IAU Madrid Academic Concentrations

IAU Madrid offers the following optional semester program Academic Concentrations for students who wish to pursue a specific course of study. Students in any major can enroll and will take some core courses as a cohort and then choose from electives. 

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Human Rights, Refugee and Migration Studies

Human Rights, Refugee, and Migration Studies is an interdisciplinary concentration designed for students with interests in social justice and advocacy, public and foreign policy, and international relations and law. The curriculum fosters student engagement with a wide range of fieldwork opportunities integrated into coursework, direct collaborations with civil society organizations, and dialogue with multicultural societies in the Western Mediterranean to address ongoing political dilemmas and pressing ethical questions worldwide. Students also have an opportunity to make an impact by participating in an unpaid service learning placement at a local NGO or nonprofit in Madrid.

Cultural Components:

• Engage with guest speakers and integrated study trips as required components of place-based learning.
• Conduct weekly fieldwork in government offices, NGOs, and nonprofit organizations.

Semester Academic Requirements: 15 credits

• Core course: IRL/POL 331 Human Rights, Migration, and Global Civil Society (3 credits)
• Core course: SOC 314 Service Learning Experience (3 credits)
• At least two courses from the disciplines of COM, IRL, POL, or SOC (6 credits)
• One elective from any discipline (3 credits)

Summer Academic Requirements: 6 credits

• Core course: IRL/POL 331 Human Rights, Migration, and Global Civil Society (3 credits)
• Core course: SOC 314 Service Learning Experience (3 credits)

Additional Application Requirements: please review the application requirements for the Service Learning Experience here.

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International Public Relations and Media

The International Public Relations and Media concentration is an interdisciplinary course of studies designed for students with interests in communications, journalism, prelaw, advertising, and digital and mass media, which aims to prepare students with the theory and practice of how public opinion is formed. This concentration fosters student engagement with public relations decisions through global case studies and local fieldwork with media experts and public relations agencies in Madrid. Under IAU Madrid faculty guidance, students acquire the skills to create a media kit, press releases, and measure the impact of public relations case studies.

Cultural Components:

• Engage with guest speakers and study trips as required components of place-based learning.
• Conduct fieldwork in site visits in Madrid such as nationally distributed news media, public relations agencies, and related firms.

Semester Academic Requirements: 15 credits

• Core course: COM 313 International Public Relations (3 credits)
• Core course: COM 315 Media, Influence, and Society (3 credits)
• At least two courses from the disciplines of BUS, COM, IRL, MKT, or PHI (6 credits)
• One elective from any discipline (3 credits)

Summer Academic Requirements: 6 credits

• Core course: COM 313 International Public Relations (3 credits)
• Core course: COM 315 Media, Influence, and Society (3 credits)

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Spanish Honors Program

The Spanish Honors Program is designed for Spanish Majors and Minors or other students with demonstrated advanced-level Spanish who are interested in a comprehensive language and cultural immersion program that emphasizes place-based learning. The Spanish Honors Abroad Program has complementary components that both foster language immersion and give students the tools to pursue guided, critical inquiry into Spanish cultures firsthand.

Cultural Components:

• Explore weekly fieldwork in Madrid’s museums, galleries, and archives that integrate the student's interests into the Culture Lab.
• Engage with guest speakers and participate in study trips as required components of place-based learning.
• Participate in Spanish language exchanges.
• Live in a homestay with a Spanish family.

Semester Academic Requirements: 16 credits

• Core course: ARH/SPA 411 Culture Lab (4 credits)
• At least three 300- or 400-level Spanish courses (9 credits)
• One elective from any discipline (3 credits)

Summer Academic Requirements: 7 credits

• Core course: ARH/SPA 411 Culture Lab (4 credits)
• One 300- or 400-level Spanish course (3 credits)

Additional Application Requirements: Students interested in this concentration are required to submit a Spanish placement exam and an essay in Spanish in the online application.