The UIB adds a degree in Marine Sciences for the 2026-2027 academic year

The University of the Balearic Islands is expanding its academic offering in science-related degree programs.

The Minister for Education and Universities, Antoni Vera, and the rector of the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), Jaume Carot, presented today, Monday, March 30th, the new degree programs the university will offer next academic year. The new Marine Sciences degree and the double degree in Mathematics and Physics will be added to the academic offering for the 2026-2027 academic year, strengthening the Balearic university system’s commitment to scientific innovation, sustainability, and the training of highly qualified professionals. Also attending the presentation were the Director General for Universities, Research and Artistic Education, Sebastià Massanet, and the Vice-Rector for Academic Planning and Undergraduate Policy, Montserrat Rodríguez.

The Marine Sciences degree, which will offer 35 places in its first year, is designed to train professionals capable of studying, characterizing, modelling, and managing the marine and coastal environment in all its dimensions. The program brings together content from biology, geology, chemistry, physics, and technology in order to understand the processes that govern the oceans and address challenges related to sustainability, climate change, the impact of human activity, and ecosystem conservation.

With a strong practical component, the program combines fieldwork, laboratory practice, the use of oceanographic instrumentation, and numerical modelling techniques. Students will be able to specialize in Oceanography and Marine Exploration and Marine Environment Resources and Management, and will be prepared to work in areas such as applied oceanography, scientific research, environmental management, underwater robotics, outreach, or technical advisory work for public authorities and companies in the marine sector. The degree will last four academic years, and students will need to complete 240 ECTS credits in order to graduate.

The total cost of this degree will amount to €5,529,488.89 until 2030, the year in which the first graduating class will complete the program. After this first graduating class, the degree will cost €1,537,701.85 per year. The full cost of the degree will be covered by the Ministry of Education and Universities.

The second new program is the double degree in Mathematics and Physics. This combined qualification offers solid training in abstract thinking and the rigor inherent to mathematics, while also providing a deep understanding of the physical phenomena that underpin modern science and technology. Ten places are planned for the first year of this double degree.

Students will learn to apply mathematical and numerical methods to solve complex problems, interpret experimental and observational data, and compare theoretical results with scientific evidence, thereby developing a rigorous, flexible profile that is highly prepared for academic, technological, and professional environments.

Career opportunities include university and non-university teaching, research in national and international institutes, consultancy and quantitative analysis in sectors such as energy, emerging technologies, finance, health, or the environment, as well as specialist roles in data and modelling across many fields. This qualification will last five academic years, and students will need to complete a total of 354 ECTS credits in order to obtain it.

With these two new degree programs, the Ministry of Education and Universities and the University of the Balearic Islands continue to move forward in diversifying the academic offering and reaffirm their commitment to quality, specialization, and the creation of opportunities for the future of students and of the Balearic Islands as a whole.

The total cost of the double degree until 2031, the year of the first graduating class, will be €475,976.77. From 2031 onward, the annual cost will be €204,058.66. As with the Marine Sciences degree, the Ministry will assume the full cost of the qualification.

Looking ahead to the coming academic years, the shared roadmap between the Ministry of Education and Universities and the UIB foresees the continued expansion of the academic offering with new strategic degree programs. From the 2027-2028 academic year, the addition of a degree in Architecture and a degree in Mechanical Engineering, with a specialization in Naval Engineering, is planned, aimed at strengthening industrial innovation, urban quality, and the economic diversification of the territory.

Work is also underway on the rollout of a STEM degree for the training of teachers in science, technology, and mathematics, as well as a double degree in Catalan Language and English Language, designed to respond to demand for specialized professionals in the linguistic, educational, and cultural fields.

These degrees will complete a broader strategy aimed at diversifying and strengthening the Balearic university system in the coming years.