Pitzer Direct Enroll – Spain: SIGE and UPO

Open to Pitzer students only.  

Program Title: Spanish Institute for Global Education (SIGE) and Universidad Pablo de Olavide (UPO)

direct-seville
Evelyn Cheung ’13

Location: Seville, Spain

Host Website
SIGE
Universidad Pablo de Olavide: Hispanic Studies 

Eligibility
Students must be in good standing at Pitzer College. UPO requires a 2.9 or higher GPA o a 4.0 scale. Preference is given to juniors and first semester seniors but qualified sophomores are eligible if space is available.

For the UPO Hispanic Studies Program a semester of college level Spanish language coursework is strongly recommended but not required.

Preparation
At least one European area studies course is strongly recommended before departure. Other general preparation options include: Comparative Politics, Intercultural Communications, Introduction to International/ Intercultural Studies, Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology

Application
Students must first apply through Pitzer’s Office of Study Abroad and International Programs. If accepted by Pitzer, students will then be asked to complete the SIGE and UPO Hispanic Studies applications.

Program Dates
Fall semester: End of August to mid-December (with early exams for regular university courses)
Spring semester: January to May (with early exams for regular university courses)

For students who wish to take regular University courses who want to take their exams early (to more closely match US academic or personal schedules) must speak with the professor(s) personally and receive their permission before signing up for the course(s).

Required Courses
Participants are required to take the Spanish Culture Orientation course and the Spanish Language Seminar at SIGE, 3 courses at Universidad Pablo de Olavide (UPO) worth 6-ECTS each and complete one independent study project. Students will take SIGE’s 48-hour orientation course during the first two weeks of the semester followed by SIGE’s semester-long Spanish language and culture seminar, the independent study project and courses taken at UPO.

Real Alcazar “Reales Alcazares” gardens in Seville, Andalusia, Spain

Intensive Language
Students take the Spanish Language Seminar semester course at SIGE.

Independent Study
All students are required to complete one independent study project, which is worth 0.8 Pitzer credits.

Course Options

Students have the option of taking courses in history of art and cinema, biology, chemistry, economics, history, political science, psychology, etc. Course descriptions UPO Hispanic Studies Program and UPO Academic_Information.

For year-long university courses with Spanish students, some professors will let students take the fall component and issue grades at the end of the semester. Other professors only issue the fall grades after the end of the academic year.

Fall 2017 students bicycling

Credit Possible
Students earn 0.5 Pitzer course credits for the orientation course, 0.8 credits for the language seminar at SIGE, 0.8 credits for the independent study project and 2.4 credits for all 3 university courses (0.8 credits per university course).(See above under Required Courses.) Therefore, students will earn 4.50 Pitzer credits for the entire program.

Housing and Board Options
Students are housed with host families and share most meals with their families. Please note that the university is located outside of the city center. Students who choose to take their electives at UPO may have up to a 45 min commute to class.

Additional Notes
All students enroll in the Tandem (cultural buddy) program to facilitate cultural immersion.

Visa Process: Students should note that the Spanish visa process is extensive and typically takes 90 days to complete. Once students receive instructions and needed documents, they should begin the visa process ASAP. To apply for the visa students must complete the application, gather needed documents, make an online appointment and appear in person at their local Spanish consulate. Some students may need to travel to get to a consulate. To get an idea of what to expect for the visa appointment, please visit: Los Angeles Consulate website.