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Postgraduate Course in Compliance

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Postgrado en Compliance

Postgraduate Course in Compliance

APPLY FOR ADMISSION
UPF-BSMPostgraduate coursesPostgraduate Course in Compliance

The Postgraduate in Compliance prepares you to work with the regulations to which an organization is subject. Learn to manage corporate compliance both nationally and internationally. 

ComplianceManagement
Next edition
Classes start18 October, 2024
Classes end20 February, 2025 (To be confirmed)
Program ends20 February, 2025 (To be confirmed)
ModalityOn-campus
LanguageSpanish
ECTS credits15
ScheduleThursdays and Fridays from 17:00 to 21:00h
Price4000 €

The Postgraduate Course in Compliance provides a complete vision of the areas that make up the discipline of regulatory and legal compliance in organizations. Its objective is to provide you with the necessary knowledge to develop analysis of compliance risks in companies. In this way, the scope of compliance and the precise tools for its management are defined. 

Develops knowledge about indicative law and mandatory law at the national and international level. Learn how to design regulatory compliance strategies. Get an overview of the business ethics and responsibility regulations imposed by organizations such as the UN and the OECD. In addition, we discuss specific examples applied to business management, such as the UK Bribery Act and US corporate guidelines. 

Use case studies to discover how to act as a compliance officer in situations of detecting corrupt business practices during internal audits. By proposing how to resolve these cases, you will acquire the knowledge of compliance needed to design compliance policies and Compliance Management Systems (CMS). 

The postgraduate course is taught in collaboration with KPMG. 

Why choose this program

01

Get access to a program designed by teachers and experts

The subjects have been designed by law professors from UPF and the Universidad Carlos III of Madrid and by experts in legal liability and compliance from KPMG

02

Updated content for each course

The contents are adapted to the reality of the compliance officer and regulatory compliance in companies. Learn about the latest updates to the Organic Law of the Penal Code and discover the most current anti-crime management systems in companies. 

Who is it for?

The Postgraduate Course in Compliance is aimed at professionals who wish to acquire specific knowledge in matters of liability and regulatory compliance in a company.  

Curriculum

The Postgraduate Course in Compliance is structured into ten subjects taught by professors and specialists in corporate compliance, who provide the student with expert-level knowledge that makes up the discipline of legal compliance in organizations and companies. 

In parallel, and throughout the program, case studies will be used in the simulated immersion methodology. 

Academic content

Aspects of Business Ethics, compliance, and responsibility applied to the world of company management, and projected onto aspects that usually produce internally applicable standards. Relationship of business ethics with compliance with regulations and the establishment of voluntary standards above the legal thresholds of mandatory legal compliance.

Importance of good practices and international compliance standards as sources of obligations. Their interpretive and even binding nature. Soft Law sources.

  • Traditional system of sources of law and obligations.
  • Sources of Soft Law and practical efficacy.
  • Taxonomy of technical standards (ISO, ISA, and ISAE).

Modern business management models framing compliance tasks within models integrated with Governance and Risk Management (GRC models). This section will deal with the interactions between these three spheres that the compliance officer regulates.

  • Concept of Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance (GRC).
  • GRC integrated management models: applications and solutions.
  • Locations of the compliance function in the business organization chart.
  • Interactions between compliance, internal control, and internal audit.

Due to the proliferation of liability rules that affect companies (mandatory or self-imposed), corporate compliance systems are needed that allow effective management of compliance. For these purposes, both international and national standards are being developed that determine the state of the art in this matter.

  • Concept of CMS and compliance areas.
  • Generic and specific standards.
  • Organic compliance structures.
  • Profile and functions of the Compliance Officer.
  • Compliance Policy and CMS.
  • ISO standard in CMS.
  • ISO standard in ABMS.

Both international and national standards in matters of legal compliance use a series of principles and components that are developed in the environment of internal control of business management. This section deals with these generic reference frameworks and the compliance principles that have been developed through them.

  • The COSO Framework: COSO I, COSO II and COSO III.
  • The OCEG Capability model.
  • OECD Guidelines.
  • Profile and functions of the Compliance Officer.
  • The Australian Standards AS 3806-2006.
  • The technical audit standard IDW AssS 980.

Compliance frameworks specially adapted to technical matters or activity sector have been developed. Among these are those for the prevention and defence against corruption, which have become models of ethical management and a source of inspiration for a large number of regulations on the matter that compliance officers must be aware of.

  • The "Corporate Guidelines" of the US Sentencing Commission.
  • The OECD rules against corruption.
  • The North American Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
  • The British Bribery Act.
  • The compliance model of the Spanish Penal Code.
  • Tax Governance, Tax Morality, and Tax Transparency.
  • Money laundering prevention model.
  • Compliance environments for competition matters.
  • Consumer protection environments in the banking sector.
  • Human rights compliance models.
  • Fraud prevention management models.
  • Privacy management models.

