Complutense University of Madrid

Introduction

The Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), with a European and International vocation, is the largest public research university in Spain, and is widely regarded as one of its most prestigious academic institutions. Given that teaching is the institution’s main priority, students are regarded as our number one concern. The Complutense University of Madrid has committed itself to provide a comprehensive training at the highest level, and to teach undergraduate and graduate programs that enjoy a wide acceptance in the labor market. We are a general university. At the present time, we offer 81 BA degrees, 152 MA and MS degrees, 58 Doctoral programs and nearly 200 Expert and Specialist titles, in almost all areas of knowledge: Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Health Sciences, Engineering and Social and Legal Sciences. Learning and teaching at Complutense University are guided by the belief that undergraduate, graduate, master and PhD students and their professors belong to a community of scholars. This community is dedicated to providing students with a foundational understanding of a broad range of disciplines followed by the opportunity for in-depth study in a chosen discipline. Our university is the main choice for international students in Spain, since 17.41% of them are coming to Complutense. Therefore, the internationalization of the university’s curriculum is an increasing reality – we offer some bilingual degrees (in Spanish and English), and a wide variety of specific courses in different languages. The UCM also has a prestigious Spanish Language Center (CCEE) for international students. Moreover, the UCM has academic agreements with 400 Universities from all over the world, thereby offering students the opportunity to complete their education by conducting semester or annual stays in most of these institutions. Besides an extensive series of accords permitting student/professor exchanges and study abroad opportunities, the Complutense currently operates some institutions outside of Spain: the Real Colegio Complutense at Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts), the Collège des Hautes Études Européennes Miguel Servet (Paris, France), the Cátedra Complutense in Karlova University (Prague, Czech Republic), and the Cátedra Dubcek in Bratislava (Slovakia). Complutense University of Madrid is committed to integrate education, research and service so that each one enriches and extends the others. This integration promotes academic excellence and nurtures innovation and scholarly development. For this reason, the institution holds an annual open call for innovative projects in education to help improve our teaching methods. The UCM guarantees a quality education that will let students reach their full potential in their future professional experiences with the aim of forming responsible, free, critical and engaged citizens committed to an idea of progress based on equity and tolerance, and which will allow them to join the workplace in the best possible conditions. Many UCM research groups occupy positions the highest ranks of international leadership. We are committed to the development of stakes of excellence based on large networks of quality research groups, on the promotion of emerging groups, the integration of young researchers, and on the engagement of our own undergraduate and graduate students. Complutense has major strengths in chemistry, particularly in nanosciences and how that can be applied to medicine. It also has a distinguished reputation in astrophysics, quantum computing, neurosciences, paleobiology of the deposits from Atapuerca’ sierra, religious studies, urban development and climate change. Most of our research is supported through research grants having collaborations with important companies like Telefonica, IBM, and Google. Complutense has an entrepreneurship office, with the only purpose of educating students in all aspects about setting up their own businesses and has produced several spin-off companies. To sum up, the UCM is committed to discovery and innovation, creative and collaborative achievements, debate and critical inquiry, in an open and inclusive environment that encourages the growth and development of faculty, students, and administrative staff. As a public university, the Complutense is open to the social reality and embraces all ways of thinking and expressions that defend democratic values. Its activity responds to the principles of democracy, transparency, campus sustainability, real and virtual accessibility, preservation of the environment and commitment to the social and economic environment. Likewise, its commitment to social responsibility includes participation in human development through extensive participation in cooperation programs.