The Master's carries a course load of 60 ECTS credits. It will be completed onsite over two consecutive summers (July and August).

Once the Master's is complete, students will be able to:

• Put the skills anticipated by the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) into practice.

• Describe and interpret the functioning of the formal and functional Spanish systems and teach them appropriately.

• Integrate the sociocultural component in teaching practice and play the role of cultural mediator, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

• Plan and evaluate the teaching-learning process according the teaching context, curriculum, methodological focus and the affective component.

• Bring a variety of learning opportunities and teaching materials to the ELE classroom which promote the development of communicative ability.

• Respond to demands in the institutional context and assume different responsibilities as a teacher or member of a teaching team.

• Observe and evaluate their own teaching and reflect on their professional development.

PRACTICUM

The Classroom Module and Practicum I will be completed in Santander in the "Spanish Language and Culture Courses" at the UIMP during teaching block I.

Practicum II can be done in Santander in the "Spanish Language and Culture Courses" at the UIMP during teaching block II or at a Cervantes Institute abroad, once teaching block I has been passed and before beginning teaching block II. The number of spaces and assignment will be determined based on availability at Cervantes Institute offices and the student’s academic performance.

The Classroom Module and Practicum II must be completed and are not subject to recognition of credits.

Students who have taught between six months and one year of classes at official institutions, supervised or directed by a teaching department or official teaching center, may request recognition for the 6 ECTS credits which make up Practicum I.

The student must request this recognition from the Postgraduate Studies Committee at the UIMP, through the Student Secretary, when registering for the Master's and must accompany this request with certification of the teaching experience completed. The decision made regarding recognition will be communicated to each applicant.

The Practicum II can be carried out in one of the following ways:

a) through companies with an agreement with the UIMP based in Spain, references in Spanish as a Foreign Language,

b) in the Spanish Language and Culture Courses at the UIMP in Santander (during the period of the second academic block II) or

c) at the Instituto Cervantes headquarters abroad.  For these unpaid internships, the student must take out the relevant insurance and must cover the costs of transportation, accommodation and maintenance, as well as any of the resulting expenses. It is taken once Teaching Block I has been completed and before the beginning of Teaching Block II. There is a maximum of 10 places at the Instituto Cervantes headquarters. To prioritize places, applications are ordered according to the student's academic performance (at the time of making the ranking, the following formula is used: X = Credits passed in Block I x average transcript grade).

The Classroom Module and Practicum II are mandatory in the program and are not subject to recognition.

If a student wishes to carry out more extra-academic internships from the UIMP, this type of internship can be managed with a duration of up to 750 hours per academic year. For more information see the External Academic Practices page. Prácticas Académicas Externas.

RESEARCH MODULE

Once the program has begun, students will proceed to complete an End of Master's Project (12 ECTS credits) which requires research and classroom application, focusing on an aspect of ELE teaching. In order to pass the Research Module, this project must be orally defended before a panel of ELE specialists.

The topics proposed by the teaching team to complete the End of Master's Project include:

• Pragmalinguistic description of the language and its application to ELE teaching.

• American Spanish and other varieties in ELE teaching.

• Psycholinguistics, acquisition and learning of foreign languages.

• ELE methodology: technological resources, designing materials and curriculum suitability / professional development: planning and evaluation criteria.

• The sociocultural and affective components in the classroom.

AF1.- Theoretical classes

AF2.- Practical classes

AF3.- Completing individual or group work

AF4.- Observation of teaching done by Spanish as a foreign language teachers.

AF5.- Extracurricular tutorials with professors from the Master's or tutors for Practicum I and Practicum II.

AF6.- Giving an oral presentation.

AF7.- Teaching as an intern Spanish teacher.

AF8.- Autonomous work.

MD1.- Master class presentations on basic theories and concepts, supported by audiovisual means which allow for a better understanding of the presented content.

MD2.- Completion of practical exercises and creating didactic units.

MD3.- Commentary on reading/material provided by professors.

MD4.- Tutorials which will serve as support to students during their training and monitoring of their learning.

MD5.- Tutorials and monitoring to complete the End of Master's Project

SE1.- Attending teaching activities.

SE2.- Theoretical and practical tests to evaluate acquisition of important knowledge related to the material in question.

SE3.- Active participation in group work

SE4.- Public presentation and defense of projects

The Master's will be completed onsite and class attendance is mandatory. Evaluation will be continuous and turning in and publicly defending the End of Master's Project will be required.

