Courses and Credits
The Skidmore in Spain program is a liberal arts program with a focus on Spanish language and culture. Students can build their semester by choosing from classes at the Tufts-Skidmore Program Center or the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), our university partner in Madrid. The courses offered at the Program Center are specifically designed and taught only for study abroad students on the program. At the university, students study alongside Spanish and international students. In addition, students can take courses at private studios or academies (offering courses in music, dance, fitness, and studio art) or participate in an internship. All courses are taught entirely in Spanish.
Students enroll in at least 15 credits per semester and are required to take the Advanced Spanish Language Studies course at the Program Center. There are multiple sections of the Advanced Spanish Language Studies course and students will be placed based on a Spanish placement test. There is also a section specifically designed for Heritage Speakers for students who grew up speaking Spanish at home.
Program Center
Each semester, we offer 5-7 courses at the Tufts-Skidmore Program Center. These courses are specifically designed for Tufts and Skidmore students and are taught in Spanish by local faculty. Below is a sample of course options available at the program center. Click here for detailed course descriptions and current offerings.
- Advanced Spanish Language Studies (required)
- Black Lives Matter in Spain
- Decolonial Feminisms
- Graphic Arts: Discovering the Colors of Madrid
- Is Spain Different? A Decolonial Approach to Understanding Spanish Society & Politics
- Reading at the Crossroads: Race, Gender, Class & Otherness in Hispanic Literatures
- Street Art: Mural Painting & Urban Art in Madrid
- The Imagined Voice: Creative Writing in Spanish
- Twisted Spain: Toward a Queer, Antiracist Culture
Spanish University
The Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), or "the Complutense", is a large public university with more than 80,000 students. The UCM is one of the largest and most important universities in Spain and in the Spanish-speaking world and consistently ranks among the top universities in Spain. The UCM has two campuses: the Somosaguas campus and the Moncloa campus. The Moncloa campus is the main campus of the UCM and is located in the heart of Madrid, in close proximity to the Skidmore in Spain Program Center.
The UCM offers two academic options:
- Reunidas - Students may also choose courses offered through a special program for international students, Universidades Reunidas which is supported by the Consortium of North American University Programs. Reunidas offers classes in various disciplines such as Spanish Language and Literature, Geography, History, Art History, Philosophy, Sociology, International Relations and Economics. All courses are taught in Spanish. Click here to review courses in the Reunidas program.
- General curriculum - Students may take regular university classes at the UCM, choosing to study in a variety of departments or schools including Art History, Fine Arts, Languages and Literatures, History, Geography, Economics, Political Science, Sociology, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Medicine, Mathematics, Law, Electrical Engineering, Music, Media Studies, Business, Education, Information Technology, Psychology, Social Work and more. Click here to review UCM course offerings.
Internships
Internships are available in a variety of non-profit organizations, museums, schools, and businesses. Past students have interned at places such as the Museo del Prado, the Spanish Commission for the Aid of Refugees, the Red Cross, Hot English Magazine, Kaplan, the Fulbright Commission, and many others. Students can choose to do an internship for academic credit or non-credit. Interested students should review the internship options on the Tufts-Skidmore in Spain website and contact the OCSE Program Manager with any questoins.
credits
Participants are expected to carry a full course load of at least 15 Skidmore credits per semester. Students who wish to take less than a full course load must request permission from OCSE. All course work taken in Spain is reported on a Skidmore College transcript. For Skidmore students, grades are computed in the cumulative GPA, and students may use all 300-level credits taken in Madrid toward Skidmore's "maturity-level" credit requirement with departmental approval. Non-Skidmore students should check with their home campus for credit transfer details before applying to the program.
The courses at the Tufts-Skidmore Program Center and the university are worth 4 credits each. The credit earned for doing an internship will be dependent on how many hours per week you work at your placement. Skidmore can award 1-6 credits for an internship in Spain, but most students earn 1-3 credits. It is also possible to do an internship not for credit. Courses at private studios will vary in credit from 1-4 credits, depending on the number of contact hours per week for the course.
