Degree Justification

The Academic and professional interest of the particular case of the Defense University Center in the Spanish Naval Academy in Marín.

Law 39/2007, of November 19th, of the Military Career (hereinafter MCL), has introduced an important reform in the teaching of Navy Forces, going into detail about the integration in the general education system, initiated by the Law 17/1989, of July 19th, which regulated the Professional Military Personnel Regime.

The MCL designs a training teaching model for officers of the General Corps and Marine Corps of the Navy, based on the essential objective of providing them with the preparation required for professional practice. To accomplish this, the MCL establishes that the training of Officers includes, on the one hand, general and specific military training, which is taught at the Spanish Naval Academy (hereinafter ENM) and, on the other hand, training that leads to obtaining a Degree of the general educational system that is imparted at the Defense University Center, located in the ENM itself.

In addition, article 51 of the MCL establishes that the Ministry of Defense (hereinafter MINISDEF) promotes the creation of the defense university centers system and the affiliation of these to one or more public universities. Royal Decree 1723/2008, of October 24th, creates the Defense University Center (hereinafter CUD) located in the ENM, therefore it must be affiliated to a public university, according to the current legislation.

The Spanish Navy and the University of Vigo maintain a very special relationship since an agreement was signed between the two of them in 1993, promoting the exchange of lecturers and students. Subsequently, new collaboration agreements were signed. This, together with the fact that this University imparts several of the current degrees in the field of Industrial Engineering and that it has adapted to the new model of bachelor degrees, among which is the degree that is considered most suitable for the training of Navy Officers, led to the signing of the Cooperation Protocol between MINISDEF and UVIGO for the development of the MCL, through which a working group is created in order to achieve the necessary agreements that allow the CUD to be affiliated to UVIGO.

The affiliation agreement is signed on March 11, 2009, taking into account the provisions of the Autonomous Community of Galicia, the UVIGO Statutes and its Regulations for Affiliated Centers.

In order to determine the Bachelor Degree to be imparted at the CUD, the capacities were defined and the necessary profiles for the professional practice to which teaching must attend were designed. Based on these profiles, it was determined that the Degree that best adapted to the training needs of the Navy Officer was the Mechanical Engineering Bachelor Degree. This has also served as an internal consultation process for the degree design, as outlined in point 2.4.2 of the Report for the Official Degrees Verification, Mechanical Engineering Degree.

Therefore, the CUD imparts the study plan verified by the UVIGO corresponding to the Industrial Engineering Bachelor Degree with a mechanical profile, which is registered in the Registry of Universities, Centers and Titles in accordance with Royal Decree 1393/2007, of October 29th, as well as all its possible future modifications.

It is considered that in subsequent years it will be possible to pursue postgraduate studies and develop lines of research considered to be of interest in the field of the Armed Forces and peace, security and defence, in accordance with the affiliation agreement itself.