Students will have two opportunities per subject per academic year and must complete all credits for the program in a maximum of three consecutive years. Registration must be completed following the sequence in the syllabus.

Upon completing and passing the course, students enrolled in the Master's program will receive the Master's Degree in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language from the Rector of the UIMP.

The Menéndez Pelayo International University (UIMP) and the Instituto Cervantes (IC), two of the most emblematic institutions committed to teaching Spanish and training teachers in this discipline, signed a specific agreement on December 20, 2004 to organize the Master's Degree in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language (MELE) which began to be offered as a Master's degree during the 2006-2007 academic year.

Both institutions work closely in the academic, technical and logistical aspects in order to design, organize, advertise and develop the Master's with the common objective of guaranteeing adequate levels both of academic solvency and professional prestige.

The great interest in learning the Spanish language that began around the world decades ago has made teaching of Spanish as a foreign language one of the most popular teaching activities in recent times which has opened a new and promising professional horizon for university graduates who want to devote their careers to this type of teaching. This decision is not in vain as, according to data provided by the IC, there are currently fourteen million Spanish students around the world and during the 2012/2013 academic year the institution had 130,128 enrolled students.

However, this peak in interest in learning Spanish has not always been addressed in Spain in academic offerings from universities nor in teacher training. As a result, in the summer of 2003 the UIMP began a project to establish two degrees, Expert and Master's in these studies, which are based on the institute's experience organizing courses for teaching Spanish as a foreign language (ELE courses) which have been offered since 1933 as well as teacher training courses which began in the year 1990. These more than seventy years of uninterrupted experience with Spanish language and culture courses for foreigners have made the UIMP a pioneer in Spain for this type of teaching.

The UIMP has tried to meet the needs of this situation with absolute academic rigor, offering the essential elements to train as an ELE teacher both with regard to a methodological base and the preparation of essential aspects of this teaching and their practical application which students have been able to deploy in courses for foreigners in Santander and IC centers abroad.

With all of this, students of this degree have been able to obtain suitable knowledge of what an ELE classroom is and the challenges that it presents in addition to receiving a sufficient and up-to-date conceptual, methodological, instrumental and practical base with which they can approach this special professional activity with solvency.

The Master's can be completed in a single academic year at the IC Centro de Formación de Profesores in Alcalá de Henares (Madrid) -although this full time mode has not been offered since the 2009-2010 academic year- or over two years (from May to December) at the offices for the Campus de Las Llamas in Santander and other UIMP offices. The most original characteristic of this model developed by the UIMP is the fact that it offers numerous graduates and teaching professionals the opportunity to complete this degree during the summer as their academic obligations do not allow them to do so during the academic year.

To create the curriculum for the Master's the methodological and curricular focus has been adopted from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment, created in 2001 by the Language Policy Unit at the Council of Europe. At the same time, it follows the guidelines from the European Profile for Language Teacher Education - A Frame of Reference (Michael Kelly et al., 2004); from the Portafolio Europeo de las Lenguas (European Profile of Languages), created by the Spanish Ministry of Education based on recommendations from the Council of Europe; the Cervantes Institute curriculum and for Diplomas of Spanish as a Foreign Language (DELE).

CG1.- Transform key concepts in the fields of linguistics and methodology for teaching foreign languages into practical applications focusing on solving problems in ELE teaching.

CG2.- Critically evaluate the contribution of ELE teaching using research results from said field as references.

CT1.- Complete an oral presentation about any topic related to ELE teaching.

CT2.- Design and complete a written scientific project about any topic related to the area of ELE studies.

CT3.- Use bibliographic and technical resources for research in ELE teaching.

CT4.- Develop strategies conducive to solving problems which arise in the ELE classroom context.

CE1.- Link characteristics of oral and written language with the four basic skills of ELE students (oral expression, listening comprehension, written expression, reading comprehension).

CE2.- Project grammatical knowledge (sage knowledge) in grammatical teaching strategies (knowing what to teach) in ELE.

CE3.- Apply the principles of pragmatics and contextual information in ELE teaching.

CE4.- Select the cultural aspects of the Hispanic world that can be taught in ELE courses.

CE5.- Apply strategies for meaningful teaching of Hispanic literature in ELE classes.

