IFSA Seville Universities Program

With the IFSA Seville Universities Program, build your own semester featuring local university classes taken in Spanish and English alongside Spanish and international students. You may select an IFSA class and combine it with direct-enroll classes to meet your academic needs and goals.

If you’ve never studied Spanish before, you may take Essential Spanish, an optional one (1) U.S. semester credit hour class in contemporary Spanish language and culture taught intensively during the first weeks of the program. By introducing key words and phrases in the classroom—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.

IFSA CLASSES
All IFSA classes are taught in English and are worth 3 U.S. semester credits hours. Classes may vary by term based on faculty availability and student interest. Due to the significant time dedicated to community engagement in these classes, you may not take both in the same semester.

Directed Research
This class offers a unique opportunity for students to delve deeply into host context research projects. Students will be guided through projects that are both feasible in the study abroad context and relevant to their broader intellectual interests. The class is structured through regular individual meetings with a faculty mentor to discuss the formation and execution of a research plan and, depending on the specific project, the possibility to conduct field- or internet-based research. At the end of the semester, students present a formal research paper.

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 Spanish 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.

DIRECT-ENROLL CLASSES
As our student, you may enroll in up to five classes for which you are qualified and for which space is available at either of our Seville partner universities: Universidad Pablo de Olavide (UPO) and Universidad de Sevilla (USevilla). Admissions requirements vary by institution and sometimes by program.

Many classes are taught in English; some classes can be taken in Spanish for students with level B2 language proficiency. A wide range of Spanish language levels for international students is also available at both partner institutions. See the specific class catalogs for up-to-date offerings.

CHART Your Course
Find the classes you need fast with CHART. Our easy-to-use tool shows you classes recently taken by IFSA students.

UNIVERSIDAD PABLO DE OLAVIDE (UPO)
A young and dynamic institution, the Universidad Pablo de Olavide (UPO) is located on a beautiful 345-acre campus just outside Seville’s city center, easily accessible by metro. It has a unique dedication to Latin American studies through its School of Hispano-American Studies and its special agreement with the General Archive of the Indies, one of Seville’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

At UPO direct enroll classes require a minimum 2.75 and international student classes require a minimum 2.9. Students with as low as a 2.5 GPA will be considered on a case-by-case basis, with a supporting letter from the applicant and a letter of recommendation from a faculty member.

Multidisciplinary Studies Program 

• The Mediterranean Diet: from Fiction to Facts
• Spanish Identity: Film, Advertising and Pop Music
• Applied Microbiology
• Organic Chemistry I
• Christianity, Islam and Judaism in the Spanish Context
• Nobel Prizes in Spanish and Latin America Literature
• International Marketing
• Relations between the U.S. and the Latin World

University Integration Program 

• Operations Management
• Advanced Financial Accounting
• Enterprising Initiative and Family Business
• International Trade Law
• Pharmacology and Toxicology
• Genetics
• Thermodynamics and Kinetics
• Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity

UNIVERSIDAD DE SEVILLA (USevilla)
The Universidad de Sevilla (USevilla) is a large, comprehensive public institution with a rich legacy going back more than 500 years. Today two core social science faculties are located near the Guadalquivir River in Seville’s historic center, with many others—including business, health sciences, and engineering faculties—expanded onto new campuses throughout Seville and its surroundings.

At USevilla degree classes and international student classes require a minimum 2.5. Students with as low as a 2.0 GPA will be considered on a case-by-case basis for enrollment in degree classes.

Bachelor’s Degree Classes 

• Financial Systems and Markets
• Macroeconomics
• Management and Organization of Tourism Companies
• Developmental Psychology in Childhood
• Quantum Physics
• Electrical Circuits: Theory and Instrumentation
• Analytical Chemistry
• Soil Mechanics and Foundations

International Student Program
If you choose to enroll in the International Student Program, you must take a total of four classes offered within this cluster that have been specially designed for international students by the Faculty of Philology and the Faculty of Geography and History. You may choose to take your fifth class outside the International Program. Review all class options in the university’s fall class catalog and spring class catalog.

• Contemporary Arab World
• Don Quixote in Hispanic Culture
• Teaching English to Spanish Students
• Spanish Painting from El Greco to Picasso
• Psychology of Persuasion in the Mass Media
• The Political Construction of the European Union
• Flamenco: Cultural Expression of Andalusia
• Contemporary Women Writers

Lab & Field Trip Fees
Please review syllabi and course materials when registering for direct-enroll classes. Certain classes may have a one-off lab or field trip fee disclosed in the syllabus or during the first meeting of the class. These fees are not included in your IFSA program fee. You will be responsible for these fees, whether they are billed and paid by IFSA or billed to you.

