The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) is launching the first edition of the postgraduate programme in Leadership and University Transformation, a pioneering initiative designed to equip management teams to guide academic institutions into the future. The 15-ECTS-credit programme (74 teaching hours) awards a UPC-issued diploma of expertise and will run from 20 January to September 2027. Applications are now open until all places are filled, with a 15% early bird discount available until 30 November.

This postgraduate programme arrives amidst unprecedented disruption driven by accelerating artificial intelligence (AI), global competition for talent and an urgent need to reinforce higher education’s social commitment. Universities have long ceased to be mere knowledge providers, evolving into central drivers of economic, technological and social transformation. However, managing their governance complexity alongside the interplay between tradition and innovation calls for a renewed management model. This raises a key question: how can highly complex institutions be transformed while preserving their identity and academic mission? To address this question and its emerging challenges, the new programme seeks to foster higher education transformation through innovation and societal impact. To achieve this, it equips governance teams, university service managers and professionals in educational policy, knowledge transfer and university-business relations to exercise effective, collaborative leadership capable of redesigning governance, driving digital transformation and strengthening ecosystem connections across business, government and society.

The programme is promoted by the UNESCO Chair of Higher Education Management (CUDU) under the academic direction of UPC professor Jasmina Berbegal, an expert in technology transfer, CUDU director and assistant vice-rector for University Policy.

Taught through the UPC School, it features an interdisciplinary teaching team that brings together leading figures in strategy, higher education management and institutional leadership, including Anna Fontcuberta, president of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne; Josep Pallarès, rector of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV); Xavier Marcet, president of Lead To Change and the BCN Drucker Society; Joan Manuel del Pozo, president of the Education Council of Catalonia; and Lluís F. Marsal, deputy vice-rector for Strategic Planning at the URV.

The faculty is further strengthened by governance, public policy and quality assurance specialists such as Martí Casadesús, former director of AQU Catalunya, and Carmen Pérez Esparrells, professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid. Additionally, the programme places special emphasis on digital transformation, AI and teaching innovation, featuring experts such as Carina Soledad González, professor at the University of La Laguna and vice-president of Publications at the IEEE Education Society; Albert Sangrà, professor of Education at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya; Faraón Llorens, AI expert at the University of Alacant; Antoni Hernández-Fernández, educational technology researcher at the UPC; and Núria Salan, UPC professor and vice-president of the Catalan Society of Technology.

A three-stage learning methodology: understand, experience and transform

The programme combines online flexibility with practical application and fieldwork conducted directly within each participant’s institutional ecosystem: 

•  Stage 1. Understand (online): Synchronous and asynchronous sessions (alternate Wednesdays, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.) analysing leadership, governance, digital transformation and global impact.
• Stage 2. Experience (on site in Barcelona): From 5 to 9 July 2027, participants will attend an immersive week in Barcelona, using the UPC as a living lab to engage with international experts and foster networking.
• Stage 3. Transform (Capstone Project): Participants will develop a mentored project implementing direct, immediate improvements within their home institution. An action-oriented initiative aligning strategy, execution and measurable impact