| Open University of Catalonia | |
| Native Name: | Universitat Oberta de Catalunya |
| Established: | 6 October 1994 |
| Coor: | 41.4148°N 2.1336°W |
| Academic Staff: | 7,196 (2022) |
| Administrative Staff: | 870 |
| Budget: | 161 M€ (2023) |
| Rector: | Àngels Fitó |
| Campus: | Virtual |
| City: | Barcelona |
| State: | Catalonia |
| Country: | Spain |
| Students: | 104,501[1] |
| Affiliations: | Xarxa Vives d'Universitats Associació Catalana d'Universitats Públiques (ACUP) European University Association |
| Website: | www.uoc.edu |
The Open University of Catalonia (Catalan; Valencian: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, UOC; in Catalan; Valencian pronounced as /uniβəɾsiˈtat uˈβɛɾtə ðə kətəˈluɲə/) is a private[2] open university[3] based in Barcelona, Spain.
The UOC offers graduate and postgraduate programs in Catalan, Spanish and English in fields such as Psychology, Computer Science, Education sciences, Information and Knowledge Society, and Economics. Also, an Information and Knowledge Society Doctoral Program is available that explores research fields such as e-law, e-learning, network society, education, and online communities. It has support centers in a number of cities in Spain, Andorra, Mexico and Colombia.[4]
The UOC was created in 1994 following a by the Parliament of Catalonia, by which the Government of the Generalitat of Catalonia was urged to adopt the relevant measures to consolidate a teaching distance learning system.[5] It was constituted through a public deed on October 6, 1994, adopting the legal form of a foundation, the Fundació per la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.[6] At the same time, the UOC was recognized through the Law of the Parliament of Catalonia 3/1995, of April 6, recognizing it as a member of the catalan universities system.[7]
It was born with the mission of offering lifelong learning, of encouraging that every person who wants to improve their abilities and skills can access the university, and in this way to grow the educational level and skills of society in general.
UOC is governed by a Foundation (Fundació per a la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, FUOC). The administration, management and representation of the FUOC correspond to the following governing bodies: a Board of Trustees, a permanent commission, which acts as a permanent body in the administration and management of the Foundation; and the Advisory Council, which assists the Board of Trustees as a consultative or advisory body for the Foundation.[8]
As of 2023, there are 656 faculty and research staff, 208 of whom are full time researchers.[9]
| President | Term | |
|---|---|---|
| Gabriel Ferraté Pascual | 1995 — 2005 | |
| Imma Tubella Casadevall | 2005 — 2013 | |
| Josep A. Planell i Estany | 2013 — 2023 | |
| Àngels Fitó | 2023 — today |
As of 2023, the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya offers 28 bachelor's programs, 53 master's programs and 8 doctoral degrees. Until the 2021–2022 academic year, UOC granted 104.501 graduate degrees of students from 138 countries.
The UOC's course offering is divided into these Faculties:[10]
The UOC focuses its research activity on the interaction between technology and the human and social sciences. It has two research centers—the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3) and the eHealth Center (eHC)—, a research program in e-learning and seven studies with research sub-divisions. It also has a Doctoral School, with more than 350 predoctoral researchers.
In 2019 UOC signed the DORA Declaration. In 2023, a new interdisciplinary research and innovation space was inaugurated- located in the Can Jaumandreu complex.
Among overall rankings, Times Higher Education ranks UOC as the Number 1 online university in ibero-america, in the Top 175 among the world's youngest universities and in the Top 10 of Spanish universities. The Shanghai Ranking of World Universities defines UOC among the 200 best universities in Communication and among the 500 best universities in Education. The university adheres to the standards set by the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).[11]
UOC promote the following publications:
The UOC makes O2, their institutional repository, available to provide open access to digital publications produced by the UOC community in the course of its research, teaching and management activities.
The Open University of Catalonia had total cumulative graduates of 85,700 as of academic year 2019-2020.[12]