Higher Education in Spain
Apr 21st, 2009 by admin
As a significant component of the greater European Union, Spain is still providing international educational options to university students in the world. There is a great number of exchange programs between Spain and the USA, mostly for undergraduates, and there is the popular Erasmus program for the EU states.
The university system in Spain goes back to the Middle Ages. In fact, the oldest among Universities is Salamanca, established in year 1218. The current system comes from the liberal university of 19th century, inspired by a centralized French pattern. In the recent years, it has experienced the greatest development in history, when advancing toward a descentralized and self-governing system.
Higher education in the country is given by both private and public institutions. Spanish universities are parted into institutos universitarios, departamentos, escuelas tecnicas superiores, facultades universitarias, escuelas universitarias, and some other centres, the colegios universitarios.
The curriculum in Spain is a group of subjects that is arranged by the university. If it is completed, a student will obtain a degree. The credit is an assessment unit. It coincides of ten hours of practical or theoretical teaching. Credits are gained by the apt verification of obtained knowledge. This evaluation is provided in the kind of oral or written exams, established by every university. Subjects comprised in the curriculum can be Majors, Compulsory Subjects, Optional Subjects, and Free-choice Subjects.
Marks provided to students at universities in Spain are as follows: Excellent (Matrícula de honor),Above Average (Sobresaliente), Average (Notable), Pass (Aprobado) and Fail (Suspenso).