Montagut, who has a great deal of experience in the communications industry, congratulated the students and encouraged them to approach their careers in sports journalism with enthusiasm, despite the current economic crisis. “Go out into the streets; your actions will help change things”, he declared. Montagut then went on to talk about journalism as a philosophy of life, and of the social commitment that this professional entails. “Being a journalist is a privilege and an enormous responsibility. There are many reporters, but not so many journalists”, he affirmed.

Montagut began his career at Catalunya Express and Mundo Diario, before moving on to El Periódico de Catalunya and El País. In 1995 he was made the Assistant Editor of El Mundo del Siglo XXI and was the Founding Editor of El Mundo de Catalunya. He was also the Founding Editor of the free newspaper ADN, published by the Planeta Group, and has previously worked for the Planeta Corporation and Bertelsmann. Since November 2013 he has been the Director of Communications at FC Barcelona.

The ceremony also included the official introduction of Josep Vives, the new Director of the Master’s Degree and Postgraduate programmes in Sports Journalism, who is currently the Executive President of Bàsquet Manresa. “This position presents a great challenge, which I am very much looking forward to taking on”, said Vives to the staff and students.

Vives is both a lawyer and a journalist, and during the 20-plus years of his career he has worked as a sports correspondent at a total of 14 media outlets, including Catalunya Ràdio. He has also worked on the programme La nit a RAC1, BTV’s La Rambla and for a range of different press organizations.  

The ceremony was presided over by Dr. Iván Lacasa, the Dean of the Faculty of Communication Sciences, and was also attended by Dr. Pablo Medina, the Academic Coordinator for the Master’s Degree and Postgraduate programmes. As well as addressing the new graduates, Albert Montagut also handed over their diplomas.

About the Master’s Degree and Postgraduate Programmes in Sports Journalism

The Master’s Degree Programme in Sports Journalism, which enters its fourth year this October, offers an extension to the UIC’s well-established Postgraduate Programme of the same name, which was the first course of its kind to be taught in Catalonia and enters its tenth year this autumn. The Master’s Degree Programme is an extended version of the Postgraduate Programme and includes materials that are fully adapted to the current trends of the profession and cover the various different media formats (press, radio, TV and digital).

The teaching staff comprises active senior professionals from the field of sports journalism, including Josep Vives, Santi Nolla, Carlos Pérez de Rozas, Eduard Pujol, Jordi Borda, Josep Maria Deu and Toni Caparrós.

The classes are of a highly practical nature and are taught in small groups in order to maximize teacher-student contact. Both programmes enjoy the benefits of more than 30 agreements that have been signed with companies and organizations in the industry, which allow the students to put their knowledge into practice. These partners include TV3, Mundo Deportivo, Sport, Rac 1, Catalunya Ràdio, Cadena Ser and FC Barcelona.

Additionally, the UIC boasts modern facilities, including TV and radio studios, editing rooms and multimedia-enabled classrooms, which provide students with the tools and technology they need to carry out their practical studies.