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

Classes in the Health Professions
Classes at the Faculties of Medicine, Nursing, Health Sciences, Dentistry, and Physical Therapy are not open to IFSA students at the Universidad de Sevilla. Many degree requirements for premed and pre-health majors are available in both English and Spanish through other departments.

Final Exams Schedules
Some degree-seeking classes at UPO and USevilla may have final exams scheduled outside IFSA’s published program dates. Students are responsible for speaking with their instructors prior to the on-site course registration deadline about whether alternate arrangements are possible.

DIRECTED RESEARCH
Engage in individualized field research with faculty experts on a contemporary issue of interest. Regular meetings with faculty will assist in the formation and execution of research plans, and they will guide you on how to thoughtfully and critically integrate academic research with experiential learning. You will sharpen your written and oral communication skills through the development of articulate and comprehensive research that is respectful to the sensitivities of the local culture.

If you chose to research live human subjects, live animals or another topic that is deemed by IFSA to be required to be reviewed by the Institutional Research Board (IRB) at your home institution, then you will have to file your project with your home institution’s IRB board and submit your result to IFSA. Your IFSA Enrollment Counselor will review your application materials to help determine if you must file with IRB.

For more detailed information and examples of previous student placements, contact your IFSA Enrollment Counselor.

VOLUNTEERING
IFSA organizes non-credit bearing volunteer opportunities throughout your semester abroad, usually as one-time events. IFSA works with organizations such as Cruz Roja, a voluntary humanitarian institution that serves as the Spanish affiliate of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Students may have opportunities to assist in local food banks, help refugees seek gainful employment, and tutor immigrant children as they enter the educational system.

The University of Sevilla runs a University Community Service Office where those students who are interested in volunteering will be provided with practical help, information, and guidance about how to collaborate with local humanitarian and non-governmental organizations.

INTERNSHIPS
IFSA internships include real-world work experience, along with developing intercultural skills and experiences that are key to personal, academic, and professional success. Expect to devote a total of 120 hours working with your host organization, with supervision from your seminar instructor, coordinated by on-site IFSA team members. In addition, interns complete the International Internship Seminar for 3 U.S. semester credit hours. Internships are not remunerated.

Students have interned at family businesses, corporations, non-profit organizations, and government agencies in Seville.

Your goals are carefully considered, tailoring the placement process to ensure the best possible fit. Keep in mind that final placements depend on your skills, prior experience, and availability. Although every effort is made to match your placement with your preferred field or area of business, it can’t be guaranteed. Internships are conducted in Spanish.

Application. After you submit your application, resume, and IFSA Internship Intent Form, an IFSA Enrollment Counselor and an on-site IFSA Team member will work with you to identify your professional strengths, review your goals, and refine your internship interests to establish a match. From there, you’ll have an interview with your potential internship host. You will be provided with tips and resources to prepare for your interview.

Sample Placements. The following are examples of internships IFSA students have recently completed. Placement options vary from term to term.

Organization: This international company delivers multidisciplinary engineering and consulting services in a wide variety of sectors.
Potential Projects: You will be involved in projects such as data research to expand its operations outside Spain. This includes marketing campaigns, business development, and regulatory affairs.

Organization: This educational institution offers courses across disciplines and levels from elementary through high school and even community college.
Potential Projects: You will support teachers in their courses assisting them in the preparation of lesson models and teaching materials.

Organization: This multinational hotel group based in Palma de Mallorca operates in more than 20 countries across Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Potential Projects: You will do different task in within the hotel such as answering clients request and prepare guest’s stay, assist in reception or in the marketing department, and/or help the sales department and manager.

Organization: This local law firm focuses on international immigration rights, civil law, and international commerce.
Potential Projects: You would help on administrative and accounting tasks and help on law tasks when needed.

Organization: This eLearning platform produces a wide variety of courses most in demand by industry programmers and system administrators.
Potential Projects: You will assist the marketing team in areas such as website development, market research to inform new courses, and data analysis to contribute strategic insights.

Organization: Family-owned business focus in the ceramic making in Triana neighborhood. They do all type of ceramics and facilitate workshops to learn about the making and history of it in Seville.
Potential Projects: You will assist them in the Workshop facilitating some translation and helping with the marketing for their family business.

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) full-time semester of study at your home institution before the beginning of the term.
• Students who wish to take classes at Universidad Pablo de Olavide (UPO) must have a minimum 2.75 GPA for the multidisciplinary studies program and a 2.90 for international student classes. Students with as low as a 2.5 GPA will be considered on a case-by-case basis, with a supporting letter from the applicant and a letter of recommendation from a faculty member.

Recommendation Letter
Not required.

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 classes 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.