Frequently Asked Questions

Admissions for the 2026-2027 academic year are open until May 31, 2026. Students are advised to apply early on.

Yes. This is an indispensable document. Please read the formal requirements of the bachelor’s degree here.

No. The official Bachelor's degree is an indispensable document to get accepted into the master's by UAB.

You can apply to the program through the UAB platform (more information here). You will be required to attach the following documents in PDF format:

Currículum Vitae - CV with 2 contacts for references
University Degree Title (1)- Official Bachelor's certificate
Letter of motivation- Including your personal, professional and activist experience in PE, Degrowth & EJ (max 2 pages)
Certificate (2) - English proficiency certificate, this self-assessment is sufficient, as a native speaker any university certificate works
DNI / Passport/ NIE - Photo of the front and back of the first page of your passport/ national document

Optionally, you can add Bacherlor's transcripts, Master's certificates, certificates of other qualifications etc.

English proficiency is required because all classes are taught in English and students must be able to participate in the lectures and activities in this language.

For non-native speakers there will be proof of English required. Please take this self assesment test and include the result in your application: https://www.efset.org/?. 

For native speakers, please upload any school or university certificate to proof your English proficiency.

All backgrounds are welcome to apply.

Every year we strive to offer up to two full scholarships (or 4 half scholarships) covering the tuition fee. The criteria to assign the scholarships are the following:

Be an activist
Affected by a socio-environmental conflict
People from low-middle income countries will be prioritized

In order to apply for a scholarship, you must mention this in your motivation letter and send us a separate email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. including:

2 letters of reference confirming you meet one or all the requirements referred to above and the need for a scholarship.

For the online master, we offer up to 4 half and 2 full scholarships. To apply, follow the same procedure as above in your appliaction for the online program. (1 refrence letter needed confirming the requirements and need is sufficient.) This means include in your motivation letter the reasons and criteria that make you a candidate. You can also email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with this petition.

The regular tuition fee is €3960.

There are no discounts or differences attending to nationality.

Only people that are certified as Alumni UAB Premium (people that have studied before at UAB and that have done the process to become Alumni Premium) have a discount on the total fee and can pay €3564.

This is not an option at the moment.

Yes, at the moment of enrollment you have to chose between Professional Skills and Research Skills. It will also be possible to enroll for the second module as an extracurricular. For the online master, there are no electives.

Make sure your documents have been uploaded correctly to UAB and you have received notice of receipt from the university. If you haven't received it, it is possible that your documents were not uploaded in the correct format, or you may have missed a step.

Acceptance will be communicated from our email address, along with payment instructions. Once you have received your acceptance, and completed payment you should perform final enrolment via UAB.

Please write to efp.academicaThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for all forms, platforms and processes that go through UAB websites. They will be able to refer you to the adequate UAB department. This includes issues with registration through the UAB platform.

You can contact the coordinator Jana Kenkel via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For the online master, you can contact Brenda Nistor via the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We plan to run the master 100% in-person in Barcelona. We do not provide help with accommodation. For the visa procedure, we provide a letter of admission/enrollment once you have been accepted into the program.

Here you can find the program of the current edition of the master: https://master.degrowth.org/studies/master-on-political-ecology#studies-program

An updated program for the 2026-2027 academic year will be made available in the summer of 2026.

The official starting date of the master’s is Oct 1st, 2026.

Taught classes end in June.

In order to finish the master’s in one year , you have to present your final master’s work. There are two calls. The first call is in September which means you do your final project over summer.

There is also the option to ask for an extension which runs till March of the following year, which most students choose. In that case, the master runs for 1,5 years until March of the following year. 

There is no problem with doing another master at the same time. Just be aware that you have to attend classes and have enough time to perform well in both courses. Also, note that there will be no concessions or exceptions made due to the fact that you are studying for two master’s degrees.

Also we do not encourage full-time working and studying at the same time, although everyone's needs will be different.

Normally, classes are scheduled in the morning, between 10:30 and 13:30h, and afternoon between 15:00 and 18:00h. Weekly there are up to five classes, two or three hours long. Additionally, there are optional seminars.

