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The pre-enrolment period is open from January 15 to March 21, 2025
Organized in collaboration with the Instituto Cervantes
19th Edition. 2025-2027 (teaching block I) and 18th Edition. 2024-2026 (teaching block II)
The Menéndez Pelayo International University (UIMP) and the Instituto Cervantes (IC) have organized the Master's Degree in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language as a part of an academic alliance, with both institutions accrediting the degree. The studies consist of 60 ECTS credits which will be completed over two consecutive summers at the UIMP's Campus de Las Llamas in Santander.
The program provides academic and professional training for teachers of Spanish as a foreign language (ELE in Spanish). It devotes 18 ECTS credits to a supervised practicum (Practicum I, II) in universities and official ELE centers, including the Cervantes Institute. The academic component of the program includes faculty who are specialists from different prestigious universities and institutions, both national and foreign. These experts teach the following areas: applied linguistics for teaching foreign languages, grammatical description of Spanish as L2; geopolitical varieties of the language and markets; in-class methodology and research: teaching process, designing materials and using new technologies for teaching Spanish; psycholinguistics; evaluation and official accreditation of levels; institutional programming and planning and research.
The research aspect is completed via a supervised research project (End of Master's Project 12 ECTS credits) which will be publicly defended.
Pre-Enrolment: January 15 to March 21, 2025 (until 23:59 p.m. Madrid time)
Resolutions on Admissions: up to April 24, 2025
Claims Period: on the two working days following the publication of resolutions on admissions.
Final resolutions of Admissions: the day after the end of the claim period.
Payment of Enrolment Fees and Delivery of documentation: from April 30, 2025 within 10 days from the receipt of the admission notification.
Stipulated Period for Application for Homologation of Credits:
First Stipulated Period: June 17 to July 1, 2025.
Second Stipulated Period: 2 to September 12, 2025.
Period to request the gracious favor of an additional exam sitting: until one month after the closing of Official Grades Records.
Student Secretary
Telephone: +34 91 592 06 20 / +34 91 592 06 59 / +34 91 592 06 33
Contact email: alumnos.posgrado@uimp.es
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 Director and Head of the Teacher Training Department represent the Cervantes Institute.
Master's Director
José Amenós Pons, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Contact email: coordinacionmele@uimp.es
Spanish
Admission of candidates will be decided by the Academic Committee for the Master's according to the conditions for access and specific requirements for admission to the program with the objective of not surpassing the 35 spaces established as the course maximum.
UIMP-Campus de Las Llamas
Avenida de los Castros, 42
39005 Santander, Spain
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.
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.
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.
A1.- Theoretical classes
A2.- Practical classes
A3.- Completing individual or group work
A4.- Observation of teaching done by Spanish as a foreign language teachers.
A5.- Individual and/or group tutorials.
A6.- External academic internships.
A7.- Independent study and work of the student.
A8.- Presentation and defence of the TFM.
A9.- Evaluation tests (oral and/or written, practical and/or
theoretical).
M1.- Master class presentations on basic theories and concepts, supported by audiovisual means which allow for a better understanding of the presented content.
M2.- Project-based learning or problem-based learning: practical exercises and
elaboration of didactic units.
M3.- Collaborative learning.
M4.- Class commentary on readings and materials that students will have
previously read.
M5.- Individual and/or group tutorials.
S1.- Attending teaching activities.
S2.- Theoretical and practical tests to evaluate acquisition of important knowledge related to the material in question.
S3.- Active participation in group work
S4.- 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.- Transformar en aplicaciones prácticas enfocadas a la resolución de problemas de enseñanza de ELE los conceptos clave formulados en los ámbitos de la Lingüística y la Metodología de enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras.
CG2.- Evaluar críticamente las aportaciones propias a la enseñanza de ELE tomando como referentes los resultados de investigaciones realizadas en dicho ámbito.
HB1 - Usar recursos gráficos, escritos, orales y audiovisuales para el aula de ELE.
