" (Servei de Llengues i Terminologia) of UPC (Campus Nord). All the information is at http://www.upc.edu/slt/?set_language=en. It is free of cost for UPC students.

Spanish language

In the private center Merit School (which is also located within in Campus Nord of UPC). Information is at http://www.meritschool.com/home_english.html. It is NOT free. Only some part of the cost is waived for UPC students. There, they offer different kind of courses. You might even try to organize a group to take Spanish lectures there.

At UAB, please read about different options in website https://www.uab.cat/web/uab-languages-campus-en-1345811751797.html/

And at UB, the UB Language Service offers non-Catalan-speaking students a series of services and resources to facilitate their contact with Catalan, such as free Catalan language courses. Please visit www.ub.cat/sl/courses.

MASTER THESIS (TFM) INFORMATIONS

To obtain the master's degree students must complete a MSc Thesis Project of 16 ECTS. Students are expected to develop this project during the last semester and more intensively (full time) from April to July (1^st presentation session) or to September (2^nd presentation session).

We summarize below the most important aspects and steps of the whole process. 

Step 1: Selection of the MSc Thesis (TFM) Subject and Supervisor

1. Publication of MSc Thesis Proposals: Each November, the Master’s Degree in Photonics publishes on its official website a list of MSc Thesis (TFM) proposals submitted by the Programme’s partner institutions: UPC, UAB, UB, and ICFO. 

2. Available Proposals: List of proposals for the 2025–2026 academic year

3. Project Selection: Students must select a TFM proposal from the published list and contact the corresponding supervisor to obtain additional information on project content, expectations, and supervision availability. 

4. Supervision Requirements

• When the main supervisor belongs to one of the partner institutions, but is not a member of the Master’s Degree in Photonics academic staff an internal co-supervisor (professor of the Master’s in Photonics) must be chosen by the student or assigned by the Executive Committee.
• If the TFM is carried out at an external institution (e.g., company, research centre, or other non‑university entity), a collaboration agreement between the institution and the UPC must be formally established before the thesis work begins. Additionally, an internal co-supervisor (professor of the Master’s Degree in Photonics) must be appointed to ensure academic oversight and compliance with the Programme’s standards.

Step 2: Official MSc Thesis (TFM) proposal and enrolment

Once the student and the supervisor have agreed on the MSc Thesis project, the official TFM proposal and enrollment procedure must be completed as follows:

1. Submission of the Official TFM Proposal (Supervisor Action)

• The MSc Thesis is evaluated by a jury composed of three professors from the Master’s Degree in Photonics.
• Jury members are appointed by the Executive Committee.
• The supervisor cannot be part of the jury, but is expected to attend the oral presentation.
• During the evaluation process, the jury may request the supervisor’s opinion regarding the student’s work and the results obtained.

• The oral presentation must be delivered in English.
• The student has 20 minutes to present the thesis work.
• The jury will then conduct a 20‑minute question session.

3. Evaluation Criteria

• Relevance and difficulty of the subject and the inherent scientific or technical challenges involved.
• Quantity and quality of the work performed, including the student’s ability to obtain meaningful and well‑supported results.
• Quality, structure, and clarity of the written report, with particular emphasis on synthesis, coherence, and academic standards.
• Clarity and effectiveness of the oral presentation, including: introduction and contextualization of the topic, definition of objectives, description of the work carried out, clear presentation of results and conclusions
• Quality of responses to the jury’s questions, demonstrating understanding, critical analysis, and mastery of the subject matter.