Study Psychology and Neuroscience in Argentina with IFSA
Buenos Aires
, Argentina

IFSA Study in Buenos Aires Plus: Psychology and Neuroscience

Program Overview

GIVE YOUR BRAIN NEW PERSPECTIVE IN ARGENTINA’S CAPITAL CITY 

Explore psychology, neuroscience, health, or human and family development with English-taught classes in Argentina, where there are more psychologists per capita than in any other country. In addition to intriguing IFSA electives, add a class at Universidad del Salvador (USAL) or Universidad Torcuato Di Tella (UTDT) and get to know Argentine classmates. There’s no language prerequisite, but we’ll make sure you learn the essential skills you need to savor empanadas and morcipán and get to know this multifaceted city. Options for internships and volunteering help you gain insights and experience to guide your career path as you connect with fellow porteños, port city dwellers.

For more options in Argentina explore IFSA Study in Buenos Aires, and IFSA Study in Buenos Aires Plus.

Details at a Glance

Application deadline

Fall: April 1
Spring: Nov. 1

Minimum GPA

2.50

Credit load

14-16

Housing

Home Stay

Instruction language

English, Spanish

Prerequisites

None

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Academics

Looking for specific classes? Explore CHART, our exclusive class database—if the IFSA Study in Buenos Aires: Psychology and Neuroscience academic track is preapproved at your institution, you’ll find classes recently taken by other IFSA students.

Select from IFSA electives and language classes along with one direct-enroll class at a local university to meet your academic needs and goals. Through our partnerships with Universidad del Salvador (USAL) and Universidad Torcuato Di Tella (UTDT), you have the option to study in English alongside Argentine students. A second USAL or UTDT class may be chosen for a supplemental fee.

IFSA ELECTIVE CLASSES
Customize your class load based on your personal interests and degree requirements, choosing from electives on the IFSA Study in Buenos Aires: Psychology and Neuroscience academic track. All elective courses are taught in English and are worth 3 U.S. semester credit hours. Classes may vary by semester based on faculty availability and student interest.

Brain, Drugs, and Addiction
This class examines substance use and its impact on how the brain functions from the perspective of neuropsychology. The concept of drugs, normal brain functioning, and the impact of their consumption at the neuroanatomical and neurophysiological levels will be analyzed. Students will address social, psychological, cultural, and biological aspects that are linked to the deterioration of the nervous system, as well as the differences between occasional use, problematic use, and addiction. Finally, a comparison will be made in the substance use and its impact approach between Argentina and the U.S.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology
Taking an interdisciplinary approach, students apply the principles of psychology to the needs of businesses. They identify problems and provide solutions to increase employee engagement and productivity. This class offers the city of Buenos Aires as a learning laboratory, therefore, while its concepts are applicable to a variety of cultural environments, each unit additionally examines the topics from a uniquely Argentine perspective. Through case studies and field visits, students achieve a comparative analysis of business life in the U.S. and Argentina.

International Internship Seminar
Students are placed in individual internships but collectively take part in the seminar to prepare for the experience, understand expectations, set personal objectives, identify and strengthen specific skills, critically reflect on their progress, share experiences, and learn from each other throughout their term. Students develop a deeper understanding of themselves, their professional areas, and Argentine work culture. In this seminar, which is focused on application of theory to practice, students gain real-world work experience while developing intercultural agility—skills and experiences that are critically important to personal, academic, and professional success.

Intervention Strategies in Mental Health
This class covers strategies of intervention in mental health. Some psychologists in Argentina have defined “mental health” as a comprehensive and inclusive state of actions capable of producing welfare rooted in the insertion of the individual in their functional milieu. Together students learn about mental health, intervention, and effective strategies, while exploring the applications across diverse situations and populations. Identifying effective preventive and therapeutic strategies is crucial to establishing public policies which contribute to mental well-being at individual, family, community, and social levels.

Multicultural Psychology
The purpose of this class is to place psychology in a global perspective from a cross-cultural approach—to analyze mental processes that may be universal while evaluating how cultural differences impact behavior. To do so, students will critically examine theories of multiculturalism and diversity. Students will explore the ways in which psychology is socially constructed and pay special attention to factors that influence human development, such as oppression, language, prejudice, among others. The course is experiential, so that students learn through observation of their own and others’ behavior.

