Official University Master's Degree in Physical Therapy for Persons with Chronic Pathologies, Aging or Disability

The Official University Master's degree in Physical Therapy for Persons with Chronic Pathologies, Aging or Disability, at URL, furthers knowledge of therapeutic exercise as a fundamental intervention of the physiotherapist. Knowledge of the physiological responses to exercise, multidimensional assessment of physical abilities, training methodologies adapted to different situations, are key aspects to taking a comprehensive approach that trains students to design and apply training programs and therapeutic exercise for the sick, people with a disability or the elderly.

The program includes external internships in specific sports and health settings that incorporate a physiotherapist specializing in therapeutic exercise (TE).

The master's degree aims to train physiotherapists in the knowledge and skills needed to plan and develop therapeutic models based on therapeutic physical activity specifically geared towards persons with chronic illnesses, disabilities or health issues relating to the aging process.

Basic:

• Possess and understand the knowledge that provides a background or opportunity to be original in the development and application of ideas, usually in a research context.
• The students should know how to apply the knowledge they acquire, and have the capacity to solve problems in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their area of study.
• The students should be capable of integrating knowledge and tackling the complexity of formulating judgments from incomplete or limited information, including reflections on social and ethical responsibility linked to the application of their knowledge judgments.
• The students should be capable of communicating their conclusions and knowledge and the reasons that support them to experts and non-experts clearly and without ambiguity.
• The students should possess the learning skills that enable them to pursue self-directed and autonomous learning.

General:

• Analyze, organize, and plan the activities of their professional field.
• Demonstrate ability and flexibility for problem-solving and effective decision-making in their field of work.
• Know how to evaluate, select, and draw conclusions from the scientific literature related to their fields of study.
• Develop self-learning skills and critical thinking in their field of work.
• Demonstrate the ability to work in a team, both at an interdisciplinary level and in an international context, through oral or written communication in various languages.
• Demonstrate skills in interpersonal relationships based on attention through to diversity and multiculturalism through ethical commitment in professional practice.
• Demonstrate the ability to generate and lead innovative ideas in their professional environment.
• Demonstrate ability to manage information and communication technologies (ICT) applied to their professional environment.
• Know the basic principles of clinical research methodology, its applicability, interpretation, and management of results for the development of research projects in the field of their professional environment.
• Demonstrate autonomy to formulate, plan, design and develop scientific or technological projects in their professional field for an improvement in their area of specialty.

Specific:

• Have developed sufficient autonomy to manage and develop physical therapy activity centers or units aimed at persons with chronic illnesses, disabilities and aging and their relationship with other health services.
• Acquire advanced knowledge of the sciences, models, techniques, and instruments on which the therapeutic physical activity is based, articulated, and developed.
• Acquire advanced knowledge to identify and assess the morphology, physiology, pathology, and behavior of persons with chronic illnesses, disabilities and aging.
• Know how to apply and integrate physical therapy activity methods, procedures, and actions as tools aimed at functional reeducation or recovery, as well as promoting and maintaining health in persons with chronic illnesses, disabilities and aging.
• Know how to apply and integrate knowledge to assess a patient's physical condition, with a fundamental consideration of physical aspects and, within an interdisciplinary framework, nutritional, psychological, and social factors, using internationally-recognized validation tools.
• Have acquired advanced knowledge to design, execute, direct, and coordinate therapeutic physical activity intervention plans based on scientific evidence, in accordance with criteria of adequacy, validity, and efficiency.
• Be able to predict and control the evolution of the results obtained with the treatment in relation to the objectives set.
• Know how to evaluate and select the appropriate scientific theory and precise methodology in the field of physical therapy to formulate judgments based on clinical experience and acquire skills to develop programs adapted to the needs of persons with chronic illnesses, disabilities and aging in the areas of health promotion, protection and recovery.

Students can pre-enroll online (by accessing Pre-enrollment | Blanquerna or the pre-enrollment option for each course). You can also pre-enroll in person at the School. During the process, the candidate must submit the required documentation:

• ID card, passport or NIE residence card.
• Resume.
• Certified photocopy of the qualification that gives the student access to the course or documentary proof that the relevant document has been requested.
• Copy of the official academic transcript with grades for the courses taken and the average mark of the qualification justifying admission.
• Letter of intent.
• Students with studies qualifying them for access completed outside Spain: certificate issued by the relevant body (university, embassy, consulate) confirming that the studies qualify the student to undertake master degree or graduate studies in the country of issue. Students who come from a foreign university must provide details of the grading system used at their university, as well as the aforementioned documentation, which must comply with the requirements for translation and legalization established in current regulations.
• Payment of €50 in terms of pre-registration fee. The amount of the application will only be returned in case of cancellation of the course by the center. The amount will be returned during the course in which pre-registration has been made, upon presentation of the corresponding receipt. Payment is by credit or debit card using a secure and confidential process.

When pre-enrollment has been completed, the candidate will be offered a date for an interview with the director and/or coordinator of the master degree, who will assess their suitability and resolve any doubts they may have about the course for which they are enrolling. For the selection of candidates the following will be taken into account:

• Personal interview
• Professional experience

Once the assessment is complete, the student will be informed of the result of the interview and how to enroll, if admitted.

