The Universitat Internacional de Catalunya officially began its academic activities in October 1997. Organic Law 11/1983 on University Reform, (LRU) along with the 26/1984 Parliament of Catalonia Law, established the appropriate legal framework for the establishment of a university with the capacity to award official degree certificates. The Fundación Familiar Catalana (Catalan Family Foundation) took on full responsibility for carrying out this academic project. The UIC began the 1997-1998 academic year by offering diplomas in Nursing and degree courses in Law, Management and Public Administration, Architecture, Humanities and Journalism, Dentistry and Business Management and Administration. Within a year the diploma in Physiotherapy had been added, and in the year 2000 the diploma programmes in Primary School Teacher Education and Pre-School Teacher Education began.The degree course in Employment Studies was included in 2002, as was the degree course in Criminology two years later. In that same year the diploma in IT Systems and Management Engineering was officially recognised, helping to broaden the technical side of the university. Finally, in 2004-5 classes in Audiovisual Communication began.