Social Cognition and Neuroscience
Integrating insights from cognitive psychology, social cognition, and cognitive neuroscience, this class explores how we understand other people’s behavior. Students will examine the organization of the brain and its functions from a descriptive dimension, as well as from a global and systemic perspective to understand how we construct social cognitions and their effect on behavior and social interaction. Intending to make the theoretical contents easily understandable, the topics will be approached from practical examples, both from the local culture (e.g., fútbol, mate) and from global social examples (e.g., the Holocaust, bullying).

The Psychology of Crime and Justice
This class introduces the broad range of theoretical and methodological approaches to forensic psychology and criminal justice. Is a criminal mind born as such, or is the criminal a product of their environment? What role do governments and societies play in facing crime? Students will gain a foundation in relevant areas of psychology and psychoanalysis and then examine how that science interacts with real-world judicial systems. Additional topics will include punishment, treatment, and rehabilitation; assessment and intervention; and how dimensions of privilege can impact perceptions of crime and justice in conscious and subconscious ways.

IFSA LANGUAGE CLASSES
Developing skills in a foreign language can profoundly impact your life personally and professionally. Though language study (other than Essential Spanish) is not required, students frequently report their Spanish language class as one of their favorites and the one they applied most outside the classroom.

Essential Spanish
If you’ve never taken Spanish and you decide not to take an elective language class, you’ll take this introductory seminar taught intensively during the first weeks of the program. By introducing key words and phrases and venturing out into the city to practice them, this class also provides insights into local customs and daily life. Right from the start, you’ll gain essential skills to communicate effectively and navigate in a new culture. (1 U.S. semester credit hour)

Spanish Language
No prior language study is required. A mandatory pre-arrival language assessment will determine your appropriate language level. (3 U.S. semester credit hours)

DIRECT-ENROLL CLASSES
USAL and UTDT classes are considered the introductory classes to a more specific topic of study and are open to all USAL and UTDT students. Therefore, they are general in scope and do not require extensive background knowledge in the subject. Classes at USAL and UTDT vary by semester and availability may not be confirmed until after you arrive on-site. Offerings may include the following classes, taught in English unless otherwise indicated and each worth 3 U.S. semester credit hours:

  • Basic Processes I (Spanish-taught class)
  • Basic Processes II
  • Coaching for Human Resources
  • Consumer Behavior
  • Family Psychology
  • Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology (Spanish-taught class)
  • Neurosciences III
  • Study of Human Behavior (Spanish-taught class)
  • Urban Inequalities

Visit the USAL and UTDT websites for additional elective class information.

Classes Taught in Spanish
Classes taught in Spanish are available for students who have at least four semesters of Spanish language background or the equivalent.

INTERNSHIP
In Buenos Aires, you can participate in a part-time, credit-bearing internship at sites that may include Argentine NGOs, local corporations or government organizations. Participating in an internship will build your resume and immerse yourself in the professional culture of Argentina. English-speaking placements are limited. Students with previous Spanish language experience will be better positioned to secure an internship in Buenos Aires.

Working with an IFSA seminar instructor and your onsite coordinator, you will complete an academic paper, earning 3 U.S. semester credit hours. The placement process begins with the submission of the Internship Interest Form upon acceptance into the program, and typically concludes with an in-person interview in Buenos Aires.

Applicants are encouraged to be flexible as IFSA makes every effort to place interns at companies or organizations that match the organization's needs with your skills, experience, and goals, including but not limited to your Spanish language level and communication skills, prior professional experience, and work competencies. Your personal goals are also taken into consideration, so that the internship experience meets your expectations.

