The implementation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) has significantly increased university autonomy in designing new university programmes. In this regard, as established by Royal Decree 1393/2007 and its subsequent amendment in Royal Decree 861/2010, it is the universities themselves that must create and propose the programmes and degrees they will teach and award, without being bound by a pre-existing catalogue.
In return for this greater university autonomy, proposals for new programmes must undergo an ex-ante evaluation process, called verification, by a quality agency. In Catalonia, proposals for new official programmes must be prepared following the AQU Catalunya Guides, designed to help university managers draw up the degree report and to facilitate internal review by the institution itself. At the UdG, this report is prepared by the unit promoting the programme, once authorised by the Vice-Rectorate for Academic Policy, and must then be approved by various governing bodies until its final approval by the Governing Council.
Once this process is complete, the report is sent to AQU Catalunya, which is responsible for issuing the evaluation report for verification. This binding report is sent to the Council of Universities, the body responsible for verifying the degree prior to its authorisation for implementation by the Government of Catalonia.
Once the programme has been verified, the Government of Catalonia must authorise its implementation, in accordance with the programming criteria it establishes and the availability of funding. Finally, the Council of Ministers establishes the official status of university degrees and orders their inclusion in the Register of Universities, Centres and Degrees (RUCT).
To date, all the degrees taught by the University of Girona have been verified favourably, guaranteeing their quality.
