The Master's Degree lasts one academic year (60 ECTS credits): 600 classroom hours, 900 additional hours of individual work: classroom (more than 300), practical lessons (92), in addition to conferences, seminars, visits to companies and the Master's Final Project (See section in the Syllabus).

Laboratory Practice: Institute of Polymer Science and Technology CSIC, Repsol, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (located in Madrid) and in the Taller de Inyección de Plásticos-TIIP (Plastics Injection Workshop) in Zaragoza. The practical content is as follows:

1. Seminars.
2. Experimental practice in the laboratory.
3. Virtual practice with simulation programs.

AF1.- Specialized distinguished conferences given by experts in the field.

AF2.- Practical visits to companies to get an "in situ" look at technology directly related to the subjects studied in the Master's Degree.

AF3.- Seminars to compliment practical aspects.

AF4.- Completing an End of Master's Project in the form of a standard international publication. Personalized tutorials.

AF5.- Creating a poster of the results of the End of Master's Project for each student, in the form of a mini-conference. Projects will be presented in CSIS panels.

AF6.- Study of the theoretical content of the subjects. Students will have access to information via the virtual classroom, reference books and resources available from the CSIS in electronic format and in the library.

AF7.- Study of the practical content of the subjects. This will be done using information available to the student via the virtual classroom and in the practical lessons books.

AF8.- Attending and participating in theoretical classes.

AF9.- Attending and completing practical exercises in CSIC laboratories and other entities and companies which participate in the Master's.

AF10.- Completing on-site experimental or bibliographical work in laboratories which corresponds to the End of Master's Project.

AF11.- Evaluation

MD1.- Discussion after conferences and seminars with the objective of improving practical teaching.

MD2.- Completing practical work in laboratories with a previous guide which allows better monitoring and understanding.

MD3.- Resolving practical cases of industrial interest with characterization techniques and polymer studies to complement studies.

MD4.- General and specific explanations will be given at all company visits about the type of industry and the manufactured product. This will be done at the beginning and continue throughout the entire visit. Students will ask concrete questions about what they are seeing.

MD5.- Tutoring and supervision for the completion of the End of Master's Project will be done by one or two professors from the Master's.

MD6.- Tutoring and teaching the informative Report and Poster about the results obtained in the End of Master's Project.

SE1.- Completing exams for each lesson.

SE2.- In some lessons a specific problem will be given to be solved (which can be done as a group) and turned in by a specific date to be graded and discussed.

SE3.- Evaluating the End of Master's Project presenting the results in the form of a poster. A poster exhibition will be held over the 3-4 days prior to the public defense.

SE4.- Evaluating the End of Master's Project public defense by a panel including three members belonging to the Institute of Polymer Science and Technology. Specifically, the Director of the Institute, the Academic Director for the Master's and the Activities Coordinator for the Master's or researchers from the Institute who are delegated.

The vast development and importance of the plastics industry in Spain (which comprises about 40% of the national chemical industry and 2.5% of the GDP) justifies the need for highly-skilled professionals in this field. The national industry needs a Master's Degree which, on one hand, provides adequate training in the disciplines related to the science and technology of polymer materials and on the other hand achieves:

• Training highly-qualified specialists in the science and technology of polymer materials which leads to obtaining highly-specialized professionals in this field.

• Obtaining professionals with solid knowledge of the basic processes which allow an efficient transfer of technology in the industrial sector to assure a future in which an industry based on resources can transform into an industry based on knowledge.

• Training experts who can improve competition in the Spanish and international plastic materials industries. This is vitally important today, keeping in mind that one of the major problems in the industrial structure is the loss of competition resulting from relocation problems. Thus, by providing a clear added value to existing materials and processes we can continue solidly developing the promising sector.

The academic and scientific relevance of the High Specialization Master's Degree in Plastics and Rubber is based on the ability to provide university graduates with fundamental and specific knowledge as well as skills which allow them to begin work in the field of applied research in lines coming from the areas of science and physical technologies, chemistry and new materials which are relevant to knowledge development.

Its professional relevance is based on the ability to provide university graduates with knowledge and skills which will allow them to begin a professional career in different specialties in the areas of technological development, management and the market, both in industrial and institutional sectors and in a complex and dynamic professional environment.

C1 - To provide students with the fundamental knowledge and tools necessary for applied research in topics related to polymer science and technology, with emphasis on the new challenges of the area and their determining influence on new technologies and new materials based on plastics and rubbers.

C2 - To provide students with the physicochemical and material science fundamentals underlying the production and transformation processes of plastics and rubbers, presenting the most recent research advances and an overview of the main challenges and barriers facing research and technological development of the different polymer materials.

C3 - Provide an understanding of the current situation and the main challenges in the generation, management and recycling of plastics and rubber materials, in order to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals related to environmental sustainability and circular economy.

C4 - Provide students with specialized training in the scientific and technical framework of materials based on plastics and rubbers, including the systematic understanding of this area of study and the mastery of related skills and research methods, so as to enable them to promote, in academic and professional contexts, technological, social and cultural advancement.

C5 - Demonstrate knowledge of the structure-properties relationship of the different families of polymers and their industrial grades.

