The Study Abroad Program in Salamanca is one of the longest running and most participated in programs operated by U.T.-Pan American. Prior to coming to Salamanca six years ago the program was operated in Sevilla and was moved here to escape the heat and find a host school that could easily accommodate a program of this size.

Universidád Salamanca hosts about 6,000 study abroad students from all over the world at various times throughout the year, with the summer months being the largest enrollment period of the year. Most of the schools who bring students here send only a coordinator or two and all classes are taught by faculty of the the Universidád in Spanish. Since UTPA's students usually can speak Spanish, they come here for the European experience and take classes from the core curriculum or from their major if sufficient students are enrolled. Thus, UTPA is the only school that sends a substantial number of faculty who teach in English. Some of our students take classes from local faculty, but they are usually Spanish majors or Mexicans.

Various campuses of ITESM have participated with our program over the years and there are a number of Mexican students studying with us this year. They are more likely to take courses in Spanish, although we have a number of accounting majors who have enrolled in the CPA and CMA preparatory courses.

A coordinator comes from UTPA to keep track of all of the students and make sure no major problems go unresolved. He also acts as liason with the Universidád and acts as advisor to both the students and faculty who come along. This has always been Ramiro Rea, a Spanish Literature professor, whose language and travel experience over about twenty years in Mexico and Europe makes for a smooth and relatively trouble-free time for everyone.

The program is designed to operate for four weeks in June and counts as Summer I credits. A substantial number of students will come early and visit other countries prior to arrving in Salamanca. You can see pictures from their travels by clicking on the Travels button. All of the students stay with a Spanish family where they have all of their meals and usually share a room with another student, either from UTPA or another school. Their family is responsible for their meals and laundry and generally keeps track to be sure they're safe and sound.

Classes meet in the San Boal Cursos Internaciónal Center Monday thru Thursday in 2 hour sessions at 9:00, 11:00, 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, & 7:00. Professors usually ask students to observe various local situations for cultural enrichment and to bring relevance to the courses they are enrolled in. These weekend observational assignments more than compensate for the lack of classroom time on Fridays.

While in Salamanca, the students are offered opportunties to travel to other cities in Spain, including Madrid, Avila, Segovia, Toledo, to Andalucîa, and to Portugal, which is only about 100 miles to the east. These trips are provided using a bus with a faculty member from the Universidád coming along to act as guide and coordinator. These trips usually cost from $35 for day trips and $160 for weekend trips, which include hotel stay for two nights. Students wanting to take these trips are encouraged to signup as soon as they arrive.

Students can also arrange their own trips locally and can travel by bus or by train. Bus lines and train service schedules make getting away and back quite easy and reasonable. A round-trip first class bus to Madrid will cost about $40 and take about 2.5 hours each way. Some students arrange with travel agencies (Halcón Viajes is popular) and manage to get away to Rome, Parish, and to Barcelona, the Mediterranean islands and the beaches along the Med.

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