At academic level quality management has become a scientific discipline. As such, it is studied in business schools and universities around the world. There are numerous scientific journals specialised in this discipline as Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management and Quality Progress, and also researches related with quality management are published in prestigious generalist journals of management as Strategic Management Journal, Academy of Management Review and Journal of Management among others. Also it’s frequently studied in international conferences of management and business organisation.

From the perspective of social and economic impact, the increasing application of quality management by organisations of developed countries and with emerging economies has become one of the drivers of competitiveness. Also in Europe it has been spread not only in private companies but, in recent years, in sectors such as health services, universities and educative centres, as well as in public administration. The widest dissemination in the area of application of quality management gives us the first idea of the power and utility of this form of management and as a consequence of the existence of professional opportunities in this field, which is closely related with the existence of demand for the postgraduate studies that we are presenting here.

The spread of the application of quality management has been greatly facilitated and stimulated by the application of the reference standard known as ISO 9001. This model, designed to facilitate the implementation of a management system that facilitate continuous improvement and customer satisfaction, is becoming a requirement for organisations to participate in developed markets both at national and international level, especially when it comes to supply goods and services to other organisations.

On the other hand, in Europe stands out also the work done by the European Foundation for Quality Management that from the EFQM Excellence Model, have made this better known and its advanced approach of quality management widely applied. This approach incorporates a strategic perspective that highlights the importance of customer satisfaction, leadership, human resources and the improvement of processes and product design. The advantages that derive of its application are improvements in customer service, greater management capacity, more commitment of managers and employees, and greater emphasis on the importance of learning, essential for continuous improvement.

The model of total quality management proposed by the EFQM includes virtually the most relevant aspects of business management, and also allows to link quality management with innovative management, knowledge management and with the environmental and corporate social responsibility aspects. Precisely, these aspects are in the most advanced perspective of quality management.
In the Master’s that we are presenting we deal with this advanced perspective of quality management , that, without renouncing to the study and use of the most traditional tools integrates its strategic and organizational dimension, and its human, environmental aspects and its connections with innovation and knowledge.