TRADITIONAL

 

 

CURRICULUM

 

The Master’s Program in Advanced Technology at CICATA-IPN, Querétaro, has a duration of four semesters for full-time students, requiring a minimum commitment of 40 hours per week, and six semesters for part-time students, with a commitment of 20 hours per week.

 

Throughout the four semesters, full-time students must complete 12 learning units (LUs): six technical-academic LUs aimed at strengthening their professional training—four of which are core courses and two elective courses related to their thesis project; three LUs focused on skill and competency development; and three LUs dedicated to academic progress monitoring (Departmental Seminars I, II, and III).

 

In addition, students are required to continuously develop their thesis project, whose progress is evaluated by their tutorial committee at the end of each semester. Table 1 presents the general curriculum map of the Master’s Program in Advanced Technology.

 

Generic Curriculum Map for the Master’s Degree in Advanced Technology

Component	First Semester	Second Semester	Third Semester	Fourth Semester
Technical – Academic	Basic Learning Unit I Basic Learning Unit II	Basic Learning Unit III Basic Learning Unit IV	Specific Learning Unit I (elective) Specific Learning Unit II (elective)	Thesis Development
	Each Learning Unit (LU) is worth 12 credits; elective units are selected based on the student’s research project.
Skills and Competencies	Innovation Module I	Innovation Module II	Innovation Module III	Thesis Development
	These 4-credit learning units may be completed within a single semester.
Follow-up	Departmental Seminar I	Departmental Seminar II	Departmental Seminar III
	Follow-up learning units are worth 2 credits and must be taken in sequence.
THESIS WORK

 

Credits

To earn the Master’s Degree in Advanced Technology, students must complete a total of 90 credits, demonstrate proficiency in the English language, and successfully defend their research project.

 

Table 1 below presents the credit distribution for the Learning Units (LUs) offered throughout the master’s program.

 

Academic Units and Credit Distribution

The Master’s program is structured into three main components: Technical–Academic, Skills and Competencies, and Follow-up. Together, these components total 90 credits, distributed as follows:

 

Component	Number of Learning Units (LUs) and Credits	Total Credits
Technical–Academic	6 Learning Units, 12 credits each	72 credits
Skills and Competencies	3 Learning Units, 4 credits each	12 credits
Follow-up	3 Learning Units, 2 credits each	6 credits
Total		90 credits

 

Note:
A 12-credit Learning Unit corresponds to 6 hours per week.
A 4-credit Learning Unit corresponds to 2 hours per week.
A 2-credit Learning Unit corresponds to 1 hour per week.

 

Technical–Academic Learning Units

CICATA IPN Querétaro offers five Research and Knowledge Application Lines (LGACs):

Biotechnology, Image Analysis, Mechatronics, Alternative Energies, and Materials and Manufacturing Processes.

The basic technical learning units are associated with each LGAC. In other words, each line has a set of courses offered regularly. The elective learning units are, in most cases, taught by the researchers who supervise student projects and are designed to provide technical knowledge directly related to each student’s specific research topic.

This group of courses allows students to specialize within their chosen LGAC, ensuring a strong and coherent professional formation at the graduate level.

 

Although this is the general structure, the program maintains a high degree of flexibility. Students developing projects within a given LGAC may enroll in courses from another line, depending on their academic background and the focus of their research. Furthermore, students may take learning units at other IPN campuses or research centers.

 

This flexible and collaborative approach has strengthened over time, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration both among the LGACs within CICATA and with external institutions. As a result, it has had a significant positive impact on students’ training, fostering the development of their research projects in a multidisciplinary environment.

 

Table II presents the list of basic and elective learning units offered across the different LGACs.

Table II. Learning Units by Research and Knowledge Application Line (LGAC) Technical–Academic Learning Units     (Mandatory for each student within their corresponding LGAC)
Learning unit (LU)	Biotechnology	Alternative Energies	Image Analysis	Materials	Mechatronics
Basic LU I	Experimental design	Thermodynamics	Mathematical Methods	Experimental Design	Properties and Strength of Materials
Basic LU II	Instrumental Analysis	Introduction to Alternative Energies	Mathematics for Mechatronics	Mathematical Methods	Kinematics and Dynamics of Mechanisms
Basic LU III	Biotechnology	Solid-State Chemistry	Image Analysis	Structure and Properties of Materials	Control
Basic LU IV	Biochemistry	Mathematical Methods	Pattern Recognition	Principles and Applications of Tribology	Sensors and Interfaces
Advanced LU I (Elective I)	See Annex 1	See Annex 1	See Annex 1	See Annex 1	See Annex 1
Advanced LU II (Elective II)	See Annex 1	See Annex 1	See Annex 1	See Annex 1	See Annex 1

 

Skills and Competencies Learning Units

The Skills and Competencies Learning Units are taught by faculty from the NAB, regardless of the student’s LGAC affiliation.

 

The purpose of these units is to provide a broad overview of topics related to innovation and technology management, equipping students with general knowledge and practical tools needed for the development of technological innovation projects, entrepreneurship, funding mechanisms, intellectual property protection, and related areas.

 

Students are required to complete 3 Skills and Competencies LUs. Each unit is worth 4 credits and is delivered over a 2-month period, with 2 hours of instruction per week. Typically, 4 to 5 units are offered each semester.

 

Students may choose to take one unit per semester or complete all three units in a single semester, depending on their interests and available time.

 

Table IV presents the Skills and Competencies Learning Units offered in the program.

 

Table IV. Skills and Competencies Learning Units – MTA CICATA-IPN Querétaro
Skills and Competencies LUs (4 credits each) These units are mandatory for all students in the Master’s in Advanced Technology program.
Students will select, together with their advisor, 3 Skills and Competencies LUs to complete.	Research Methodology	Leadership and Ethics
	Scientific Writing and Publication	Project Management
	Technology Development	Project Funding Mechanisms
	Commercial Assessment of Technology Projects	Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer

 

Follow-up Learning Units (Research Seminars)

The purpose of the Follow-up Learning Units is to prepare students to develop essential skills for presenting and disseminating research work. These units are based on the thesis research project that each student is developing.

 

This component consists of 3 sequential LUs, known as Departmental Seminars I, II, and III, each worth 2 credits (1 hour per week). In these seminars, students present the progress of their thesis projects to their area peers or to the broader CICATA community, allowing students to learn about the work of their colleagues.

 

To pass the seminars, students must complete specific deliverables according to the IPN Graduate Studies Regulations:

• Seminar I: Project protocol

• Seminar II: Progress report and poster

• Seminar III: Completion of thesis writing

Additionally, the seminars provide opportunities for students, CICATA researchers, and guests from other institutions to present research projects or relevant topics. Presentations may cover technological development, innovation, entrepreneurship, or industry collaboration, providing practical insights and multidisciplinary perspectives.

 

Since these LUs are sequential, it is recommended that students take them in semesters 1, 2, and 4.

 

Table V. Follow-up Learning Units
Follow-up LUs (2 credits each) – Sequential
These units are mandatory for all students.	Semester 1: Departmental Seminar I
	Semester 2: Departmental Seminar II
	Semester 4: Departmental Seminar III