The practical application of compliance and corporate compliance models requires the following of techniques developed both as a result of generic and specific reference frameworks regarding compliance.

  • Risk assessment: prioritization of risk behaviours.
  • Policies, procedures, controls, and investigations.
  • Map of compliance risk and criminal prevention.
  • Organizational measures.

The practical application of compliance models in compliance involves implementing detection mechanisms and subsequently developing investigation processes that will combine respect for the law with the most advanced forensic techniques.

  • Reporting channels and investigation protocols.
  • Guarantees of privacy, defence, and non-retaliation.
  • Procedural guarantees in the internal investigation.
  • Forensic investigation techniques.
  • Obtaining and processing digital evidence.

The behaviour of both individuals and groups of people must be taken into consideration both in the design and in the application of compliance models in a company. This section will address essential issues of social psychology that affect the field of compliance and that the compliance officer must take into account.

  • Risk assessment: prioritization of risk behaviours.
  • Policies, procedures, controls, and investigations.
  • Map of compliance risk and criminal prevention.

The responsible behaviour of both individuals and groups of people must be taken into consideration both in the design and in the application of corporate compliance models. This section will address essential social psychology issues that affect the field of compliance.

  • Framing techniques and influence on the propensity to comply.
  • Communication techniques in adverse circumstances.
  • Communication in the media.

Practical cases

Through this practical case in a company, an inappropriate commercial initiative will be managed from the point of view of legal compliance, through different moments:

  • Moment 1: the compliance officer participates in a product launch committee where a very beneficial initiative is proposed from a business point of view, but which violates Competition Law.
  • Moment 2: the compliance officer participates in a Board of Directors meeting where the previous initiative is evaluated.

A case of deliberate non-compliance in a business area and the complaint systems will be managed using this practical case in a company:

  • Moment 1: an employee reports a serious case of corruption to the compliance department. The CO studies it. It affects the person in charge of the most relevant business unit of the organization.
  • Moment 2: after an investigation period involving the purchasing department, the case of corruption is confirmed. The CO prepares a report for the Board of Directors.
  • Moment 3: the CO reports the corruption case to the Board of Directors.

Through this case study, a situation will be managed where the person responsible for compliance in a specific area is not aligned with the compliance objectives declared by the organization and this leads to a criminal case:

  • Moment 1: at a Compliance Committee meeting, the head of the tax area reports the execution of high-risk tax restructuring. The compliance policy and the values of the organization are expressly declared as being conservative. The CO expresses their opinion.
  • Moment 2: the CO presents the monthly compliance report to the Board of Directors. They explain their views on the tax initiative.

Note on the Curriculum

The information contained in these pages is for information purposes only and may be subject to change in the adaptation of each academic year. The definitive guide will be available to students in the virtual space before the start of each subject.

Complementary activities

The Postgraduate Course in Compliance also includes the possibility of participating in practical activities and activities for personal and professional growth such as:

  • UPF-BSM Inside: is a group of interdisciplinary subjects (applied data, communication, creativity, innovation and project management, sustainability and leadership among others) that, if you take this program, you can access at no additional cost. They are 100% online and you can take them throughout the academic year at your own pace, as they have been designed as self-study subjects.

Qualification obtained

Once students have completed the course they will obtain the Diploma d'Expert en Compliance - Diploma de Experto en Compliance, issued by the Pompeu Fabra University.

The e-Titulo is an authentic digital degree, issued in pdf format and electronically signed, with the same legal validity as if it were in paper format.

Faculty

The team of teachers for the Postgraduate Course in Compliance is formed of specialists and professionals whose professional career and expertise is strongly linked to the discipline of compliance and legal practice.

Academic directors

Faculty

Collaborating Faculty

Mònica Caellas Camprubí
Criminal lawyer. CAELLAS office
Almudena Curero Saiz
Lawyer Legal Compliance Associate at KPMG
Olga de la Cruz Herrero
Partner and lawyer at Farriols & De la Cruz Abogados
Associate Professor at Pompeu Fabra University
Fernando Esteso Tórtola
Senior manager CC-Forensic at KPMG
Itziar Galindo Jiménez 
Partner at CTS Tax at KPMG
Raul García Pavesio
Senior manager CC-Forensic at KPMG
Dr Beatriz Goena Vives
Associate Professor of Criminal Law at the University of Barcelona
Consultant at MOLINS. 
Dr Víctor Gómez Martín
Professor of Criminal Law at the University of Barcelona
Jerusalem Hernández Velasco
Partner at CC-Sustainability at KPMG
Dr Adán Nieto Martín
Professor of Criminal Law at the University of Castilla-La Mancha
Dr Ana Carolina Oliveira
Research Teaching Staff at Pompeu Fabra University
Ramón Pueyo Viñuales
Partner at CC-Sustainability at KPMG
Dr Ramon Ragués i Vallès
Professor of Criminal Law at Pompeu Fabra University
Patricia Reverter Guillot 
Partner at CC-Sustainability at KPMG
Mª Jesús Rico Martínez
Partner at the Government, Risk and Compliance department at KPMG
Victòria Siguán Cervera
Competition lawyer
Principal Case Officer. Competition and Markets Authority

Methodology

The corporate compliance program combines theory and practice with a highly participatory methodology for students. The teaching objective is to deepen both the conceptual and methodological frameworks in order to understand and analyse the world of regulatory compliance, as well as the most advanced practical applications in compliance management currently in use, and the jurisprudential treatment of compliance efforts.

