Legislation

The laws and legal guidelines that are applicable when defining the relationship and implication that sustainability should have in the Telecommunications degree are the following:


Royal Decree 822/2021, of September 28

It establishes the organization of university education and the procedure for ensuring its quality. 

Article 4: Likewise, these study plans must have as a reference the democratic principles and values ​​and the Sustainable Development Goals and, in particular:

a) respect for human rights and fundamental rights; democratic values ​​-freedom of thought and academics, tolerance and recognition and respect for diversity, equity for all citizens, the elimination of any discriminatory content or practice, the culture of peace and participation, among others–;

b) respect for gender equality in accordance with the provisions of Organic Law 3/2007, of March 22, for the effective equality of women and men, and the principle of equal treatment and non-discrimination based on birth , national or ethnic origin, religion, conviction or opinion, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, sexual characteristics, illness, socioeconomic situation or any other personal or social condition or circumstance.

c) respect for the principles of universal accessibility and design for all people, in accordance with the provisions of the second final provision of the Consolidated Text of the General Law on the rights of persons with disabilities and their social inclusion, approved by Royal Legislative Decree 1/2013, of November 29;

d) the treatment of sustainability and climate change, in accordance with the provisions of article 35.2 of Law 7/2021, of May 20, on Climate Change and Energy Transition.


The Royal Decree 1393/2007, of October 29 (revoked by the previous one)

It establishes the organization of official university education defines, among others (5 in total), these basic skills

  • For all official grades: That students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (normally within their area of study) to make judgments that include a reflection on relevant issues of a social, scientific or ethical nature.
  • For all official master's degrees: That students are able to integrate knowledge and face the complexity of formulating judgments based on information that, being incomplete or limited, includes reflections on the social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments.


It establishes the requirements for the verification of official university degrees that enable the exercise of the profession of Technical Telecommunications Engineer. Section 3 includes Competences that students must acquire. Related with sustainability it is found:
  • Ability to solve problems with initiative, decision making, creativity, and to communicate and transmit knowledge, abilities and skills, understanding the ethical and professional responsibility of the activity of the Telecommunications Technical Engineer.
  • Ability to analyze and assess the social and environmental impact of technical solutions.

Skills table for official titles of UPC


In this application for the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport is found multiples competences that the student have to achieve during the degree. It can be divided into direct skills and auxiliary skills.

Direct Skills:
  • Basic Competence 3 (CB3): That students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (normally within their area of study) to make judgments that include a reflection on relevant issues of a social, scientific or ethical nature.
  • General Competence 4 (CG4): Ability to solve problems with initiative, decision making, creativity, and to communicate and transmit knowledge, abilities and skills, understanding the ethical and professional responsibility of the activity of the Telecommunications Technical Engineer.
  • General Competence 7 (CG7): Ability to analyze and assess the social and environmental impact of technical solutions.
  • General Competence 11 (CG11): Apply an integrating vision of the complete life cycle (conception, design, implementation and operation) of a product, process or service in the ICT field: Identify user needs and develop a set of product-process-service requirements and initial specifications. Explore possible solutions and select the most appropriate. Carry out the design process following a standardized methodology. Evaluate and propose improvements to the design made. Take into account the economic and social aspects associated with the project and the product (the school's own competence). 
  • Transversal Competence 2 (CT2): Sustainability and Social Commitment. Know and understand the complexity of typical economic and social phenomena of the welfare society; have the ability to relate well-being to globalization and sustainability; achieve skills to use technique, technology, economy and sustainability in a balanced and compatible way.
  • Specific Competence 11 (CE11): Ability to conceive, deploy, organize and manage telecommunications networks, systems, services and infrastructures in residential (home, city and digital communities), business or institutional contexts, taking responsibility for their implementation progress and continuous improvement, as well as knowing its economic and social impact. (Module common to the telecommunication branch)
  • Specific Competence 48 (CE48): Original exercise to be carried out individually and presented and defended before a university tribunal, consisting of a project in the field of specific technologies of Telecommunication Engineering of a professional nature in which they synthesize and integrate the skills acquired in the teachings. (End-of-Degree Project Module)
Auxiliary Skills:
  • Specific Competence 16 (CE16): Ability to use different energy sources, especially photovoltaic and thermal solar, as well as the fundamentals of electrical engineering and power electronics. (Module common to the telecommunication branch).
  • General Competence 2 (CG2): Knowledge, understanding and ability to apply the necessary legislation during the development of the profession of Telecommunications Technical Engineer and facility for handling specifications, regulations and mandatory standards compliance.
  • General Competence 6 (CG6): Ease of handling specifications, regulations and mandatory standards.
  • General Competence 8 (CG8): Know and apply basic elements of economics and human resource management, project organization and planning, as well as legislation, regulation and standardization in telecommunications.
  • Specific Competence 5 (CE5): Adequate knowledge of the concept of company, institutional and legal framework of the company. Organization and management of Business. (Basic training module).
  • Specific Competence 20 (CE20): Knowledge of the rules and regulations of telecommunications at the national, European and international levels. (Module common to the telecommunication branch)
  • Specific Competence 36 (CE36): Ability to perform the specification, implementation, documentation and tuning of equipment and systems, electronic, instrumentation and control, considering both technical aspects and regulatory standards corresponding. (Specific technology module: mention in Electronic Systems)
The following table shows the relation between the Learning Results showed previously and the competences explained in this section:

Direct CompetencesAuxiliary Competences
CB3CG4CG7CG11CT2CE11CE48CE16CG2CG6CG8CE5CE20CE36
C1.HO.1.X
C1.HO.2.X
C1.HO.3.1
C2.EN.1.X
C2.EN.1.Y
C2.EN.2.X
C2.EN.3.X
C2.SO.1.X
C2.SO.1.Y
C2.SO.2.X
C2.SO.2.Y
C2.SO.3.X
C2.EC.1.X
C2.EC.2.X
C2.EC.3.X
C2.HO.1.X
C2.HO.1.Y
C2.HO.2.X
C2.HO.2.Y
C2.HO.3.X
C3.HO.1.X
C3.HO.1.Y
C3.HO.2.X
C3.HO.3.X
C4.HO.1.X
C4.HO.1.Y
C4.HO.2.X
C4.HO.3.X