Master in Integrated Management: Prevention, Environment and Quality

Master’s Degree in Integrated Management: Prevention, Environment and Quality

Presentation

In the majority of national and international educational systems’ portfolio, concepts related to product design, services, references to the environment or other related to the security and work prevention have been traditionally omitted.

In this sense, education is essential to start long-term strategic planning actions that incorporate the integrated management in economic and/or production operations. Consequently, studying a postgraduate in integrated management gives a considerable added value to many job posts. So much so, that it has currently turned into an increasingly demanded requirement by job recruiters.

Therefore, there is no doubt that it is necessary to count on professionals that know and implement management systems based on internationally recognized standards within their companies. These knowledges are necessary and essential to optimize the existing resources, in order to obtain competitive advantages in the company and to positively redound in the community it is immersed into. In this sense, an integrated management system must lean on a holistic model that incorporates environmental, social, ethical, economic and services production criteria.

From a practical point of view, such model needs to be a management standards from a series of indicators and criteria for sustainability. Dispersion in the guidelines and the lack of unanimity from bodies such as the ISO, failing to release an integrated standard, has historically hindered the unification of systems, hence, it is not an extended practice. Notwithstanding that, the evolution of the different versions of the quality, environment and occupational risk prevention standards shows a convergent tendency towards a unique integrated system.

In this context, the Master in Integrated Management: Environment, Quality and Safety gathers the innovation and knowledge management fields as to train an especialist in Integrated Management.

The methodology suggested includes internships to learn basic and specialized knowledge, which means an approach to the society needs, hence boosting the scientific interest, which may be disseminated and linked to the research activity that is associated with the PhD studies.

Learning Results

Thrioughout the Master’s Degree in Integrated Management: Environment, Quality and Safety, students will have to develop the following competencies:

  • Identifying those processes relevant to each one of the independent management systems and defining a necessary system of indicators for contributing to the organization’s effectiveness and efficiency, on the one hand, and on the other, to to quantify the results of an integrated management system.
  • Developing the supporting documentation for the integrated management system (procedures, operational practices, records, etc.), taking into consideration the integration of the procedures, and the common and specific requirements regarding other systems.
  • Identifying the most appropriate purifying technique (physical-chemical or biological) depending on the characteristics of the influencing residual agent and propose alternatives based on reducing pollution, recycling and good practices.
  • Evaluating the possible paths for chemical and industrial waste recovery in general, with an emphasis on those intended for the manufacture of lightweight and dense materials for construction, depending on their environmental, technical and economic viability.
  • Differentiating the control procedures, follow-up and analysis of gaseous pollutants and particles within the legislative framework in effect, explaining the emission factors and climatic condition that cause their dispersion in the atmosphere by using mathematical models.
  • Explaining the particularities of a soil from its physical-chemical properties and ion exchange processes taking place, and that determine its classification.
  • Reasoning the treatment and most suitable corrective technique to return the soil to its original state based on the characteristics of a particular contamination episode.
  • Designing, implementing and maintaining an environmental management system based on the ISO 14001 Standard and carry out internal audits according to the ISO 19011 Standard to verify its effectiveness.
  • Designing, implementing and maintaining an environmental management system based on the ISO 9001 Standard and carry out internal audits according to the ISO 19011 Standard to verify its effectiveness.
  • Prevention planning, related to reducing occupational risks in specific activities: gas and pressure vessels management, machines and electricity use, welding, hazardous and dangerous waste, storage operations in general, among others.
  • Prevention planning ability related to identifying, assessing and controlling environmental factors, in order to reduce the risk of work-related diseases in specific activities: measuring, analyzing and manipulating chemical and biological agents, noise and vibrations control, radiations, etc.
  • Analyzing the factors that may influence the physical workload by identifying the effects of an inadequate physical workload, and subsequently proposing preventive actions.
  • Analyzing those factors that may influence the mental workload by identifying the effects of an inadequate mental workload (physiological, psychological and behavior alterations) and subsequently proposing preventive actions.
  • Designing, implementing and maintaining a prevention management system based on the OHSAS 18001 Standard which makes possible creating and maintaining a culture of prevention that avoids work-related accidents and diseases.
  • Identifying and relating the common dimensions and variables that affect standards ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 when being integrated into a single document.
  • Relating the main models of integrated management based on management by processes and interpreting its instrumentalized implementation methodology in standards.
  • Interpreting the main models of excellence in quality as references for developing improvement plans within the organization, and differentiating the certification’s self-assessment based the existing norms or standards.
  • Relating the 8 principles of quality management with the requirements of the ISO 9001 standard.
  • Explaining the importance of the approach by process when planning a quality and/or environmental management system, as well as during the audit plan based on ISO 19011.
  • Differentiating between documents and registers, and assessing whether the documentation complies with the requirements of the ISO 9001 standard.
  • Differentiating between the auditing scopes for the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards, pointing out the different methods for collecting objective evidence during the diagnostic phase.
  • Assessing the importance of knowing the legislative framework affecting the activity when selecting and defining the roles and competencies of the auditing team.
  • Planning the certification process for a company and identifying the most commons features and problems for receiving a certification, such as quality, environmental and/or occupational risk prevention.
  • Identifying and interpreting the applicable law and technical regulations regarding occupational safety and health.
  • Planning an internal audit as a key element in the decision-making process within the framework law for occupational risk prevention and OHSAS 18001.
  • Choosing the most suitable tools for optimizing and improving the processes and documenting them.
  • Planning the Integrated Management System for quality, risks prevention and the environment, based on recognized models and references in the field.

