Studying Abroad in Madrid | IAU

  

Terms: Fall Semester, Spring Semester, Academic Year, Summer, J-Term, Custom

Disciplines: Architecture, Art, Art History, Business, Communications, Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, Film Studies, Finance, History, International Relations, Literature, Management, Marketing, Mathematics, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Spanish

Internships: Students have access to internships in a variety of fields (in Spanish) throughout the city of Madrid.  Those participating in this field experience will earn academic credit and take the accompanying internship course to support and facilitate learning. Internships are 120 credit hours.

Field Studies and Study Tours: All courses have a required field studies component, where faculty use the city of Madrid as their classroom. These field studies include visits to museums, historical and cultural sites, and local businesses. For example, class sessions of the Great Masters of the Prado course will often be held in this world-famous museum.  Students also will participate in a variety of activities and study tours that enrich the academic and cultural experience of the program. The study tours are day trips for the entire student cohort to cities like Toledo, Segovia, and Valle de los Caídos, while weekend study tours may be to international destinations such as Morocco or France. Cultural activities include visits to world-famous museums, language exchanges with local students, and thematic walking tours to familiarize students with different areas of the city. IAU also offers a lecture series, where local faculty share their expertise through presentations and engaging dialogue. 

Cultural Excursion Examples (subject to change and depending on season):

• Weekend in Barcelona or Granada
• Day Trip to Segovia 
• Day Trip to Toledo

Housing Options: Housing options available to students include homestays or residence halls. Homestays include daily breakfast and dinner, weekly laundry service, and have the benefit of ongoing cultural and language exchange.  Students in residence halls will be responsible for their own meals or will have the option to purchase a meal plan. Please note that some universities require their students to stay in homestays.

Madrid is regarded as an important economic, artistic, and educational center, home to the Spanish Parliament (las Cortes), the Spanish Stock Exchange (la Bolsa), as well as a number of world renowned cultural and historical sites. Students studying in Madrid will have access to a wide variety of activities, including visiting the Museo Nacional del Prado and the Parque del Buen Retiro, to catching a fútbol (or soccer) match at The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, to flamenco dancing, and sampling local cuisines such as tapas, bocadillo de calamares, and churros con chocolate.  

  

IAU offers semester, summer and January term programs in the lively and beautiful city of Madrid, Spain. IAU’s campus in Madrid is centrally located in close proximity to many of Madrid's famed attractions. IAU Madrid employs a student affairs and academic affairs staff to advise, place, house, and otherwise support incoming students for full semester, year-long, and summer programs. It is part of IAU's mission to make study abroad affordable and accessible to the broadest possible range of students. To that end, IAU's Madrid program fees are among the most competitive in the field.

To complete the course curriculum, IAU hosts a plethora of guest speakers and lecturers from a wide breadth of disciplines including journalists, musicians, and political activists. Students who participate in this program will develop a deeper understanding of the Spanish language and its historical, economical, and cultural importance in Europe. 

Join us. Begin your application to study abroad in Madrid, Spain today. 

Specialized Programs in Madrid

IAU Madrid offers a wide breadth of course disciplines to students from all majors and minors. Prior knowledge of Spanish is not required as the majority of courses are offered in English. It is recommended that students take a minimum of one course in the Spanish language. Please find specialized program tracks highlighted below.

Spanish Honors Program

The Spanish Honors Program is designed for Spanish majors or other students with demonstrated advanced-level Spanish, interested in a comprehensive language and cultural immersion program. As part of the program, students will take courses taught in upper-division Spanish language. As part of the Spanish Honors Program, students will:

• Have the opportunity to be placed in a homestay where only Spanish is spoken

• Enroll in courses taught in Spanish

• Engage in a Spanish Language Partner Program with local Spanish students

• Opt to be placed into an internship based on the the academic background and career aspirations of the student