CE6.- Describe oral and written communication in terms of communicative competence and provide illustrative examples.

CE7.- Be familiar with different methodological models for ELE teaching and their evolution.

CE8.- Plan and design ELE classes based on the linguistic and cultural profile of students.

CE9.- Design instruments for evaluating the efficiency of an ELE course or class.

CE10.- Establish work dynamics within a group of ELE students.

CE11.- Select and use audiovisual recourses for teaching in the ELE classroom based on linguistic and cultural characteristics of the students.

CE12.- Understand the different presentations of linguistic varieties of Spanish and categorize them based on the teaching context of the ELE classroom.

CE13.- Evaluate student’s own ELE teaching and design improvement plans based on obtained information.

CE14.- Identify and critically evaluate the planning, structure and implementation in the ELE classroom through observation.

CE15.- Use acquired knowledge and available resources to design and teach ELE sessions within a specific context.

CE16.- Analyze the way in which geopolitical conditions of Spanish determine ELE teaching in different contexts.

CE17.- Identify and correct errors in ELE students' pronunciation and intonation.

CE18.- Be familiar with and use sources of information and ELE resources for continued training and learning throughout life.

CE19.- Describe the processes of acquiring Spanish as L2.

CE20.- Use approaches and methods which are suitable for the learning strategies of different ELE groups.

CE21.- Design specific evaluations to test ELE knowledge keeping the students' level in mind.

CE22.- Design activities and materials for an ELE class based on the level of the students.

CE23.- Apply teaching strategies for interaction between students and for students themselves in an ELE class.

CE24.- Use information and communication technology in ELE teaching.

CE25.- Complete the experimental design of research about ELE acquisition or teaching.

CE26.- Complete original research about aspects of ELE teaching and learning.

The ELE Master's is especially aimed toward those students who have a degree in Linguistics, Spanish Philology, other Philologies, Humanities, Translation and Interpretation, Education Sciences or Information Sciences and licensed professionals who wish to guide their training and teaching experience in Spanish as a foreign language.

ELE teacher with a wide academic profile: able to complete academic functions with meta-reflection, enter a doctoral program to complete linguistic research (mainly applied) or begin professional activity in a wide range of contexts with solvency.

The orientation of the End of Master's Project will indicate the most outstanding profile for graduates in each case.

In previous editions, the orientation towards research has represented 20% of End of Master's Projects while the other 80% have been dedicated to opportunities in the academic and professional fields.

Access with an official university degree from Spain or the European Higher Education Area (EHEA): Admission to the Master's Degree in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language requires an official university degree from Spain or another higher education institution belonging to another Member State of the EHEA which grants access to study a Master's Degree in the country of origin.

Access with a university degree from outside the EHEA: Students with degrees from education systems outside the EHEA can be accepted without requiring official recognition of their degrees by accrediting that the level of studies is the equivalent to that of official university degrees in Spain and that the degree allows access to postgraduate studies in the country of origin.

Access for these students depends on a favorable decision from the Rector. The decision by the Rector will never imply official recognition of the degree the student possesses nor its recognition for purposes other than to study the Master's Degree.

The Master's is especially aimed toward those students who have a degree in Linguistics, Spanish Philology, other Philologies, Humanities, Translation and Interpretation, Education Sciences or Information Sciences and licensed professionals who wish to guide their training and teaching experience in Spanish as a foreign language.

Pre-enrolment should be carried out via internet by completing the online Pre-enrolment Form (Formulario de Preinscripción) available on the UIMP website.

STUDENTS WITH SPECIFIC EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

Universal accessibility is guaranteed and supervision will ensure that students with a disability have the necessary resources and support to correctly complete the master's by asking them to indicate their specific needs when applying for the program.

In this link you can consult the UIMP Protocol for the attention of students with specific educational needs.

The following will be considered in the admission process:

• Average grade on academic transcript granting access to Master's (30%)

• Suitability of degree for applicant's profile (50%)

• Professional experience in ELE (10%)

• Other appropriate merits (10%)

Students whose native language is not Spanish must show a level of mastery in the Spanish language which will allow them to follow the Master's, to be accredited with a high or equal DELE diploma.

The Academic Committee for the Master's will be in charge of examining and evaluating admission applications and approving the accepted candidates according to the previously mentioned criteria. Each academic year said committee will publish a list of accepted students and the scheme applied on the UIMP website.

