The Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) is a reference point in the teaching of architecture and engineering in Spain. It is also highly regarded internationally for the quality of its teaching and the research carried out at its centres, departments, and institutes. The UPM’s degrees cover all areas of architecture and engineering, disciplines in which technology is advancing every day. But in addition to acquiring technological skills, scientists and engineers must be aware of their increasing social responsibility. To prepare its students for the challenges that await them in their professional careers, the UPM brings together the four broad functions of a modern higher education institution – teaching, the generation of knowledge, the transfer of this knowledge to the productive sectors and government, the public communication of science and technology – which make up the multi-faceted service that the university must provide in today’s society.

The schools and faculties that now form the UPM have a long history. Some of them have been in existence since the mid-eighteenth century. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that much of the history of Spanish technology was written by the UPM’s Schools of Architecture and Engineering and that many of the great figures in teaching and research in Spain passed through its lecture-halls, either as students or as lecturers. The UPM in its present form was officially opened in 1971, bringing together all the technical schools which until then had formed part of the Polytechnical Institute. In 1972, the UPM also incorporated the university schools. Following the example of the French Grandes Écoles, the UPM today comprises ten technical schools, the Faculty of Computer Science, the Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport, the Polytechnical School of Higher Education, eight university schools, the Institute of Education Sciences, three affiliated centres, and five university research institutes. Its teaching and research are carried out by 111 departments.

'The UPM has incorporated the new information technologies in its teaching. To prepare students for their future professional careers, the contents of the courses and programs are continually updated and adapted to the needs of the productive sectors. At the same time, the UPM’s teaching philosophy and practices respect the environment and make the protection of the planet one of its priorities. Of the almost 5,000 students who graduate each year at the UPM, approximately 20% have participated on one of the University’s many international mobility programs, and have carried out in-company placements. More than 2,000 students are enrolled on postgraduate programs and each year almost 200 obtain their doctorate. The UPM has launched an institutional program to monitor the quality of its courses and their adaptation to the requirements of the European Higher Education Area. The University also organizes introductory courses known as ''Punto de Inicio'' and ''Cursos 0'' to prepare first year students for study in particular subject areas. On the Virtual Polytechnic Campus, students may access their grades and carry out other tasks online, such as enrolling on courses. They may also use the university’s wi-fi network, which can be accessed in Spain and in the rest of Europe. The UPM holds its summer courses in the town of La Granja de San Ildefonso, in Segovia.'

The UPM is a leader in many areas of research, both in Spain and abroad. Today it is one of Spain’s leading universities in terms of external research funding, mainly via its participation in Spanish and European R+D competitions and its contracts with the industrial sector. More than 4,000 lecturers and doctoral students carry out research at the UPM’s centres. The University has more than 200 research groups of acknowledged quality. The UPM’s Science and Technology Park is currently under construction. In the future, the Park will be home to many of the University’s specialized R+D centres and units, such as the Institute of Automobile Research, the Institute of Nuclear Fusion, the Institute of Solar Energy, the Institute of Microelectronics, the Institute of Microgravity, the Centre of Biotechnology and Plant Genomics, the Centre of Transport Research and the Centre for Integral Domotics.

The UPM participates in numerous exchange programs. It offers grants and scholarships to students wishing to study at its centres, and to its own students interested in carrying out part of their studies elsewhere. The University is committed to cooperation with developing countries. Each year it assigns almost 600,000 euros to cooperation activities, and its support committee promotes and channels the participation of its lecturers and students in solidarity and human development projects. The UPM also runs many cultural productions, either at institutional level or organized by the students themselves. The highlights of its musical program are the concerts held at the National Auditorium, the music cycle at its schools and faculties, and jazz performances. Other cultural events which are now thoroughly consolidated at the UPM are the cycle of conferences on humanities, engineering, and architecture, the culture workshop, and the “Saturday Classes” program for younger students. Each year, the UPM also holds a Theatre Festival, competitions in music, painting, and illustration, and the University Theatre Text Competition.

'As a university open to the world, the UPM attaches great importance to international education. Among the degrees on offer, it has signed 80 agreements for dual degrees with centres of excellence at various European universities. These agreements allow UPM students to study the last period of their degree course at a foreign university. At the end of their studies they receive two degrees: one from the UPM and the other from the partner university. The UPM has implemented exchange agreements with almost 400 universities and higher education centres in Europe and further afield. The UPM plays an active role in the European Union’s ''Erasmus Mundus'' program. Currently it coordinates two ''Erasmus Mundus'' courses and takes part in five more. The University is also engaged in other programs for student mobility such as Athens and Vulcanus, which allows engineering, architecture and science students from Europe to carry out in-company placements with Japanese firms. For cultural and historical reasons, the UPM has particularly close ties with Latin American universities and plays an important role in Magalhaes, the program that promotes the exchange of engineering and architecture students between universities from the European Union, the Caribbean and Latin America. UPM students may also study part of their degree at the leading universities in India and China through worldwide programs such as the GE4 and other agreements such as the Programa Hispano-Chino and SINO Española. The University has signed specific agreements with 15 Chinese universities which teach degrees in a variety of technological areas, and with institutions in India as part of the Programa Indio Español. Thanks to this wide range of exchange agreements, more than half of the UPM’s students carry out one or two terms of their degree abroad. Similarly, a large number of UPM students take advantage of the exchange system between Spanish universities set up by the Ministry of Education’s Sicue/Seneca Program, which allows Spanish students to spend part of their studies at another Spanish university. '

The UPM actively encourages sports and organizes team and individual competitions for its students. The University has sports facilities on both the Montegancedo Campus and the Campus Sur, which are adapted for the disabled. The Montegancedo campus has two tennis courts, two multi-use courts, a 7-a-side football pitch with artificial grass, a weights room and another multi-use room. The Campus Sur has a paddle court, a tennis court and another multi-use court, in addition to two beach-volleyball courts, three squash courts, a multi-use hall, an indoor court, and a weights room, gymnasium and martial arts.

The UPM is an international reference point for the training of engineers and architects. Its undergraduates receive training in the most advanced techniques and modern technologies applied to architecture and engineering. Generally speaking, its graduates have little difficulty in finding employment and the UPM has very close relationships with the business world. Innovation, creativity, versatility and a capacity for lifelong learning are also among the hallmarks of its graduates. The UPM instils in its students the importance of professional ethics in their engineering career and in the execution and development of projects that respect the environment. The University also promotes teamwork, solidarity, and cooperation with developing countries. Through Grupos UPM, the University provides support for voluntary organizations of students, teachers, researchers and university staff in specific areas. Research groups have already been set up in educational innovation and cooperation for development. The UPM holds competitions for its students to develop their ability to work as part of a team, and to promote professional and human values such as an entrepreneurial spirit, personal commitment, and strong communication skills. Among those organized so far are the two projects in engineering for solidarity, Cybertech and Gravity Challenge. http://www.upm.es - gabinete.rector@upm.es

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