For the online master, llmost all classes will be held on weekdays from 14:00 to 16:30 Barcelona time (CET or CEST depending on the month). This is to facilitate attendance across as many different time zones as possible. Exceptional circumstances might require changes but these will be communicated ahead of time. Please note that for the online masters, some classes will take place slightly earlier or later to accommodate professors in different time zones. The classes will also be recorded and made available to be viewed later. All of the classes and extra sessions are held online. The program does not require a presence on the UAB campus at any stage.

More info in the FAQ section of the online master.

Our pedagogy is based on a combination of lecture-style, cooperative learning and hands-on experience. You will be asked to read and write academic texts and learn through field visits and engagement with grassroots initiatives focused on ecologically sound and socially fair transformative practices. Group work is meant to hone your teamwork skills and peer-to-peer competencies. therefore, students will be asked to develop most of their assignments collaboratively.

This page answers the question in detail: https://www.uab.cat/web/studies/graduate/what-are-the-differences-between-an-official-master-s-degree-and-a-uab-specific-master-s-degree-1345713249545.html

Our Master does not lead to a PhD.

It is a life-long learning program, a “Master Propio”, meaning a Master granted by our University. Within Spain (and most of Europe), “Master Propios” are recognized by the private sector, but do not make you eligible for entering a PhD program in Spain.

This might not be the case in other countries though where a master’s is not requirement for entering a PhD program.

You can learn more about the difference here.

Yes, you can contact Fundació Autònoma Solidària via https://www.uab.cat/fas/. The fundation is there to support that every person, independent of their disability or specific educational needs can access higher education with equality of opportunity and enjoy a full academic and social life and autonomy at university.

http://www.ejolt.org/2013/02/political-ecology/

http://www.greattransition.org/publication/the-degrowth-alternative

http://www.ejolt.org/2013/02/environmental-injustice/

Applications for the academic year 2026-2027 are open from May 1 to June 30, 2026.

The calendar for 2026 will be avilable at the beginning of July. 

Yes. This is an indispensable document. Please read the formal requirements of the bachelor’s degree here.

Almost all classes will be held on weekdays from 14:00 to 16:30 Barcelona time (CET or CEST depending on the month). This is to facilitate attendance across as many different time zones as possible. Exceptional circumstances might require changes but these will be communicated ahead of time. Please note that for the online masters, some classes will take place slightly earlier or later to accommodate professors in different time zones. The classes will also be recorded and made available to be viewed later. All of the classes and extra sessions are held online. The program does not require a presence on the UAB campus at any stage.

The standard time commitment for each ECTS is a maximum of 25 hours. For every 2.5 hours of class, one can expect to spend up to 7.5 hours on preparatory reading and assignments/evaluations (although depending on the individual this can take more or less time). Please note this carefully! Although many students complete the full-time or part-time master's whilst employed, we strongly encourage not doing the full-time master's whilst having a full-time job. Even doing the masters part-time and working full-time can be challenging. This is especially true for folks with other care responsibilities at home.

If you decide to take the masters part-time you will take 3 6ECTS modules (18ECTS total) in the first year and two 12ECTS plus one 3ECTS modules (27 ECTS total) in the second year. Please see the question above on “expected time commitment” to make an estimation of which option is best suited to your context. Please note that once you have enrolled it is not possible to switch between the two options except during extenuating circumstances.

Unfortunately, this is out of our hands. UAB requires a medical reason in order to do this, and the final decision is up to their discretion. We also strongly discourage people switching or dropping specific modules as this can be a complicated process and depending on when it’s done could result in your having to repay for the specific module.

An academic thesis or a final master's project (internship, applied final project) is required to be submitted to get the degree. The deadline for the thesis and the date of your defence is 6 months after the end of the last taught module. Throughout the program, you will be able to attend tutoring sessions. These are aimed at facilitating the learning process and guiding you towards the final master's thesis/project.

The type of evaluation will be decided by the module coordinator and the teachers of each module. It can range from essays, book reports, creative outputs, group presentations, etc. Emphasis placed on collaborative work and theses.

We offer two full scholarships and four ½ scholarships each year. Due to the high demand absolute priority for the scholarships is given to low-income candidates from the Global South. This type of master’s is known as the self-financed master's under the Spanish university system- which means that all the administrative costs and payment of teachers, as well as the budget for the scholarships are dependent on the student enrolment fees.

You can pay in up to two instalments if you are taking the masters full time, all payments have to be liquidated before the start date of the master in October. To do this you need to get the approval of coordination, and only in special circumstances.