The Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) is a public institution which is a reference point in the university system both in Spain and abroad. Acknowledged for the quality of its research and its entrepreneurial capacity, its search for excellence in teaching, and its firm commitment to society as a whole, the university actively promotes the intellectual and personal development of its members. From the first moment it has enthusiastically support the European Higher Education Area project in order to further academic exchanges and mobility in today’s knowledge society. The UAM has a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate studies. The combination of innovative teaching and research of excellence define its philosophy. Its transparent, effective management is geared to providing the university community with the best possible service. The UAM is a plural, diverse university, committed to democratic values in education and to creating a supportive environment characterized by solidarity and cooperation. Thanks to its performance in teaching and research, the indicators published by a variety of studies place the UAM among the best universities in the world.

The UAM was created in 1968. Originally it had five faculties: Sciences, Political, Economic and Business Sciences, Law, Philosophy and Letters, and Medicine. As the University did not have a campus of its own, the faculties were located in different parts of the city. On 25 October 1971, with the inauguration of the Cantoblanco campus, the UAM began a stage of expansion and consolidation. It increased the number of courses on offer, the Faculty of Psychology was created, and the number of research projects and support services for both teaching and research was also expanded. The plan proposed by the architect Carlos Ferran in 1983 was the basis for the redevelopment of the campus. In the next few years, numerous buildings and facilities were constructed to give the campus its distinctive image today. The Cantoblanco campus is home to the Rectorate, the Faculties of Sciences, Philosophy and Letters, Law, Economic and Business Sciences, Psychology, the Polytechnical School, and the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education. The University has also expanded outside Cantoblanco. In addition to the Faculty of Medicine, in the Ciudad Sanitaria La Paz, the UAM has seven university schools (five nursing schools, one physiotherapy school and one teacher training school). Each of the nursing schools is located on the premises of five hospital complexes in Madrid. The physiotherapy school (supported by the Spanish Association for the Blind) is also located in Madrid, and the La Salle University Studies Centre is based in Aravaca.

From its early days, the UAM has had a style of its own, combining diversity and teaching excellence and wholeheartedly promoting its international dimension. The University has close contacts with higher education institutions all over the world and takes part in numerous exchange and training programs involving its students, lecturers and non-academic staff. Currently, the UAM teaches a wide range of undergraduate degrees and official postgraduate programs and is constantly introducing innovations in its teaching methods. The University also has a long tradition in the evaluation of teaching standards and study plans. The success of this process is reflected in the high levels of student satisfaction with the teaching staff. The UAM’s comprehensive range of postgraduate study programs is carefully designed to meet the needs and demands of the labour market. In the last academic year, many of its doctoral programs were awarded the Ministry of Education’s mención de calidad in recognition of their quality.

The UAM is firmly committed to research and innovation. Providing support for high quality research is one of its main objectives, and the results have earned recognition for the University both in Spain and abroad. The UAM has always been among the leading Spanish research centres in terms of securing funding from R+D programs at European, national, and regional levels. The success of the UAM’s research is due mainly to the efforts of the research groups at its eight university research institutes, the three institutes run in cooperation with the CSIC (Spain’s major research institute) and the other specialized centres and research support services. The University’s research covers a wide range of disciplines, from the social sciences and the humanities to technology, the experimental sciences, and the health sciences. The UAM has more than 2,400 lecturers, more than 80% of whom are actively involved in research. Its research results have established the University among the leading Spanish universities in national and international rankings.

The UAM sees its cultural programs as an essential complement to its academic work and an important resource for promoting the intellectual development of the community. The University’s Cultural Activities Office organizes the annual courses in Contemporary Humanities, the summer courses, and a variety of competitions. Music occupies pride of place in the University’s cultural panorama. The campus itself stages a cycle of concerts, and the UAM’s cycle of great composers and performers, organized by the Centre for Musical Research and Promotion, is held in the Symphony Hall of the National Auditorium. The UAM also has a choir and an orchestra. The University has an exhibition hall, theatre and ceramics halls, and museums of popular arts and traditions, mineralogy, anthropology and folklore.

The UAM’s Vice-rectorate for International Relations runs exchange and mobility programs for students and lecturers, joint degrees with other universities, and research projects. The programs are mainly organized and financed by the University itself in cooperation with other institutions through international agreements and through its participation in programs run by the European Union or by the AECI (the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation, attached to the Foreign Ministry), and other national and international bodies. Examples are the Socrates/Erasmus and Sicue/Seneca programs. UAM students, lecturers and management staff also participate in the mobility and training projects organized by CEAL, the Latin America Studies Centre sponsored by the Santander Group.

The Cantoblanco campus covers 2,250,000 sq.m of land, of which 120,000 sq.m. are green zones. The campus is located a particularly beautiful setting near the Guadarrama mountains. The Faculty of Medicine campus is in the centre of Madrid, very near the Plaza de Castilla. The UAM’s campuses and facilities are designed to create the ideal atmosphere for study and to keep the environmental impact to a minimum. The campus has all the services needed for university life. The UAM is also well connected by road and rail with the city centre and with the neighbouring towns of Alcobendas, San Sebastián de los Reyes, Tres Cantos and Colmenar Viejo. The UAM provides its community with all the resources needed for their intellectual and personal development. The Careers’ Guidance Office gives advice concerning employment opportunities and the campus also has a Language Service, computer rooms, libraries, and a Physical Education and Sports Service. The University has three students’ residences: the Colegio Mayor Juan Luis Vives in Madrid, the La Cristalera Residence in Miraflores de la Sierra (Madrid), and the “Erasmo” Residence for lecturers and students on the Cantoblanco campus.

In 2002 the UAM set up its Solidarity and Cooperation Office which promotes volunteer work and help for the disabled. It has become one of the institution’s defining characteristics. As an enterprising university with a clear commitment to the community around it, the UAM has close contacts with other public and private institutions. Through its many cooperation agreements with local government, firms, and business associations, it carries out joint projects to promote research and development, teaching innovation, professional recruitment, solidarity and cooperation, and the public communication of science. http://www.uam.es - informacion.general@uam.es

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