Internships may include opportunities to:

  • Collaborate on projects led by local doctors and counselors in mental health institutions
  • Assist in creating educational training processes for organizations
  • Monitor and maintain regular social media activity to assist with the development of virtual brand presence
  • Conduct industry analysis to expand research statistics and best practices related to mental health
  • Support a company’s Human Resources department in employee wellness initiatives
  • Assist and support differently abled children through educational and recreational activities

VOLUNTEERING
The IFSA Buenos Aires Global Flagship organizes volunteer opportunities throughout the semester, usually as one-time activities or events. On occasion, more sustained involvement may be possible. Opportunities vary, but may include agricultural work on an organic farm, assisting students through tutoring or playing games designed to build social skills, or providing services for the homeless population or LGBTQ+ community in Buenos Aires.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Eligibility

  • You must be at least 18 years of age. Students under 18 may be accepted on a case-by-case basis.
  • You must be currently attending or recently graduated from a U.S. or Canadian community college, technical college, two-year college, four-year college, or four-year university.
  • You must have completed at least one (1) semester of study at your home institution before the beginning of the term.

Recommendation Letter
Not required.

Language Requirement
No requirement.

Visa Requirement
This program requires a visa for all students.

TRANSCRIPT
Upon completion of your program, IFSA will send an official Butler University transcript to your home university with your coursework converted to the U.S. semester credit hour system. You will also have access to an unofficial transcript in your IFSA Student Portal. The transcript reflects courses taken, credits attempted, and grades earned during your term abroad. This service is included in your study abroad program at no additional cost. See our Transcripts page for more information.

Excursions

Activities and excursions are designed to pull you into the communities you visit and encourage cultural connections of every kind. There’s no extra fee to participate in these optional outings—everything is included in your program fee.

Below are examples from previous terms; outings may be different for your program. We’ll make every effort to run them all, but sometimes things we can’t our control, such as local regulations and health protocols, get in the way. As result, we cannot guarantee activities and excursions.

Activities

  • City-as-Text: This guided walking tour will introduce you to Porteño society and culture through the varied artistic expressions that can be found throughout Buenos Aires including street art, dance, theater, and music.
  • La Boca Neighborhood Tour: The oldest site of Italian migration to Buenos Aires, the famous and colorful La Boca neighborhood is home to one of the city’s most popular soccer teams, Club Atlético Boca Juniors. The tour will include a visit to La Bombonera stadium to appreciate the importance of soccer as popular expression in Argentina.
  • Colón Theatre Performance: Attend a performance at Colón Theatre, one of the most important opera houses in the world, to learn about the influence and experience the importance of art in Argentina.
  • Pandemic and Politics: This event will engage you in a discussion about how the pandemic was handled and the effects it has had on Argentina. A guest lecturer will address specific issues around how the population lived through this worldwide event.

Excursions

  • Tigre Delta del Parana Trip: This overnight excursion to the Tigre Delta includes a boat ride and offers a glimpse into the contrasts between wetlands and island living and the big-city life in Buenos Aires.
  • Eco-Village Trip: This day-long trip to an eco-village explores the traditional agricultural mode of production and delves into issues such as organic and self-sustainable farming, local consumption, and the dynamics of multinational farming and feedlot production.

Housing and Meals

Housing

Home Stay

Meals

All Included

Details

A homestay is with a local family and includes three meals per day. Only one IFSA student is placed with each family. Students with limited Spanish skills will be housed with families that speak English. You will have a single bedroom with a bed, shared bathroom, and a desk or other designated place to study. Laundry is included. You may occasionally buy snacks and eat at restaurants beyond what is provided by homestay families.

Dates and Fees

Term

Term begins

Term ends

Program costs

Application deadline

Fall 2023

July 30, 2023

December 2, 2023

$15,725

April 1

Spring 2024

Late Feb. 2024

Early July 2024

$15,725 (estimated)

Nov. 1

Fall 2024

Late July 2024

Early Dec. 2024

$15,725 (estimated)

April 1

Term

Fall 2023

Term begins

July 30, 2023

Term ends

December 2, 2023

Program costs

$15,725

Application deadline

April 1

Term

Spring 2024

Term begins

Late Feb. 2024

Term ends

Early July 2024

Program costs

$15,725 (estimated)

Application deadline

Nov. 1

Term

Fall 2024

Term begins

Late July 2024

Term ends

Early Dec. 2024

Program costs

$15,725 (estimated)

Application deadline

April 1

Get started

Selena Rincon

Selena Rincon

Admissions Counselor

Eleni Katsarelas

Eleni Katsarelas

Prearrival Counselor

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