Graduate Profile

The multi-discipline training that the graduate receives allows him to work at any company from any sector and in a double side: as a technician and researcher.

Such duality makes that professionals from this field work for consultancy firms, implantation and follow-up of management system based on standards (quality, environment, occupational risk prevention, CSR, integrated...) and teaching, among other.

In this context, the fields of the graduate in Master’s Degree in Integrated Management: Safety, Environment are varied: industrial companies, construction companies and service-rendering companies with a high content in projects and/or operations, such as the transportation, commercial distribution, health or public administration companies.

Degree

Once the program is completed, the student will obtain the diploma MASTER IN INTEGRATION MANAGEMENT, ENVIRONMENT, QUALITY AND SAFETY issued by the European University of the Atlantic.

Study Programme

The Master in Integrated Management: Environment, Quality and Safety is organized in 72 credits distributed into the subjects, the external internship and a master’s degree final project. Estimated time for completion is three academic semesters.

SUBJECTS CREDITS NATURE
SEMESTER 1 Advanced management of industrial wastewater 4 MAND
Advanced management of industrial solid waste 3 MAND
Air pollution management. 3 MAND
Treatment of contaminated soil 3 MAND
Environmental management systems: ISO 14001 3 MAND
Quality management systems 3 MAND
La norma ISO 9001 5 MAND
Documentation management and auditing 4 MAND
SEMESTER 2 Job security 6 MAND
Workplace hygiene 6 MAND
Ergonomics 3 MAND
Applied psychosociology 3 MAND
OHSAS 18001 and auditing 3 MAND
Integrated management systems: quality, environment and prevention 3 MAND
Integration models 4 MAND
SEMESTER 3 INTERNSHIP
External internship		 6 El
FINAL PROJECT
Master’s Degree Final Project		 10 MFP
TOTAL 72 ETCS  

The Iberoamerican University Foundation (FUNIBER) offers financial aids for these master degrees.

Access Requirements

Student profile

For the proposed master’s degree, it will be specially assessed to be in possession of any of the studies included in the list below:

  • Graduates in Engineering (agricultural, industrial organization, electric, mining, forest) and Architecture or equivalent (Technical Engineering or Higher).
  • Graduates in Business Administration and Management.
  • Graduates in Social Sciences (Sociology, Psychology, etc.) or equivalent.
  • Graduates in Legal Sciences (Environmental Law) or equivalent (Graduates in Law and holding a “diplomado” degree).
  • University graduate of any qualification equivalent to the ones above, may they be future qualifications in the Spanish university system, may they be existing qualifications in the university systems in other countries.
  • University degree in any specialization accrediting to have received specific training in integrated management.
  • University degree in any specialty accrediting to have received specific training in integrated management for a long time.

Requirements to access to master’s degrees studies

According to what is established in artículo 16 del Real Decreto 1393/2007, as amended by the Real Decreto 861/2010, access to these studies will be granted for students who meet either of the following conditions:

  • Be in possession of an official Spanish university undergraduate or any another issued by a higher education institution of the European Higher Education Area, which qualifies in the issuing country for the access to Master's degree studies.
  • Those students that hold an undergraduate not belonging to the educational systems of the European Higher Education Area can access without the need for the accreditation of their degrees, after the University has verified that they have an equivalent level of education to the corresponding Spanish official university undergraduate studies, and that allows to access to postgraduate studies. Access by this via does not denote, in any case, the approval of the prior diploma held by the applicant, or its recognition for purposes other than entering the master’s degrees studies.
  • In the case of students with special educational needs arising from a disability, the need for possible curricular adaptations, itineraries or alternative studies.

