Abstract

The information schools (iSchools) constitute the main academic network of international importance in Information Science. Since the network was established in 2005, more than 50 universities have been admitted to membership, with an increasing European presence and activity. A broad view about the iSchools is presented, including the typology of academic departments that make up the network, a qualitative sample of the current degree and master portfolios, research topics, and main challenges and opportunities for this academic network.

Abstract

Communication studies in Spain have now become consolidated based on their evolution over the last 50 years. The aim of this paper is to provide an in-depth analysis of the current state of Spanish higher education in Communication. To this end, an analysis is carried out of the structure and composition of the undergraduate and postgraduate degrees (master and PhD studies) in Communication at public and private universities in Spain, paying special attention to the centers that host these studies, the people who contribute to their operation, and their offerings and distribution. Using a descriptive methodology and the content analysis technique, an analysis form is applied to the universities composing the system of Communication studies in Spain, based on their offerings and the information available and accessible on their institutional websites. The results reveal the difficulty of accessing such data and the lack of common criteria (or compliance) for presenting such information on official websites. The results reveal a greater offering at the national level but a wide dispersion of the higher education offering in terms of type, location, type of university, and territorial distribution. We also highlight the gender gap in terms of faculty leadership as well as among teaching staff. We emphasize the phenomenon of double or combined degrees, especially at private universities.   Using a descriptive methodology and the content analysis technique, an analysis form has been applied to the universities that define the Spanish system in Communication studies, based on the offer and information available and accessible on the institutional websites. In this regard, we would like to highlight the difficulty in accessing data and the lack of common criteria (or compliance) for presenting information on the official website. The results show a greater offer at national level but evidence a dispersion of the higher education offer in terms of typology, places, type of university and territorial distribution. We highlight the gender gap in faculty leadership and among teaching staff. We emphasize the phenomenon of double or combined degrees, especially in private universities.