Students who are admitted can choose between two options, depending on whether or not they already qualify for university admission:

1. Conditional enrollment: This option is available to students who have not yet obtained a bachelor degree and who want to study a master degree at the same time. For conditional enrollment the possibility of access is contemplated if the student has yet to pass the TFG and, at most, up to 9 additional ECTS credits to obtain the degree. The master degree thesis cannot be graded, and the master degree cannot, therefore, be awarded, until the student has completed the bachelor degree. The student must sign an application accepting the terms of conditional enrollment. An Official Academic Certificate (CAO) cannot be issued to students who are enrolled conditionally.
2. Definitive enrollment
   Enrollment is considered definitive when the student already meets the requirements for admission.

Enrollment is the final step in the procedure to access the master degree. Students will be informed individually of the enrollment date. When enrollment is complete, and the corresponding fee has been paid, the student will have secured a place. Course fees are paid in installments without any interest. When students enrol, they will have two business days to pay 50% of the total cost of the credits for which they have enrolled, by bank transfer or using a barcode at the bank; the remaining 50% is split into nine monthly installments, from October to June, payable by direct debit using the bank account indicated at the time of enrollment.

School alumni are given a 15% discount on the enrollment fee (non-cumulative discount). This discount will only apply to students who enroll full-time for all the credits required in the course. Prices are updated each academic year. Once enrollment is complete, the amount paid will not be refunded under any circumstances.​

• Instructions for sending the signed SEPA Document to Blanquerna.

Students must bring the following documentation with them when they enroll:

• ID (both sides). Foreign students: NIE (Foreign Identification Number) and Passport.
• Certified photocopy of the degree that gives access to the course or the receipt of the degree application.
• Original official academic certificate or certified copy showing the degree file.
• Current account number for direct debit (in case payments are made in installments).
• NUSS (Social Security Number). In application of Royal Decree Law 2/2023, it is mandatory to include in the Social Security System all students who carry out training or external academic internships included in the training programs. Therefore, it is essential that students have the NUSS to be able to do the internship. Foreign students must have a valid passport and process the NIE and when they have it, they must obtain their NUSS. The NIE can be requested at the Oficina Consular of the student's place of residence.
• Declaration of documentation linked to the External Internships, completed and signed electronically.
  

When a student enrolls, a contract for the provision of teaching services is formalized between the student and the Blanquerna Foundation, which is legally binding from the time of payment. Payment includes the corresponding insurance and, for students under the age of twenty-eight, compulsory academic insurance. If a student declines to take up a place, he/she will lose in full any amount he/she has paid.

The student accepts the rules for the use of computer services established by the Blanquerna Foundation. The student's personal data will be included in an automated file under the responsibility of the Blanquerna Foundation, so that this contract can be maintained and fulfilled. Students should note that their data may also be used to inform them about the future activities of the Foundation, or for the institution to send them publications.

In accordance with the provisions of Organic Law 15/1999 on the protection of personal data, students have the right to access their data to update, rectify or cancel them, or object to their use, by sending a letter, indicating which right they want to exercise.

This section is a summary of the general conditions for enrollment. It is only for guidance and therefore has no contractual value. In the event of any discrepancy, the provisions of the general conditions for enrollment specified in the receipt generated at the time of enrollment will prevail; this receipt formalizes the contract between the student and the Blanquerna Foundation; students can consult it on the intranet whenever they wish.

The School reserves the right to ask candidates with qualifications obtained outside the EHEA for a letter from their university, embassy or consulate to certify that their studies qualify them to pursue a master degree or graduate studies.

Students are responsible for having all the official documentation necessary for their stay in Spain while studying at the School. Applicants can ask for a pre-acceptance document attached to the pre-enrollment receipt to initiate applications for visas or scholarships or carry out any other administrative procedure. Under no circumstances does this document guarantee a place if all the access and admission requirements are not met.

Once applicants have been accepted and enrollment is complete, they can request a letter of admission from the Academic Secretary, if required, by paying the corresponding fee.

The Master's Dissertation is prepared and presented during the academic year in which the student is enrolled in the Official University Master's Degree in Physical Therapy for Persons with Chronic Pathologies, Aging or Disability.

Guidelines and typology

The project will be developed individually, under the supervision of an advisor specializing in therapeutic exercise and in settings related to therapeutic exercise.

The master's dissertation advisor will sign off on the viability of the project and the suitability for presentation. This project will be publicly defended before an assessment panel made up of advisors or faculty members from the master's degree program.

The student will have fifteen minutes to defend the project. Students must prioritize the aspects of their work that they consider most relevant and summarize them clearly, precisely, and completely. Once the arguments are presented, the student will have to respond to observations, comments, and questions from the panel. The defense is estimated to last 45 minutes. The assessment criteria for the master's dissertation are concerned with the competences consolidated during the preparation process, the final written document and the defense of the dissertation itself. The final grade will thus be the result of various partial assessments.

The final grade for the project will be issued by the assessment panel in accordance with the assessment system specified in the curriculum.

- Regulations for the presentation and defense of the master's dissertation.

Report

• Report on the Official University Master's Degree in Physical Therapy for Persons with Chronic Pathologies, Aging or Disability

Information from the Registry of Universities, Centers and Degrees (RUCT)

• Official University Master's degree in Physical Therapy for Persons with Chronic Pathologies, Aging or Disability

Reports by the Agency for the Quality of the University System of Catalonia (AQU Catalunya)

• Official University Master's degree in Physical Therapy for Persons with Chronic Pathologies, Aging or Disability

• 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 Center follow-up report
• 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 Center follow-up report

• Master's degree indicator table

Students and graduates

Faculty

PAS

• Accreditation self-report