Classical university education has a long tradition in Spain. As early as the 13th-15th centuries, the first universities were founded: in Salamanca (1218), Lerida (1300), Huesca (1334), Valladolid (1346), Valencia (1440), and Barcelona (1450). Interestingly, in the 13th-14th centuries university courses included only secular disciplines - grammar, logic, mathematics, rhetoric, astronomy, medicine, law, classical and Oriental languages. Only in the 15th century was theology included in the curriculum.
Today Spain has 67 universities, of which 48 are public and 19 are private. For comparison, let us recall that in the middle of the last century there were 17 universities, 12 of them public. These figures give a clear idea of how much importance the country's authorities attach to the development of university science and education. A kind of "mark of quality" of Spanish universities is the fact that members of the Spanish royal family studied at them.
Universities provide an opportunity to receive an excellent classical education at prices that, compared with the average European level, can rather be called symbolic (?800-1.000 per year). In private universities, tuition is several times more expensive, but they often offer new professions for which there will be increased demand for a long time. Universities are traditionally strong in teaching history, philosophy, physics, and the arts. Among the new courses, information technology, biomechanics, hotel management, ecology, tourism, and other fields of study are popular.
Why not compete with Oxford?
Castile-Leon is one of those autonomous regions that attracts the largest number of foreign students. And this is not surprising - after all, here is Salamanca with its world-famous university. For many years the Universidad de Salamanca competed in glory with Oxford. Cervantes, Calderon, and Lope de Vega sat on its benches. As early as the 16th century, a third of all students were visitors not only from other parts of Spain, but also from Lyon, Lisbon, and Naples. And today thousands of foreign students come here every year for knowledge. A great advantage of studying in Salamanca is the fact that the purest Spanish dialect - Castilian - is spoken here.
Many legends and traditions are associated with the university in Salamanca. For example, an old student omen said that only a freshman who finds the image of a frog hidden among the coats of arms and plant ornament on the pediment will successfully pass the exam.
Among the best higher education institutions in Spain is also the University of Madrid, which includes 19 faculties, the Higher School of Informatics, 6 university schools, 30 institutes, and 12 professional specialization schools. In Madrid, history is at every step. The so-called Student Residence is surrounded by legends, which many generations of students familiarly called "the Resi." This privileged campus was reputed to be the Spanish Oxford. It was considered home by such world-famous celebrities as Luis Bunuel, Salvador Dali, and Rafael Alberti. Albert Einstein and Le Corbusier came here to give lectures to students. The Spanish capital is a gold-bearing Klondike for those who intend to professionally engage in the arts or are simply interested in them. Some will be curious to learn that it was at the Madrid theater "Eslava" that the first play by Federico Garcia Lorca, "The Butterfly's Evil Spells," once failed miserably.
"City of students, music, and flamenco"
Along with the ancient classical universities, many "young" universities, such as Sevilla and Valencia, have entered the cohort of prestigious ones. They are developing dynamically and conducting research work. The University of Granada is also well known, where such fields of study as hotel and tourism business, international law, and world economics are in special demand. Granada deserves special mention - after all, it is called "the city of students, music, and flamenco." Indeed, every sixth resident of Granada is studying somewhere.
Many young people choose universities in Barcelona for their studies - a city that has a favorable geographical position and ideal climatic conditions. It is the cultural capital of Spain and the largest resort center in Europe. Interest in it is primarily attracted by the unusual houses and buildings that the great Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi built, which stir the imagination. His most famous creation is the Cathedral of the Holy Family, a fantastic structure with high Gothic towers, work on which has been underway for 120 years and which is still unfinished.
At the University of Barcelona, 74 thousand students study theology, medicine, civil law, philosophy, and art. Barcelona is also home to ESADE University, which is among the top ten European universities and business schools. ESADE, where instruction is conducted in Spanish and English, has faculties of economics and law, as well as a tourism department and a school of foreign languages. ESADE is a center for administering the DELE exam, which confirms that a foreigner is fluent in Spanish. A certificate of passing this exam is required for admission to any university in the country.
Where to get a "fashionable" profession
However, alongside classical universities, new-type educational institutions are appearing in Spain that respond flexibly to market needs and provide education at various levels. One such example is the Spanish Center for New Professions (Centre Espanol de Nuevas Profesiones, CENP), which has branches in Barcelona, Madrid, and La Coruña. More than 50,000 students have already used its services. The center's special feature is that you can acquire the most modern, "fashionable" professions there - in particular, marketing specialist, advertising, tourism, design, and antiques specialist - and at the same time study Spanish perfectly. An exclusive language course (Curso Exclusive) is especially popular among foreigners. What is it? You study general Spanish in the mornings (20 hours per week), and in the afternoon you attend lectures at a university college on subjects of interest to you. You can choose from marketing, tourism, design, antiques, information technology, etc. The minimum duration of the course is four weeks, the optimal duration is nine months.
One of the "old" universities with new programs is Universities La Salle. As Karen Peyer, director of international programs, told us, great importance is attached here to the international nature of education, since this is important for building a career in the era of globalization. A study group of 25 people usually includes representatives of 10 nationalities. La Salle provides education that is as close as possible to the practical needs of the labor market. The university offers bachelor's degrees in business administration, international business, and sports management. By the way, four of our compatriots have already blazed a trail to this interesting educational institution. Tuition is paid and amounts to €8.600 per year.
Another example is the Euroaula Higher School of Tourism, established at the University of Girona and specializing in the hotel business and management of public catering facilities. Here, students master the intricacies of tourism companies' activities and also study information media in tourism. The program includes such subjects as the structure of the tourism market, introduction to economics, fundamentals of law, accounting, structure and equipment of hotels, etc. Two foreign languages are also studied. Upon graduation, a state diploma of higher education is issued with the award of a master's degree in tourism.
Euroaula also offers professional development and retraining courses in such areas as "Introduction to the Internet," "Computer Science and Office Management," "Ecological Tourism," "Tourist Entertainment Programs," "Protocol and Etiquette," and others.
"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page," said Saint Augustine in time immemorial. Today this idea is more relevant than ever. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of experience gained while studying at a foreign university. Spanish universities are perfectly suited to gaining such experience.