This master’s programme is particularly suited to graduates in physics, physical engineering and similar degrees. Given the programme’s interdisciplinary nature, graduates from other disciplines linked to the areas covered by the programme may also apply.

Admission Requirements

Students interested in applying for a place on the master's programme need to submit their pre-registration application within the deadline for each academic year, as set by the UIB Centre for Postgraduate Studies (CEP).

The CEP will analyse and verify that applicants meet the admission requirements, i.e. their degree(s) grant them access to official master’s programmes in accordance with current regulations, and notify the applicants about its decision.

Admission Requirements and Criteria

Once an applicant’s right to admission for the official master’s course is verified, the CEP will pass on their application to the Master's Academic Commission for assessment and decision regarding admission. The CEP will then send applicants a notification of their admission with the dates for students to formally enrol on the programme.

In order to issue the master’s admission decision, the Academic Commission will take into account the following admission requirements and criteria:

Requirements

As English is used throughout the training, and taking the regulations on English language skills in degree programmes as a basis, master’s students must fulfil one of the following requirements:

e) Having passed a specific subject in English on their undergraduate curriculum f) Having passed an English exam g) Submitting accreditation recognised by the UIB proving that they have obtained a minimum B2 level of English in accordance with the CEFR h) Having passed at least 12 ECTS credits from subjects taught in English on a degree curriculum or mobility programme.

Criteria

Admission applications for the Master’s Degree in Physics of Complex Systems will be assessed by the programme committee called by the master’s coordinator and comprising the lecturers who are involved in and teach on programme subjects, performing the relevant procedures in line with current regulations. The programme committee shall meet to assess applications, in line with the established requirements and additional criteria set out below. Where the number of applicants exceeds available places, the programme committee will establish a list of alternates in order of merit, with a view to covering any possible withdrawal by any of the initially selected candidates.

The following criteria shall be considered in assessing the merits of candidates seeking admission to the programme, in addition to the corresponding accreditation of their skills related to this master’s programme:

• The academic record/transcript for previous studies
• Professional experience
• A mission statement setting out candidates’ personal motivation and the reasons behind their application for the master’s programme.

The academic record/transcript and professional experience will have a joint weighting of no less than 70%.

Candidates must submit the required and, where applicable, duly accredited documentation, in accordance with what is set by the admissions body.

The Master’s Degree in Physics of Complex Systems aims for students to acquire advanced, specialised and multidisciplinary training geared towards the different fields where complex systems play an important role, learning how they are used and applying methods inherent to physics. This knowledge and training, alongside the opportunity to take introductory and research support subjects, aim to place students in the ideal position to apply the knowledge acquired in scientific activities, and thus introduce them to research tasks.

The master’s programme is mainly aimed at students who wish to undertake a PhD in the field of physics of complex systems. Nonetheless, although there is no specific career focus, some of the techniques and subjects taught are useful for certain professional settings, such as IT, electronics and telecommunication companies, the financial, energy, environmental and tourism sectors, and pharmaceutical and health science firms. This relevance may be particularly attractive to firms with R&D&i departments.

The Master’s Degree in Physics of Complex Systems comprises 60 ECTS credits and is geared towards research. The subjects on the curriculum are grouped into two modules with a view to supporting skill acquisition and syllabus coherence. The general distribution of the ECTS credits across the different modules and subjects is set out below.

1. Structural Module

This module comprises fundamental subjects to provide current training and comprehension, at core research level, within the field of complex systems. In turn, it provides students with the core practical tools to undertake a research career in any area linked to complex systems.

It comprises the programme’s mandatory subjects that students must take to be awarded the degree:

• Simulation Methods (six credits)
• Cooperative and Critical Phenomena (six credits)
• Dynamical Systems, Chaos and Patterns (six credits)
• Stochastic Processes (three credits)
• Complex Networks (three credits)
• Complex Quantum Systems (three credits)
• Introduction to Data Analysis and Machine Learning (three credits)
• Information Theory (three credits).

2. Specific Module

The main aim of this module is to cover specific content sufficiently in-depth (mainly theory) on the research areas at the Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Physics and Complex Systems IFISC (UIB-CSIC), with a view to enabling students to undertake a future PhD thesis in the field of complex systems on the PhD in Physics programme at the University of the Balearic Islands. It comprises the programme’s elective subjects worth a total of 51 credits. Students must pass 15 credits from the following subjects:

• Non Equilibrium Collective Phenomena (three credits)
• Spatiotemporal Dynamics (three credits)
• Systems Biology (three credits)
• Statistical Biophysics (three credits)
• Modelling and Dynamics of Neural Systems (three credits)
• Complex Photonics (six credits)
• Open Quantum Systems (three credits)
• Computational Social Science (six credits)
• Collective Quantum Phenomena (three credits)
• Quantum Information (three credits)
• Nonlinear Phenomena in Fluid Flows and the Climate (three credits)
• Advanced Complex Networks (three credits)
• Ecology and Population Dynamics (three credits)
• Modelling based on Complex Systems in Economics (three credits)
• Data Analysis and Machine Learning Applications (three credits).

To round out the set of elective subjects (15 credits), students may take up to six ECTS credits from subjects on similar master’s programmes at the UIB.

Students who are interested in this option must submit an application to the master’s coordination team during the enrolment or extended enrolment period, stating the subject and master’s programme name, as well as their academic reasons for the suitability of this subject with regard to the others that they will take. The Academic Commission will assess each case, considering the submitted reasons, and notify students about its decision. In any event, place availability should be taken into account.

3. Master’s Thesis Module (12 credits) This module comprises writing and publicly presenting a development, research or innovation project linked to complex systems.

The master’s programme ends with the submission and public defence of the master’s thesis. This will take place after all other required subjects have been passed to attain the degree.

Dr. David Sánchez Martín

Further information on the credit transfer and recognition system, regulations and procedure