Spanish Language & Contemporary Mexico
2010 Spring Semester - Partner Institution

Accreditation

The Panamerican University is recognized by the Mexican General Governing Body of Higher Education.

Panamerican University

With only four decades since its inception, the Panamerican University (UP) is still a young university. However, through its focus on personal growth and development, the institution has earned one of the top places in education in Latin America and is considered one of the most prestigious private universities in the region. UP’s graduate business school, IPADE (Instituto Panamericano de Alta Dirección de Empresa) has been recognized as the best in Latin America by Forbes, Financial Times, and The Wall Street Journal and all five departments that make up the School of Economic and Entrepreneurial Sciences have been accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Schools of Accounting and Administration (CACECA) and recognized for excellence and academic quality.

Influenced by Saint Josemaria Escrivá de Balaguer, founder of Opus Dei, a group of entrepreneurs founded IPADE in 1967. In order to offer not only business-oriented but also humanistic education to IPADE's alumni, Instituto Panamericano de Humanidades (IPH) was formed, widening the institution’s academic offerings. In 1978, only 11 years after it was first established, IPH underwent a name change, turning it into Universidad Panamericana (UP). Today, the university has schools in the following areas: Business, Communication, Engineering, Hospitality Management, Law & Philosophy, Nursing and Medicine and Pedagogy at its three campuses in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Aguascalientes. Students in Guadalajara will be able to take coursework in Business, Communication, Engineering and Pedagogy.

Enrollment at UP’s three campuses is approximately 10,000 students, with an international student population of about 300 students from the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia. The university’s Guadalajara campus currently is home to 2,300 undergraduate and 450 graduate students. UP’s Guadalajara campus is located in the Ciudad Granja neighborhood named after the many farms and summer houses that used to be located in the formerly outlying area. Nowadays, Ciudad Granja and Universidad Panamericana are well connected with the rest of the city; only approximately 20 minutes by public transportation from the trendy Minerva district with its array of restaurants and coffee shops and 10 minutes from Guadalajara’s newest shopping mall, Plaza Galerias. For those interested in Guadalajara’s history, the campus is located approximately 40 minutes by bus from the historic city center with sights such as the oldest cantina in town, amazing murals and beautiful cathedrals and the plaza de los mariachis.  

Classroom Information

Spanish Language courses will be taught by trained professionals in teaching Spanish as a Second Language while integrated courses will be taught by UP faculty who hold advanced degrees and have extensive expertise in their fields. Periodic exams, homework assignments and final exams will be administered. Attendance in all classes is mandatory and monitored by each professor. Teaching styles in Mexico can be quite different from those found in the U.S. or Canada and you should be prepared to adapt to different classroom structures and coursework expectations.

Class size ranges between 10 and 20 students in Spanish Language courses and between 15 and 40 students in integrated courses. For your Spanish Language coursework you will be in class with CEA and other international students from the U.S., Canada, Eastern and Western Europe, as well as Asian countries. If you are taking integrated courses, you will be in class primarily with host national students and a few international students.

Grading

The grading system at the Panamerican University is on a 10-point scale as outlined below. Please note that this grading scale is recommended by CEA and the Panamerican University, but final credit and grade evaluation is ultimately determined by the student's home university.