HB2 - Transformar en aplicaciones prácticas enfocadas a la resolución de problemas de enseñanza de ELE los conceptos clave formulados en los ámbitos de la Lingüística y la Metodología de enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras.
HB3 - Evaluar críticamente las aportaciones propias a la enseñanza de ELE tomando como referentes los resultados de investigaciones realizadas en dicho ámbito.
HB4 - Realizar una exposición oral sobre cualquier tema relacionado con la enseñanza de ELE.
HB5 - Planificar y llevar a cabo un trabajo científico sobre cualquier tema relacionado con el ámbito de los estudios de ELE.
HB6 - Utilizar los recursos bibliográficos y tecnológicos propios de la investigación en la enseñanza de ELE.
HB7 - Planificar y diseñar cursos y clases de ELE en función del perfil lingüístico y cultural de los estudiantes.
HB8 - Diseñar instrumentos para la evaluación de la eficacia de un curso o de una clase de ELE.
HB9 - Explotar didácticamente recursos audiovisuales en el aula de ELE en función de las características lingüísticas y culturales de los alumnos.
HB10 - Evaluar la propia actividad como docente de ELE y diseñar planes de mejora en función de las evidencias obtenidas.
HB11 - Manejar fuentes de información y recursos de ELE para la formación continua y el aprendizaje a lo largo de la vida.
HB12 - Utilizar enfoques y métodos adecuados a las estrategias de aprendizaje de distintos grupos de ELE.
CM1 - Comprender la carrera de un profesional de ELE.
CM2 - Analizar, interpretar y describir el funcionamiento del sistema formal y de los actos de comunicación del español y darles, en el aula, un tratamiento didáctico adecuado a las necesidades de aprendizaje de distintos perfiles de alumnado.
CM3 - Integrar los rasgos socioculturales de las comunidades de habla hispana en la práctica docente ejerciendo un papel de intermediario cultural.
CM4 - Gestionar la información y las dinámicas de grupo en el aula teniendo en cuenta los intereses, las necesidades y el nivel de aprendizaje del alumnado.
CM5 - Proporcionar a los estudiantes una diversidad de oportunidades de aprendizaje y de materiales didácticos y actividades de aula que favorezcan el desarrollo de los distintos aspectos de la competencia comunicativa en español.
CM6 - Responder a las exigencias del contexto y asumir las responsabilidades docentes, tanto con los alumnos como con la comunidad educativa.
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.
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.
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.
José Amenós Pons, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Correo electrónico de contacto: coordinacionmele@uimp.es
Raquel Hidalgo Downing, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
José
Amenós Pons
Doctor
en Filología Hispánica
Profesor
Titular de Lengua Española
Universidad
Complutense de Madrid
Jorge
Martí Contreras
Doctor
en Filología Hispánica
Profesor
Permanente Laboral de Lengua Española
Universidad
Jaume I
Raquel
Hidalgo Downing
Doctora
en Filología Hispánica
Profesora
Titular de Lingüística
Universidad
Complutense de Madrid
Dolors
Poch Olivé
Doctora
en Filología Hispánica
Catedrática
EU - Área de Conocimiento: Lengua Española
Universidad
Autónoma de Barcelona
Eladio
Alberto Duque Gómez
Doctor
en Filología Hispánica
Profesor
Contratado Doctor de Lengua Española
Universidad
Complutense de Madrid
Mercedes
Pérez Serrano
Doctora
en Filología Hispánica
Profesor
Ayudante Doctor de Lengua Española
Universidad
Complutense de Madrid
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.
Teaching Block I
Raquel Hidalgo Downing, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Jorge Martí Contreras: Universidad Jaume I
José Amenós Pons, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Dolors Poch Olivé, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona
Mercedes Pérez Serrano, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Teaching Block II
Eladio Duque Gómez, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Raquel Hidalgo Downing, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Jorge Martí Contreras: Universidad Jaume I
José Amenós Pons, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
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