Study Abroad Information

 

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese considers study abroad an important component of its program to produce culturally literate speakers of Spanish and Portuguese. For this reason we have established summer programs for our Spanish students in Córdoba, Argentina; Xalapa, Mexico; and in Cádiz and Santander, Spain. For our Portuguese students we have a summer program in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. These programs are designed to provide UT students with a stellar academic experience and an opportunity to experience their language of study and culture directly. The department also coordinates programs that allow you to spend a semester, or even a year, at universities abroad. Be sure to inquire about both summer and long-term programs.

The departmental undergraduate advising office (BEN 2.108) is the optimal first point of contact for interested students. Departmental advisors can help you plan curriculum as well as alert you to the availability of scholarship funds to help pay for your program abroad.

Registration takes place through the customary academic advising process here at U.T. There is a wide array of course offerings, ranging from intensive second-year Spanish to advanced culture and literature courses. Study abroad provides an ideal opportunity to focus on language skills. For students interested in improving their written Spanish, we offer both SPN 327G & 327W composition courses. Another option is to spend the first summer session at one of our sites focusing on language skills, and then register for a literature and a culture course at another site in the second session. In this way students can progress from intermediate language learner to advanced in the course of one summer. Program dates correspond closely to the two summer sessions at U.T., making possible the combination of a summer session abroad with a second session in Austin. Students can earn up to 12 credits for a cost comparable to the expense of studying in Austin. Grades earned this way, as well as credit hours, are considered in-residence study at U.T. Departmental advisors familiar with the programs will be happy to assist in the registration process, and U.T. faculty knowledgeable about the academic needs of our students will be on site in all programs, teaching one course and coordinating syllabi and course requirements for the others. Most programs also include courses in subjects other than literature and language. These may be taught in English.

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese also has a long-standing exchange program with Universitat de les Illes Balears in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Through this and other exchange programs, such as with the Universidad de Jaén, also in Spain, the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, or the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, in Santiago, Chile, students pay the customary U.T. tuition and fees with no need to pay additional tuition at the host institution abroad. For example, if a student wished to spend a year at the university in Palma de Mallorca, she would first visit the undergraduate advisors in BEN 2.108 for assistance. During the registration period prior to the semester abroad, she would register for study abroad at U.T., then travel to Palma to study there. Once in Palma, the student would select courses from the offerings of the entire university, including disciplines other than modern languages. Upon returning to U.T., she will speak a much-improved Spanish or Portuguese, and maybe some Catalán as well, and bring to her chosen field of study once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

U.T. has additional exchange programs in Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries, searchable through the Center for Global Educational Opportunities website.