History of the Faculty
The history of the Faculty of Communication of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) spans more than fifty years, during which it has consolidated its role as a reference centre in training and research in the field of communication.
Its beginnings date back to the 1971-1972 academic year, with the creation of the then Faculty of Information Sciences, three years after the public appearance of a new university centre, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, which emerged with great expectation and enthusiasm. During its first years, classes were held in unusual places such as the monastery of Sant Cugat del Vallès or the premises on Carrer Egipcíaques in Barcelona. But that is how the studies of Information Sciences emerged, with the branches of Journalism and a year later, Advertising.
With over 30 cohorts of graduates, the Faculty of Communication is one of the most outstanding in Europe.
We have state-of-the-art facilities such as the Communication Library and General Newspaper Library, radio laboratories and television sets. Its teaching and administrative staff work for excellence, adapting to changes in the sector, while the departments maintain close contact with the scientific and professional reality of communication.
Over the years, new degrees have been incorporated such as Audiovisual Communication (1992) and, more recently, Interactive Communication and Communication of Organisations (2019-2020).
The Faculty of Communication of the UAB has had a significant impact on the evolution of the communication professions in Catalonia. Its teachers and graduates have achieved a notable intellectual role and have promoted the generalisation of communication studies to other Catalan universities. This has contributed to making Catalonia one of the most dynamic and innovative European areas in the field of communication.
The faculty is therefore committed to offering quality training that prepares students for their future mediation in society, with the aim of building a better world. To that end, it combines a solid theoretical base with excellent technical facilities for practical learning in the communication professions.
Since 2015, the faculty has had its own media: a radio station and a television station included within the UABmèdia brand, which serve to release the creativity of the students and teaching staff of the faculty, and other UAB centres, with a constant programme each year.
The faculty enjoys great prestige among companies in the communication sector, reflected in numerous agreements that allow students to carry out external work placements in different areas of communication. This ensures that graduates enter the job market with valuable professional experience that will benefit their future. In addition, it offers international exchange programmes (ERASMUS, SENECA) and agreements with universities around the world, including the USA, Canada and Australia, as well as with the main universities in the European Higher Education Area and Spain.
After half century of life, the faculty continues to fulfil its mission with the same dedication and desire to serve the public, the profession and the country with which it has done throughout its history.
Additional information: "From Information Sciences to Communication Sciences: fifty years of Communication studies at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona". Book chapter published in ATIC (2020).