WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY PROGRAM
AT CARLOS III UNIVERSITY OF MADRID

Application Information

Eligibility: Fall Semester: Students must have completed Spanish 307D and 308D, with a letter grade of B- or better.

Spring Semester: Students must have completed Spanish 307D and 308D plus at least one literary survey (330C, 333C, 334C, 335C, or 336C) with a grade of B- or above in order to be eligible for the program. It is useful, but not necessary, to have taken one conversation class or to have had a prior study abroad experience. A minimum GPA of 3.0 or above is also required at the time of application.

Program Dates: The Carlos III program is designed so that students may study abroad for the full academic year (mid-August through late June), Fall semester (mid-August through mid-December), or Spring semester (mid-January through late June).

About the University: Carlos III University is the newest and smallest of the three major public universities in the Madrid area. It was founded in 1989, and inaugurated by the King and Queen of Spain as a new model for Spanish public education, in the contemporary era of the European Community and increasing internationalism. While the older Universidad Automoma, located about 10 km. north of Madrid by train, has approximately 38,000 students, and the Universidad Complutense, located within its own "city" in northwest urban Madrid, has 151,000 students, the Carlos III, situated in the suburb of Getafe about 10 km. (12 min.) south of downtown by train, offers a more unified, intimate campus. The principal campus of Carlos III, where all but Engineering students study, has about 7,500 students, and is divided into quadrangles. Its buildings are elegant and new, and there are computer facilities throughout the campus where students can send and receive e-mail, research on the web, and write papers.

Housing: Most Spanish universities have very few residence halls and it is the norm for Spanish students to live at home and commute to and from campus. For this reason, students on the WU program are housed with Spanish hosts in Madrid proper, rather than living in Getafe. Through this arrangement, students have the opportunity to experience greater linguistic and cultural immersion than a residence hall would provide, as well as benefiting from the vibrant social and cultural life of urban Madrid.

Support in Madrid: The Washington University students at Carlos III have their own resident director, Ramiro Feijoo, who will help them to select courses, register, learn to use library and other campus services, and will assess their progress and needs in the courses taken, conferring with the Carlos III faculty and staff regularly. The director also helps them renew their visas, helps them become familiar with parts of Madrid, and organizes day trips and longer excursions to introduce students to local festivals, important cultural sites, and other regions of Spain (such as Cataluña, Andalucia, or Asturias).

Washington University students also have their own housing coordinator, Maribel Romero. She selects Spanish hosts for our students and is available to help mediate any communication problems or, if necessary, find a new family if there are irreconcilable difficulties.

Language: Since one of the goals of studying abroad is to familiarize oneself with the various aspects of foreign culture, it is expected that students will use Spanish in all activities related to the program.

Curriculum: All students take a 3-week intensive Spanish language program before they begin their regular semester courses in Spain. At Carlos III there are potentially 3 different curricula available to WU students, but some limits may be placed on a student's options by the academic calendars of the different curricula. The 3 curricula are the following:

• Curso de Estudios Hispanicos - a core curriculum of courses in Spanish language, humanities, and social sciences designed for non-native speakers. 3 WU credits each.
• Curso de Humanidades - general education humanities curriculum for Spanish and visiting students that offers topics courses in a variety of fields. 1 - 2 WU credits each.
• Regular Curriculum - the major curriculum for Spanish students that is also open to visiting students with appropriate preparation. The number of WU credits will be based on the number of weekly contact hours, often 4.

Course Requirements

All students must take a minimum of 12 credits per semester at Carlos III

Fall semester students must take 2 courses in the Curso de Estudios Hispánicos, Spanish Language and one other elective; and they must take a minimum of 3 credits in the Curso de Humanidades shorter courses, selected from the 1, 2, and 3 credit options.

Spring semester students must take 2 courses in the Curso de Estudios Hispánicos, Spanish Language and one other elective; and they must take 1 course in the Regular Curriculum with Spaniards (normally 3-4 credits).

Academic year students must take 2 courses including Spanish Language within the Curso de Estudios Hispánicos their first semester and 1 elective in the CEH the second semester. They may chose any other course options. (A minimum of 1 course in the Regular Curriculum or its equivalent in the Curso de Humanidades is required each semester, but more courses with Spaniards are strongly advised both semesters and are usually the preference of our students.)

Courses that meet Spanish major/minor requirements at Carlos III: Literatura española is the equivalent to Spanish 334, Literatura hispanoamericana is the equivalent to Spanish 336. Students may also substitute Teatro español (after spring 2006) or Teoría y práctica del cuento for one 300-level survey with permission of the department. Note: Students must receive grades of 7 or above to use courses taken in the Curso de Estudios Hispánicos to fulfill major/minor requirements. Students may be able to receive 400-level Spanish credit for courses relevant to the major taken in the Spanish Regular Curriculum upon their return, provided that they have taken 2 literature surveys beforehand and the course materials are of the appropriate level. They must present all course materials for evaluation to Professor Davis. They may not fulfill the WU requirement abroad. Other courses taken that are relevant to the Spanish major/minor receive advanced elective credit.

Price: The program price will be set each semester and based on WU tuition, the cost of housing in Madrid, and the cost of mandatory WU health insurance. It covers tuition, educational and activity fees, excursions, room and board, health insurance and on-site support. Visa fees, airfare, spending money, and discretionary travel are not included.

Application Deadlines: The deadline for fall semester and academic year applications is February 1. The deadline for spring semester is May 1.

Useful Websites: Spain

For more information about this program, please contact Professor Nina Davis of Romance Languages (314-935-5182, ncdavis@artsci.wustl.edu) or Office of International Studies at (314-935-5958), Dr. Amy Suelzer at (314-935-8372, acsuelze@wustl.edu).

Back to Department of Romance Languages & Literatures Study Abroad Opportunities.