Besides the legal requirements, the university requires, to access this degree, on the one hand:

Certifying basic knowledge, equivalent to a degree, in the master’s degrees own academic field, and quite particularly in these fields: sustainable development, water management, solid waste management, air pollution, occupational risk prevention, integrated management foundation and Corporate Social Responsibility.

These academic requirements for admission shall be credited by presenting academic documents that justify the completion of the corresponding degree (access requirement) in which subjects from areas of knowledge related to those cited above have been studied. The student will prove, by showing the study plan or the subjects’ programs, to have previous knowledge in these areas, otherwise, the student will prove to have completed continuous, permanent, complementary or postgraduate training at an expertise level, to demonstrate a previous knowledge in the areas above. Once these requirements are met, the admission process is done in two phases: preregistration and enrollment.

Preregistration and enrollment

Preregistration and place payment.

The admission process to the Master’s Degree begins with the submission, via postal service or courier company to the Postgraduate Admission Section the following documentation:

  • Completed Admission Application Form
  • Up-to-date resume
  • ID photocopy (only Spanish applicants), NIE or passport (only foreign applicants)
  • Academic record photocopy (finished studies or taking the last year of the studies)
  • Two color passport-sized photos.

To ease the admission process to the master’s degree the European University of the Atlantic allows the submission of the documentation via e-mail: Likewise, to formalize the admission process it is necessary to submit the required documentation via postal service or a courier company to the Postgraduate Admission Section.

Once the documentation is received, the Admissions Committee for Master’s Degrees made up by the Academic Planning head, the Admissions Department Management, the Master’s Degrees Academic Manager and two professors teaching at the Master’s Degree will check that the diploma enables the admission to the studies and will analyze the applications received in order to determine the applicants’ adequacy. In this admission phase, the following criteria will be considered:

  • Student’s academic record (80%)
  • Other merits linked to the diploma’s field (scholarships and prizes relates to the diploma, postgraduate studies in similar studies, professional experience related to the diploma) (20%)

The Master’s Degree Academic Committee reserves the right to interview the applicants, in case it deems so necessary as to complement the information stated in the submitted documentation. Once the applicants’ assessment and analysis has concluded, the Admissions Committee approves or rejects the application form.

The number of places is 90 per group for every academic year, as established in section 1 in this present document.

Once this phase is finished, the applicant is informed, via phone or e-mail, about the result of the admission process and the registration process, the documentation required, dully legalized if required by the nature of the documentation submitted, documents that have to be submitted to start the preregistration process/place reservation and then the enrollment.

Enrollment

Admitted students will be contacted by the Student Secretariat, who will indicate which documents must be submitted in order to formalize the enrollment to the degree program.

Enrollment via Internet: The self-enrollment service from the university’s web allows the admitted students to make all the academic, economic and administrative procedures, without having to go the university in person.

This Master’s Degree has more than one call per year. For more information about dates and deadlines, contact with the University’s Academic Secretariat.

Credit transfer and recognition

With the objective of making more effective the students’ mobility, “recognition” means the acceptance on the part of the European University of the Atlantic of the credits which, having been obtained in any official program, in this or another university, are valid for obtaining an official diploma.

The acknowledgment of credits must be requested by the student at the time of the enrollment. In exceptional cases, and with an explicit authorization, a different deadline from the one stated may be established and the student will have to pay for the academic fees established.

The credits obtained by the student included in the following list will be eligible for acknowledgment:

  • The credits obtained in university studies leading to other degrees, mentioned in artículo 34.1 of the Ley Orgánica 6/2001, December 21st, de Universidades, modified by the Ley Orgánica 4/2007, April 12th.
  • The experience and professional accredited experience if such experience is related to the competences inherent to the master’s degree. In this sense, those profiles defined for the master’s degree will be the general criterion.
  • The rest of credits may be acknowledged by the University taking into account the competences and knowledge associated with the subjects taken by the student and those foreseen in the study plan or that have a cross-cutting nature.

The maximum number of credits of the assumptions (a) and (b) shall not be greater than 15% of the total number of credits that constitute the study plan. The credits’ transfer also implies the inclusion, in the official academic documents, proof of each student’s studies, of the credits earned in previous official studies, in this or another University, which have not led to an official degree.

For more information about dates and deadlines, contact with the University’s Academic Secretariat.