Concordia in Spain
Offered by the Department of Classics, Modern Languages and Linguistics (CMLL), this prigram offers Concordia students the opportunity to participate in an educational and cultural immersion at the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC) while earning 9 Concordia credits in Spanish language and culture courses.
About the program
Do you feel unsure about how to progress in your Spanish learning? Or perhaps you prefer to take Spanish classes in a Spanish-speaking country where you can put into practice what you are learning? Travelling to Spain this summer and immersing yourself in its language and culture for a month can help you improve your Spanish more quickly and effectively.
Through the University of Oviedo, which is located in the scenic region of Asturias between the Cantabrian Sea and the Picos de Europa, the Concordia in Spain program offers Spanish language classes for intermediate and advanced students. This program combines four hours of daily Spanish language instruction along with cultural activities. The courses are Concordia courses that will allow students to earn 9 credits toward their Concordia degree. The program will be led by Dr. Alba Fano-Trabanco.
Dates & courses
Dates: Sunday, May 25, 2025 (arrival date) to Saturday, June 28, 2025 (departure date)
Undergraduate courses:
The program consists of 9 credits. Students will be placed into a group according to their proficiency level and will follow the corresponding courses:
Group of intermediate-level students
- SPAN 240: Intermediate Spanish Intensive Course (6 credits)
- SPAN 398: Special Topics in Spanish (students can choose between the Spanish Literature and Art History courses) (3 credits)
Group of advance-level students
- SPAN 305: Communicative Strategies and Oral Communication for Non-Native Speakers (3 credits)
- SPAN 398: Special Topics in Spanish (Spanish Writing course) (3 credits)
- SPAN 398: Special Topics in Spanish (students can choose between the Spanish Literature, Art history and Business Spanish courses) (3 credits)
Please note that Spanish courses for beginners will not be offered. Only students who have previous knowledge of Spanish and meet the requirements for SPAN 240 will be accepted. If you are not sure if you meet the requirements, please take the online Spanish placement test https://www.concordia.ca/artsci/cmll/programs/undergraduate/modern-languages/language-placement.html. To obtain your test results, please email Dr. Alba Fano-Trabanco at alba.fanotrabanco@concordia.ca.
Estimated costs
Program fee: Concordia will charge program participants for 9 credits of undergraduate tuition and a program fee of $ CDN to cover
- tuition at the host university
- housing (residence)
- Concordia program monitor fee
- course materials
Additional costs: Students are responsible for paying and selecting their transportation to/from Oviedo, Spain, mandatory health and travel insurance, meals (except breakfast and lunch) and spending money.
Please note that Concordia tuition and flights are not included in the price.
Quebec Mobility Bursary
To offset costs, Concordia offers a bursary of $XXX CDN to students who qualify. To qualify, you must be a Concordia student enrolled in a Concordia Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctoral degree program and approved to participate in the field school.
- Field school applicants do not need to submit a bursary application as it is part of the on-line field school application, and you will automatically be considered for the Quebec Mobility bursary.
- The bursary will be applied to student accounts. Details on the payment of the bursary will be sent to successful applicants.
Host institution
The Universidad de Santiago de Compostela is located in the city of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. Founded in 1495, it is one of the world's oldest universities still operating today. USC has 42,000 students and has been ranked as the fifth best university in Spain according to the Complutense University of Madrid. While at USC, students will take Spanish as a second language courses through the Centro de Linguas Modernas.
Santiago de Compostela, or just Santiago, is located in the Spanish autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. It has a population of approximately 95,000 people, traces its origins back to the 4th century and has a well-preserved old city centre. According to legend, the Cathedral of Santiago is the resting place of St. James the Apostle and is one of the stops on the Way of St. James or El Camino de Santiago.
Accommodations
Students will reside in university residences in single rooms on the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela's campus.
Eligibility requirements
- Preference will be given to students who have a minimum 2.7 cumulative GPA, are registered in Concordia degree programs (Bachelor's, Master's or PhD) and are first-time applicants. Students who have between a 2.5 and 2.69 GPA are also eligible to apply.
- Students who have no background in Spanish/who are absolute beginners to learning the language are encouraged to apply.
- The selection committee reserves the right to interview applicants.
Application process
Preference will be given to students who have a minimum 3.00 cumulative GPA, are registered in Concordia degree programs and are first-time applicants. Students who have between a 2.50 and 3.00 GPA are eligible to apply.
The selection committee reserves the right to interview applicants.
All students interested in applying to this program must attend an information session given by Concordia International prior to submitting an application.
Date: Monday, February 14, 2025
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting: https://concordia-ca.zoom.us/j/3654810697
Submit the Concordia Field School Abroad Application by the application deadline of February 14, 2025. The application can be accessed through the Concordia International CSEP Mobility Portal.
Your application must also include:
- A copy of your most recent unofficial transcript (whether from Concordia or another institution).
- A letter of intent of 500-750 words describing why you wish to participate in the Concordia in China program. You should mention what strengths or contributions you think you will bring to the group.
- Admissions decisions will be communicated by e-mail after the application deadline.
- Students admitted to the program will have to make a $500 deposit to Student Accounts (by March 19th). Please be aware, however, that any deposit you make will first be applied to any outstanding balances you owe to Concordia. If a student withdraws from the program, the $500 deposit will be credited to their student account and applied against their future tuition.
- Graduate students and students from other universities must first register as “Independent Undergraduates” to be able to register for these courses. If admitted to the program, you will be prompted to complete this step after your have received your admission letter.
- The courses offered on this program are subject to change based on final enrolments.
- Due to the structure and intensive nature of this program, students must be able to take all 9 credits included in the program.
- Attend a pre-departure session on Friday April 11th 2025 at 2:00 pm on the following Zoom link: : https://concordia-ca.zoom.us/j/3654810697
All information on this website is subject to change without notice. The program is subject to a minimum enrollment of 15 students to take place, and it may be cancelled at any time and for any reason.