Background and history of the MIM, now MUM

The thematic, administrative and management content of this Master’s degree is the result of several previous international meetings. First of all, there was a pioneering activity, the result of a seminar on migration held in Valencia (12–13 December 2003), where the idea of creating the MIM was conceived and proposed by professors Tassello, Bolzman and Villarroya. The first formal meeting regarding the creation of the MIM was held in Basel (Switzerland) from 18 to 20 August 2004. As a general objective, it had the joint decision-making of the present European and Latin American universities and research centres with regard to participation in the Erasmus Mundus European programme. To this end, the contents of the Master’s programme were decided collectively in order to allow full convergence of the different international degrees from the outset. It was also decided to sign collaboration agreements with the Universitat de València.

The second meeting was held in Valencia from 24 to 26 January 2005. During this meeting, the contents were further refined and some African universities joined the initiative. The third meeting took place at the University of Lille (France) from 14 to 16 March 2005. The objective was to get the corresponding universities of the consortium to sign the cooperation agreement. The fifth meeting, held in Neiva and Bogota (Colombia) from 1 to 5 April 2005, was aimed at getting the South Colombian University to sign the same the document and to commit itself to the creation of the same Master’s programme in the short term, after training a group of professors in the subject. 

The regulations governing the award of joint academic degrees in the European Economic Community (EEC) are in the process of convergence (2003 Berlin Ministerial Conference), which will make it possible to award a single European degree recognised by all the universities in the consortium. The text ‘Master Europeus’ will appear on the front of the diploma. It should be noted that students must spend at least three months studying an applied module (module 4) in one of the higher education institutions of the consortium other than their university of origin. Consequently, the universities of the consortium, by entering into a cooperation agreement, accept the issuance of a single multiple diploma that is valid in the countries of the consortium. Furthermore, they accept the convergence of the conditions of mobility of students, professors and researchers, as well as the qualifications of the modules. 

On 29 November 2005, the UV Governing Council granted approval for the International Master’s Degree in Migration. The Master’s degree was ratified by the Royal Decree 56/2005 of 21 January 2005. The proposal was granted a favourable report by the Valencian Commission for Accreditation and Quality Assessment (CVAEC) on 23 January 2006, and was subsequently authorised for implementation in accordance with Decree 44/2006 of 31 March of the Valencian Government Council (DOGV no. 5233 of 04/04/2006).

The International Master’s Degree in Migration was verified in 2009 and is listed as such in the Registry of Universities, Centres and Qualifications (RUCT) of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science. Consequently, this application for verification is based on sixteen editions of previous experience, which provide a process of analysis and continuous improvement that has contributed to improve this new proposal. 
 

Approval procedure for the new proposal for the International Master’s Degree in Migration 

The preparation of the new proposal for the International Master’s Degree in Migration was conducted within the UV’s protocol for the modification of study plans.

In accordance with the UV Governing Council Agreement (ACGUV) 163/2015 of 28 July 2015, the proposal for a new International Master’s Degree in Migration was initiated following the incorporation of two additional universities.

Thus, the verification report and the request for a feasibility report were duly prepared. 

The Curriculum Development Committee (CEPE) presented the verification report, which was approved by the Faculty Board of the Faculty of Psychology, which is responsible for the Master’s degree, on 16 November 2015. 

The Master’s curriculum included in the verification report was made available for public consultation from 14 October to 18 December 2015.

The Human Resources Service presented a favourable report on the viability of the proposed Master’s programme. The report indicated that the academic content of the Master’s could be adequately addressed with the existing teaching resources and was consistent with the curriculum outlined in the verification report. 

Both documents were submitted to the UV Governing Council for approval. The verification report and its curriculum were approved by the Governing Council on 2 February 2016 (ACGUV 7/2016).

The Master’s curriculum was developed using both internal and external consultation procedures.
 

Internal consultation procedures

The curriculum of the International Master’s Degree in Migration, as outlined in this report, represents a synthesis of the expertise accumulated over sixteen years of academic implementation.

Initially, the Universitat de València sought the input of professors from the faculties that constituted the internal Academic Advisory Committee. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the Master’s programme, the Advisory Committee comprised representatives from the fields of law, social education, pedagogy, economics, geography, medicine and psychology. 

Aspects related to sociology, social work and politics were consulted with professors from other universities within the consortium. As previously stated, experts from the various institutions within the consortium were involved in the project from the very beginning.

Since the first editions of the Master’s, an internal framework for quality assessment and proposals for improvement was implemented. Subsequently, module coordinators were elected, who convene annually with the participating professors to evaluate the academic year’s progress. The proposals are then submitted to the Academic Coordinating Committee, which considers them on an annual basis and assesses the quality reports. The Committee is also responsible for evaluating the outcomes of student, professors and administrative and service staff satisfaction surveys.

The modifications were reflected in a process of progressive adaptation to the demands of the labour market for graduates within the European Higher Education Area. The following issues were addressed:

• An annual review of the course contents was conducted with the objective of updating it and enhancing the professional and research profile of graduates.
• The assessment system and its suitability for the learning outcomes were evaluated.
• The role of contents in the acquisition of competencies was assessed. 
• The sequence of periods of external internships and the compulsory period of stay abroad were also evaluated.

The outcome of this process was presented to the CEPE, which drafted the report that incorporates the MUM’s curriculum. 

External consultation procedures

The Master’s Academic Committee consulted different external entities to ensure a better adaptation of the MUM to the labour market.

This resulted in the formulation of a curriculum that was agreed upon with the various social agents who are involved in the training process and which was directly related to the professional opportunities for graduates.

The following agents were consulted:

1. The Master’s programme was supported by the Professional Association of Social Educators from the beginning.
2. Throughout the different editions of the Master’s, the relationship with the associations and NGOs included in the list of collaborating centres has been improved.
3. At the regional level, we have the constant advice of the General Directorate for Integration, Cooperation and Social Inclusion of the Valencian Department of Social Welfare. This accredits our graduates as professionals in intercultural mediation. This profile was developed jointly.
4. In addition, advice was and continues to be provided by the Ibero-American Youth Organisation (OIJ), an international governmental institution which is part of our consortium and has a special section dedicated to the implementation and management of migration policies.

All of them were asked for information regarding the professional and research profile of migration specialists from the perspective of the institutions that require them.

This consultation process yielded the following results:

• A progressive adaptation and improvement of the Master’s courses.
• A better adaptation of the competencies and contents.
• A better adjustment of pre-professional internships to the desired work profile, both in terms of the competencies to be acquired and the number of hours and dedication of the student.

The recommendations of the Royal Decree 1393 of 2007, modified by Royal Decree 861/2010, and the guidelines outlined in the ANECA’s support guide for the preparation of verification reports of official university degrees (10/03/2021), were consistently taken into account. 

The Spanish Council of Universities approved the verification of the curriculum leading to the official International Master’s Degree in Migration (MUM) by the Universitat de València, the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (Paris), the Università della Calabria and the Université Catholique de Lille on 11 March 2024.