01

Global dimension of compliance

The program addresses compliance from the point of view of hard law, and especially from the management of different soft law instruments.

02

Practical sessions

Throughout the course, practical compliance sessions will be developed in which cases and supposed practical cases of management and complaints will be presented that will be resolved through simulation exercises by the student.

03

Expert teaching staff

The Postgraduate Course teachers are all specialists and professionals with a long history related to Compliance. Students can take advantage of their experience, legal knowledge, and vision.

Evaluation

The postgraduate course evaluation methodology for training as a compliance officer requires the presentation of a final project by the student, which must be done in a group of a minimum of 3 people, and which consists of the writing of documents that describe a Compliance Policy.

Compliance management students who so wish may also submit the System that develops it. The work consists of providing a working hypothesis (type of organization to which the documents will refer) as well as one or two documents, depending on whether they want to write the Policy or also the description of the compliance system (they can choose). It will be a practical work that in parallel will enable them to prepare these documents for their own companies.

Tools

The On-Campus&Live methodology allows you to follow the program in person and also remotely.

In this modality, two stable subgroups are opened that will coexist throughout the course: one face-to-face and the other with 100% remote students. The remote students (a maximum of 15 places per course) will follow the program in a synchronous way with the face-to-face students. That is, they will share the same school calendar and schedule as the face-to-face students.

Project-oriented learning and the combination of lectures and active methodologies such as case studies, flipped learning, solving real problems, and professional simulations allow the student to connect theory and practice, acquire advanced skills, and achieve learning which is transferable to the job. The face-to-face modality is enriched with elements of online programs (virtual learning environment, multimedia resources, among others) so that the learning experience of the two subgroups is equally satisfactory.

You will have:

  • Master's or postgraduate work to learn by doing
  • A personal mentor to monitor your Master's Final Project (TFM) or Postgraduate Final Project (TFP)
  • Digital resources to achieve transversal skills
  • Interdisciplinary activities and workshops
  • Digital resources and audiovisual blocks for online learning
  • Active methodologies for transferable learning
 

Professional Future

The Postgraduate Course in Compliance is aimed at professionals, national and international, with extensive experience in the area of Law, who wish to acquire knowledge in matters of regulatory compliance in a company. 

Student profile

You will share a classroom with active professionals who aim to complete and update their knowledge, such as company lawyers, economists, internal and external auditors, consultants, and other management professionals. 

35

Average age

81%

Training in Law

15%

Training in Business Administration and Economics

4%

Training in Accounting and Auditing

Career opportunities

The Postgraduate Course in Compliance teaches you to efficiently develop the functions and responsibilities of the Compliance Officer at an expert level. 

  • Compliance Officer (CO)
  • Chief Compliance Officer (CCO)
  • Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer (CECO)
  • Compliance adviser or consultant 
  • Compliance management in law firms 
  • Compliance management in companies 

Grants, scholarships and financing

Scholarships

The UPF Barcelona School of Management offers you different scholarships and ways of financing so that you can take any of our compliance training programs without worries. We offer you the opportunity to finance part of your program on regulatory compliance in companies, either through scholarships that reward your talent, through grants from entities dedicated to promoting education, or through collaboration agreements with financial entities.

Grants and discounts

Alumni discounts

If you are a member of our alumni associations or of one of our partner universities, we offer you a series of applicable discounts on the amount of tuition for your program.

Learn more

UPF Employee Discounts

If you are a member or family member of an employee of the UPF group or belonged to the collaborating institutions of the UPF Barcelona School of Management, you can enjoy a series of applicable discounts on the tuition fees for your program.

Learn more

UPF Partner Latinoamerican Universities Discount

If you are alumni of one of our Partner Universities, you are entitled to a discount of 10% on the UPF Barcelona School of Management Masters and postgraduate program tuition fees (those programs with more than 15 credits).

*Discount not compatible with other scholarships, discounts and reductions.

Learn more

Funding

Financing simulator

You can choose how to finance your studies by consulting our simulator.

Go to the simulator

Collaborating entities

In addition, we collaborate with various entities which provide study loans on favorable terms. For more information you can contact any of the following links. 

CaixaBank
BBVA
Caixa d'Enginyers
AGAUR
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