C6 - Demonstrate knowledge of the structure-properties relationship of composite materials, their design possibilities, preparation, new processing methods and their applications.

C7 - Demonstrate knowledge of the methods and procedures of macromolecular chemistry for the synthesis of polymers, as well as the kinetic and the characterization and analysis aspects of polymer materials.

C8 - Demonstrate knowledge of the structural fundamentals and solid state physico-chemistry of polymers to correlate structure and properties.

C9 - Demonstrate knowledge of the technologies of production, transformation and recycling processes of polymers, in all its varieties of industrial processes and materials processing methods, covering both the technical aspects and their application in sustainable and innovative processes.

C10 - Demonstrate knowledge of the fundamentals and possibilities of reactive processing and additive manufacturing of polymers.

C11 - Know the parameters used to characterize a polymer, as well as the techniques used for this purpose.

C12 - Know the polymer transformation processes in the industry, mainly extrusion and injection/injection molding.

C13 - To have knowledge of rheology both in the context of analysis and characterization of polymers and processing.

C14 - Know the characteristics and particularities of elastomeric materials and their formulation.

H1 - Application of knowledge: demonstrate knowledge of the structural and application fundamentals of materials based on plastics and rubber, applying the knowledge acquired and their ability to solve problems in broad or multidisciplinary contexts related to their area of specialization.

H2 - Use the knowledge in rheology, extrusion and injection/injection molds in the study of their processing.

H3 - Demonstrate that he/she knows and can apply the knowledge related to Molecular Simulation in the characteristics of materials in relation to their applications.

H4 - Demonstrate and apply the knowledge on the Science and Technology of Elastomers with their specific and differential particularities as materials in relation to their applications.

H5 - Apply the knowledge acquired in the different aspects of Polymer Science and Technology, during the Master's Thesis, to a specific research within the area of specialization.

H6 - Demonstrate the ability to obtain bibliographical information on the topic and the aspects that will be presented in the research, to obtain results by applying the necessary means and the knowledge acquired, as well as to elaborate an analysis of them that allows a scientific discussion and an advance in the knowledge of the research topic of the Master's thesis.

H7 - Apply the methods of characterization and analysis to polymeric materials, according to the physicochemical properties to be studied, as well as the different types of tests of materials based on plastics and rubbers.

H8 - Use the knowledge about the structure-properties relationship of the different families of polymers and their industrial grades, to be able to select and apply the materials to the different applications of polymer materials formulations.

CO1 - Ability to communicate knowledge: that students are able to communicate, orally and in writing, their research and conclusions with the foundations that support them, both to a specialized and non-expert audience, in a clear, concise and understandable way.

CO2 - Ability to make judgments: that students are able to integrate knowledge and deal with the complexity of making judgments based on scientific and/or technical information. Including also the aspects of reflections on the social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments.

CO3 - Demonstrate the ability to present, defend and discuss the results of the Master's thesis in oral and written form, to an expert and non-expert audience in the research topic.

The High Specialization Master's Degree in Plastics and Rubber is specially directed towards students with a degree in Science and Engineering.

Graduates obtaining the Master's Degree are experts in polymers with solid training in the areas of science and technology of plastic and rubber materials.

They will be able to design, select, transform, use and apply different types of polymers.

They will have skills to characterize and use these concepts to optimize and adapt different production processes.

Additionally, they will acquire the tools to solve problems related to formulating polymer materials in relation to their applications.

Before finishing the program students will be informed of possible professional industrial opportunities within the sector as well as the academic possibilities that can be accessed with the degree.

Access with a university degree from outside the EHEA: Students with degrees from education systems outside the EHEA can be accepted without requiring official recognition of their degrees by accrediting that the level of studies is the equivalent to that of official university degrees in Spain and that the degree allows access to postgraduate studies in the country of origin.

Access for these students depends on a favorable decision from the Rector. The decision by the Rector will never imply official recognition of the degree the student possesses nor its recognition for purposes other than to study the Master's Degree.

Pre-enrolment should be carried out via internet by completing the online Pre-enrolment Form (Formulario de Preinscripción) available on the UIMP website. When pre-registration is made, the required documentation must be attached in PDF format, although the documents do not need to be authenticated at the time of pre-registration. However, they should be certified because it will be essential to formalize registration, if admitted.

DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED FOR THE APPLICATION PROCESS

1. Photocopy of National ID card, in the case of Spanish citizens, or of passport or identity document, in the case of foreign nationals.

2. Photocopy of the Qualification Certificate which provides access to Masters' Degree studies, or proof of having paid for the issuance of the certificate concerned.

3. Certification of personal academic records.

4. ID or Passport-size photograph, in JPG format.

5. Curriculum Vitae, in PDF format, so as to facilitate the assessment of other merits appropriate to the admissions profile.

Students presenting foreign and non-homologated degrees must also provide to access:

6. Certification from the issuing university stating that the degree offered qualifies one for access to postgraduate studies in the country in question.

7. Personal academic certification which specifies the study program completed; official duration of the program in academic years and listing of courses taken, grade, and credit load of each one.

