I am exploring the opition to study abroad for Interantional Affairs program?

Question

I would like to study in Spain. Does anyone know of a good University that would recognize the graduate degree in the US?

Answer 1

In Spain at the present, the education system does not match up with the Anglo-Saxon, bachelor's-master's-PhD system we have here. There after high school they study their major for five years with little diversion from that specialization. And they take like, eight to ten courses per quarter. The degree they get is not a Bachelor's (that would be at the end of four years of studym and is called a "grado" there), it's a "Licenciado". So a Spaniard with a "licenciado" in a subject is probably more of an expert in that area than their bachelor-degree holding counterpart. Graduate study is even more focused and specialized, and a doctorate is the ultimate. But the EU is forcing every country to fall in line with the Anglo-Saxon model, which is more like the US system, so in another year to three there will be "graduado" instead of "licenciatura". This is called the Bologna Process. Every school by now should have the Master's, though.

But people who have gone through different education systems study in Spain every year. Your best bet would be to write the department at the university you are interested in studying at and ask them what their prerequisites are, explain your background and ask them if you're qualified. If you really want to impress them and possibly get a scholarship from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you should take a DELE Spanish-language test through the Instituto Cervantes. If you pass it, you get a special diploma that proves that you know Spanish enough to attend school or hold a job in Spain. This is especially recommendable if you didn't major in Spanish in college.

There are a lot of good choices for studying International Affairs in Spain. I would stick to the big cities (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia) where there are international interests, like businesses and diplomats. One you should definitely check out is the Universidad Complutense in Madrid. Outside of those big cities, Salamanca is has an old university and is sometimes compared to Oxford, and if you're interested in conflict resolution Basque country is a neat place to be.