IMPORTANT NOTE: In the admission process only the merits alleged by the applicants who have been documented will be assessed.

• See admission scheme 2024

Once enrolled, students will have support and guidance from the Director of the program as well as the Secretary and Coordinator for the Master's, in addition to the staff that make up the UIMP Postgraduate Student Secretary and staff from the IC. Thus, the Postgraduate and Research Service at the UIMP manages the use of all means the student requires for training in the Master's.

At the beginning of the MELE, students will attend a welcome sessions which will explain the training objectives of the Master’s, the program structure, organization and structure for Practicum I and Practicum II, the organization for the End of Master's Project, the digital resources provided and the physical location of facilities.

Additionally, students will be given an informational dossier at this welcome session which includes general information about the UIMP (contacts and addresses for academic secretaries, Master's administration, computer labs, libraries, etc.) and an academic guide with the curriculum, structure and schedule for lessons, guidelines for completing the End of Master's Project, dates and methodology for exams, etc.

Teaching staff responsible for teaching Spanish to Foreigners Courses at the UIMP will work closely with students during Practicum I and II, supervising this practical experience. At the same time, those students selected to complete Practicum II in IC centers abroad will be advised by the institution's Teacher Training Department which will provide them with a student teaching tutor.

Finally, Master's professors and the Academic Coordinator, Student Teaching Coordinator and End of Master's Project Coordinator will offer their support and guidance for registered students.

The Master's is coordinated by an Academic Committee which consists of members from both organizing institutions. The Vice Rector of Postgraduate Studies and Research and the Director of the Master's represent the UIMP and the Academic Sub-Director and Head of the Teacher Training Department represent the Cervantes Institute.

Master's Director

José Amenós Pons, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Correo electrónico de contacto: coordinacionmele@uimp.es

Academic Secretary and End of Master's Project Coordinator

Raquel Hidalgo Downing, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Academic Coordinator

Jorge Martí Contreras, Universidad Jaume I

Practicum Coordinator

Jorge Martí Contreras, Universidad Jaume I

The program is taught by recognized professionals in the fields of research and teaching foreign languages from different universities and institutions from both Spain and abroad.

Coordinating Professors

Teaching Block I

Esteban T. Montoro del Arco, Universidad de Granada

Jorge Martí Contreras: Universidad Jaume I

José Amenós Pons, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Marcin Sosinski, Universidad de Granada

Teaching Block II

Eladio Duque Gómez, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Raquel Hidalgo Downing, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Dolors Poch Olivé, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona

Jorge Martí Contreras: Universidad Jaume I

José Amenós Pons, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Faculty

Rosana Acquaroni Muñoz, Centro Complutense para la Enseñanza del Español

José Amenós Pons, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Beatriz Arribas Arévalo, Instituto Cervantes

Lourdes Barquín San Martín, University College Dublin

Teresa Alonso Cortés , Instituto Cervantes

Carmen Chacón García, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Alicia Clavel Martínez, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija

Eladio Duque Gómez, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Daniel Escandell Montiel, Universidad de Salamanca

José Manuel Foncubierta Muriel, Universidad de la Rioja

Javier Fruns Giménez, Instituto Cervantes

Marta García García, Universidad de Gottingen

María Gil Bürmann, Instituto Cervantes

María Luisa Gómez Sacristán, Instituto Cervantes

Vicenta González Argüello, Universidad de Barcelona

Raquel Hidalgo Downing, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

María Inés Guerrero Espejo, Universidad de Granada

Jorge Martí Contreras, Universidad Jaume I

María Desamparados Massó Porcar, Instituto Cervantes

Pilar Melero Abadía, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija

Lourdes Miquel López, Escuela Oficial de Idiomas

Esteban Tomás Montoro del Arco, Universidad de Granada

Mercedes Pérez Serrano, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

José Plácido Ruiz Campillo, Columbia University

Dolors Poch Olivé, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona

Elena Prieto Pérez, Profesora y fundadora de Tu Escuela de Español

Antonio Ramos Álvarez, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Sara Robles Ávila, Universidad de Málaga

Esperanza Román Mendoza, George Washington University

Ventura Salazar García, Universidad de Jaén

Adolfo Sánchez Cuadrado, Universidad de Granada

Carlos Soler Montes, University of Edinburgh

Marcin Ryszard Sosinski Sosinski, Universidad de Granada