IMPORTANT: The academic documents of foreign degrees are to be presented translated into Spanish, where necessary; all those corresponding to countries not belonging to the EHEA are to be certified (on the UIMP website, general information on these requirements can be found).

The required documentation in original format should ONLY be submitted to the Student Administration Office (Secretaría de Estudiantes - C/ Isaac Peral 23. 28040 Madrid - Spain) in the event that the application has been passed by the Academic Committee for the Master's.

Special educational needs

Universal accessibility will be guaranteed and the necessary resources and support will be monitored for those students with disabilities in order to assure the correct completion of the Master's. We ask that these students indicate their specific needs when enrolling.

In this link you can consult the UIMP Protocol for the attention of students with specific educational needs.

1. Degree granting access. Degrees in science and engineering will be given preference.

2. Academic transcript. The average grade on the academic transcript will be taken into account.

3. Participation in other training programs.

4. Mobility during undergraduate degree studies.

For a weighted value for the admission criteria, points 1 and 2 will be considered 90%. Points 3 and 4 will be considered 10% of the final value.

The Academic Committee for the Master's will be in charge of examining and valuing admission applications and approving the accepted candidates according to the previously mentioned criteria. The Academic Committee will publish a list each academic course on the UIMP website.

• Assigning tutor(s). Completing the End of Master's Project entails students integrating in the CSIS Institute of Polymer Science and Technology laboratories or those of an institution collaborating with the program.

The director(s) for the project will act as tutors for the practical work and, in general, for all academic questions students may have during the Master's Degree.

The Academic Committee will assign a tutor to each registered student for the duration of their studies. Tutors will be chosen from the teaching and research staff for the Master's Degree.

The relationship between End of Master's Projects and tutors will be created once the registration period is completed and will be available to consult via communication means available to the program.

Students will be able choose from the proposed research topics. During the Master's and the practical tasks, a student's tutors may hold necessary meetings in order to resolve any academic guidance and management issues that the student may require. The assigned tutor will guide the student in aspects which will be useful in order for the student to, upon registering for the End of Master's Project, have a wide and adequate view of the academic focus for the project.

• Professional guidance: Transition to work/ Doctorate Degree studies.

The ability to direct a student towards professional activity in the plastics industry is based on the involvement of the Asociaciones de Empresarios de Plásticos (ANAIP), the Consorcio Nacional de Industriales del Caucho (COFACO) and the Association of Plastic Manufacturers in Europe (PlasticsEurope).

The ability to encourage the student towards completing a Doctoral Thesis is based on the scientific research environment in which the Master's is developed, which the student will come into contact with through practical lessons making up the degree and by completing the End of Master's Project.

Director del Máster

Alberto Gallardo Ruiz, Investigador Científico, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Polímeros (ICTP-CSIC)

Subdirección Académica

María Nuria García García Científica Titular, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Polímeros (ICTP-CSIC)

Consultas académicas: master.director@ictp.csic.es

En el Máster participan profesores de las siguientes instituciones: Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Polímeros (CSIC), Repsol, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Universidad de Zaragoza-Taller de Inyección de Plásticos (TIIP) y Universidad del País Vasco, así como numerosos conferenciantes invitados de otras instituciones académicas e industriales.

La relación detallada del profesorado del programa se puede consultar en el apartado de "Guías Docentes" de esta página web.

Profesores coordinadores de asignaturas

Módulo I

Estado sólido en polímeros: Isabel Quijada Garrido, Científica Titular, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Polímeros (ICTP-CSIC)

Química macromolecular: Helmut Reinecke, Investigador Científico, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Polímeros (ICTP-CSIC)

Caracterización de polímeros: María del Mar López González, Científica Titular, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Polímeros (ICTP-CSIC)

Módulo II

Procesos de producción y reciclado: Inmaculada Suárez Muñoz, Profesora Titular de Química Física, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

Procesos de transformación: Inmaculada Campoy Felipe, Ingeniera de Desarrollo de Copolímeros, Centro Tecnológico REPSOL

Moldes de inyección: Daniel Mercado Barraqueta, Profesor Asociado de Ingeniería Mecánica, Universidad de Zaragoza

Procesado reactivo y aditivo: Juan Rodríguez Hernández, Investigador Científico, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Polímeros (ICTP-CSIC)

Normalización, medio ambiente e industria: Raquel Verdejo Márquez, Investigadora Científica, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Polímeros (ICTP-CSIC)

Módulo III

Materiales polímeros y aplicaciones:p Teresa Corrales Viscasillas, Científica Titular, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Polímeros (ICTP-CSIC)

Materiales compuestos: Miguel Ángel López Manchado, Profesor de Investigación, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Polímeros (ICTP-CSIC)

Reología en polímeros: Juan Francisco Vega Borrego, Científico Titular, Instituto de Estructura de la Materia (IEM-CSIC)

Simulación molecular: Ángel E. Lozano López, Investigador Científico, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Polímeros (ICTP-CSIC)

Módulo IV

Ciencia y tecnología de elastómeros: Juan López Valentín, Científico Titular, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Polímeros (ICTP-CSIC)

Trabajo de fin de Máster

Tutor para cada estudiante