The main goal of the new postgraduate programme is to provide journalists and audiovisual communicators with complete, quality training in the field of motor and adventure sports through a unique proposal in Spain. “By means of this training proposal, students will be introduced to a speciality based on real experience, given that they will be covering the UNIDESERT Adventure Race, an event packed with human stories, sports and solidarity”, said Dr. Ivan Lacasa, the Dean of the Faculty.

Adolf Argelaguet, the organizer of UNIDESERT, added, “Thanks to the cooperation between the UIC and UNIDESERT, students will not only receive training and guidance in the professional world of motor and adventure sports journalism, but will also live an experience in support of solidarity that will greatly expand their knowledge of orienteering, teamwork, dedication, hard work and perseverance”.

The Postgraduate in Motor and Adventure Sports Journalism is divided into three main modules:

- The first is done on the UIC's Barcelona campus and focuses on preparing students for the dynamic work that awaits them on the adventure race, and to train them in different key areas such as the different genres of journalism, the language of sports journalism, etc.

- The second module is done in Morocco during the UNIDESERT Adventure Race. The postgraduate students will form part of the entourage accompanying the group of vehicles participating in the desert adventure in Morocco. During the nine days of competition, the students will work as authentic journalists to cover the sporting event and will deal with the different situations that arise in this context.

- In the third module, which will also be taught at the UIC, the focus will be on closely analysing all the material gathered and prepared during the adventure race, and working on the creation of a good news story for television, press and radio.

The new postgraduate programme is coordinated by UIC professor Daniel Franco, who has a degree in Audiovisual Communication from Universitat Ramon Llull, a PhD in Interactive Digital Communication from the Universitat de Vic and ten years' experience as a photojournalist on the news programmes of TV3, the Catalan public television channel.

This first edition of the programme will be taught from December 2014 to April 2015 and the lecturers will include professionals from the world of communication specializing in sports journalism, and motor and adventure sports journalism, and academics working in education and research.

What is UNIDESERT?

UNIDESERT is an adventure race exclusively for students from 18 to 28 years of age who are interested in experiencing  a unique adventure in terms of training and solidarity. For nine days, the participants will drive through Morocco in cars that are more than 20 years old in pursuit of two very clear objectives. The first is to reach the finish line by working as a team. With strategy, cooperation, hard work, ingenuity and perseverance, the participants will have to overcome the challenges awaiting them on each leg of the race. The second objective is solidarity: each team will contribute and transport at least 30 kg of support material during the entire race and deliver it to the most underprivileged villages in the Moroccan desert.

In this large-scale adventure, the safety of all the participants is the organization's chief priority. To this end, work is being done with the best means and equipment, as well as a team made up of professionals with more than 20 years of experience in similar events and competitions all over the world.

This year will be the fourth edition of UNIDESERT (14-22 February 2015) and the event's four main values are still as alive as ever: training, adventure, experience and solidarity.

More information about the Postgraduate in Motor and Adventure Sports Journalism