SPAIN: UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID

APPLICATION DEADLINES

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

PROGRAM AT A GLANCE

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Spain: Universidad Complutense de Madrid program is affiliated with the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, a university with a student population of over 180,000. The university offers a program for selected American universities called the Universidades Reunidas Norteamericanas (the Reunidas). This program, which is open to all majors, provides students with the opportunity to build on existing language skills through study in the Spanish language.
 
Courses at the Reunidas are upper-division, taught in Spanish, and are directed at the interests of American students. While the majority of the students in the classroom will be American, the courses are taught by Spanish faculty from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, therefore teaching methods remain largely Spanish, giving CSU students a Spanish university experience.

CSU students take most of their courses in Spanish language and literature, as well as in the humanities and social sciences. In addition to the courses taken at the Reunidas, CSU students enroll in at least one course with Spaniards offered by three cooperating facultades, or departments, of the Universidad Complutense (Filosofia, Filologia, and Geografia e Historia). Students also take a Spanish language support course that begins upon arrival and continues into the fall semester; this course is designed to help students adjust to the language and improve their conversation skills.

For more information about the academic program, students may refer to the CSU IP Academic Bulletin for the previous year. Note that course offerings are subject to change and may not be offered during the year of intended study.
 

LOCATION

As the capital of Spain, Madrid is a cosmopolitan city with modern infrastructures and the status as an economic and financial center. Art and culture play a key role in Madrid, with the city being home to over 60 museums, including the Prado Museum. Madrid is also known for its beautifully maintained parks and gardens that exist all across the city. Madrid’s bus and Metro system is extensive, efficient and inexpensive, allowing for students to easily travel all around the city.
 

HOUSING

Upon arrival in Madrid, students are provided with temporary dorm accommodations arranged by CSU IP.  During the orientation week, the on-site staff will provide students with housing information and assist them in finding permanent accommodations. Most students choose to live in local apartments with other students (CSU students, Spaniards or other international students).

ADDITIONAL PROGRAM NOTES:

Please note: Applicants must complete and submit two applications for this program, the CSUF online application and the CSU IP online application.

Applicants must have completed at least four semesters at CSUF at the time of application.

According to the CSU IP Academic bulletin for Madrid,Spain, the university offers a program for selected American universities called the Universidades Reunidas Norteamericanas (the Reunidas) with course offerings for American students focusing on the Language, Literature, History, Geography, Economics, Politics, and Culture of Spain. Instructors are drawn from the regular departments of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and courses are taught in Spanish. They are all generally upper-division.

In the fall semester, all CSU IP participants enroll in a mandatory Spanish course (SLL 100) entitled “Spanish Grammar and Composition Review,” which begins shortly after orientation in late August. This course begins at least one week before the Reunidas courses begin, and continues until the middle of October.

All students are required to take one course during the year, but no more than two per semester, generally in the Facultad de Filología, Facultad de Filosofía, or the Facultad de Geografía e Historia. Courses can be taken in other Facultades if open and by arrangement through the CSU IP Madrid office. These are three or four unit classes in which most of the students are Spaniards, rather than international students from US colleges and universities. Many students wait until their second semester to take their Facultad course so as to have time to strengthen their language skills. Graduate students are advised to work with their home campus advisor to select the courses that best fit their academic needs. In general, Facultad courses will be more likely to match the needs and level of graduate students. All CSU IP participants are required to take a minimum of 15 units per semester, which amounts to a rigorous academic load, especially if one or more of the courses are taken in the regular Facultad. 
 

"Before embarking on my year abroad in Madrid, Spain, I had previously studied abroad in an intense 3 week program hosted by MLSA and Dr. Gallego in Spain. Through this program, I had come to the conclusion that 3 weeks wasn't enough and I needed to challenge and immerse myself in the Spanish culture and day to day life. CSUIP and HUS 350 opened the doors for me in ways I could have never imagined. I learned to persevere through tough adversities and be able to come out on the other side. In 11 months, I was able to: strengthen/practice my language skills, make international friends and make memories that could only ever last a lifetime. No comment/informational could ever explain to you what living abroad does and gives you. It's an experience you hold for a lifetime, that only you can make your own. I was fortunate to have two of those to only shape who I am supposed to be." (2017 - 2018)