Lydia Fernández PeredaKU Leuven

structure• Further study in Spain: why would I?• What different postgraduate programs do exist in Spain?• Entrance requirements: timing, Spanish language requirements,

practical tips & tricks• Funding: scholarships, assistantships, mobility programs, EU• What are the possibilities of student housing in Spanish towns,

how to look for housing?

Why should a Flemish student (who has already an academic bachelor- or

master degree from KU Leuven) do a (postgraduate) study in Spain? 

What are the benefits of studying in Spain?

Why studying in Spain• Spain is much more than

just paella, siesta, fiesta and sangría…

…Spain is not only known for its “Tomatina”…

• …there are almost 50 public universities in Spain (that’s almost 10 times more offer than in Belgium) + more than 30 private oneshttp://www.u-ranking.es/analisis.php

• … big country, with a wide variety of differences between regions: multicultural, multilingual, open society

• …openness, kindness, sympathy, joy and charisma of its people

• Spanish is the 3rd language in the world (after Chinese and English), probably the 2nd in importance (after English)

What different type of postgraduate programs exist in

Spain?

Types of postgraduatesIn Spain “posgrado” (postgraduate) are the university studies

after “grado” (this is, a university career, 3 or 4 years). The best known ones are the masters. There are different types:

1. Official Master (Master Oficial): for some careers, they are compulsory to be able to work

• 1 year (60 ECTS) or 2 years (120 ECTS), usually full time• 2 types: 

o a) Official Professional Master (Master oficial profesional) 

o b) Official Research Master (Master oficial de investigación)> both allow to conduct a doctorate, but the 2nd is specifically orientated in this direction

2. Master Erasmus Mundus: some official masters co-organized by 3 European universities

3. Master Propio: non-official postgraduate offered by universities or other high education centers.They usually require a previous university degree/ + 500 teaching hours

4. University Expert/Specialist Course (Curso de Experto o Especialista Universitario): postgraduate courses with less than 500 teaching hours, usually 200-400

5. University Postgraduate Diploma (Diploma Universitario de Postgrado): highly specialized postgraduate studies, usually no more than 200 hours

Requirements

requirements: general• Check out the website of your destination university for

specific requirements, dates, etc.• Academic year usually starts at the end of September –

end of June• August usually holidays month: most offices are closed!• For more information, check out this website:

http://universidad.es/en/spain/living-spain

language requirements• Where to learn Spanish before leaving:

o KU Leuven: CLT/ILT o Instituto Cervantes (Brussels):

http://bruselas.cervantes.es/es/default.shtm• Qualified official institution that will provide you with a DELE

(Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera)

• Some degrees (especially postgraduate) are taught in English (but this is not so frequent!)

• In some bilingual regions (Galicia, Cataluña, País Vasco, Baleares, Valencia) you might receive lessons in the other official regional language (Galician, Catalan, Basque)

language requirements• Once you are in Spain…

o Thousands of private language schools where you can learn Spanish …

+o University language schools+o Instituto Cervantes (in Madrid)

Funding

• Scholarships at the EU (Lifelong Learning Programme) http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-programme/doc78_en.htm)o Leonardo (internships in companies)o Comenius, Grundtvig, eTwinning: mostly for teachers &

mobility within the EUo Erasmuso Erasmus Placements: enables students at higher

education institutions to spend a placement (traineeship/internship) period in an enterprise or organization in another participating country of the LLP program

• Interesting website in Flanders: EPOS-Vlaanderen http://www.epos-vlaanderen.be/?CategoryID=552

• Some universities offer funding for highly qualified international students: contact with your destination university!

Housing

¿piso compartido, residencia, familia?• No “kots”, but shared apartments (usually with other

students, local or international) http://www.pisocompartido.com/

• University residences & services

• Private search: facebook groups (former students who have been in Spain, Spanish students in Leuven

contact them!), websites, “little papers” system in situ, etc…

• More information provided in the website http://www.studyinspain.info/

• ‘Infomarkt’, here, today, until 15.00 + more information about where to study Spanish at the KU Leuven at the CLT (Centrum voor Levende Talen)/ ILT (Interfacultair Instituut voor Levende Talen) infostand