The Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (USC) is a byword for knowledge and education at the service of society. The University has a unique history, a privileged location in Compostela and Lugo, and a dynamic and progressive approach to all of its activities. The USC was founded in 1495, making it one of the oldest universities in Europe, and this long tradition is combined with an ongoing commitment to meeting changing social demands and working collaboratively with international partners. As a firmly established seat of learning, the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela places a strong emphasis on teaching and research quality, high standards in all university services, sustainable development, and the social, cultural and economic prosperity of the local community. Another of the keys to the future development of the USC is its strong entrepreneurial spirit.

The history of the University dates back to 1495, when a notary from the city, Lope Gómez de Marzoa, opened a school for the poor known as the Estudio de Gramática. In 1504, at the request of the Diego de Muros family Pope Julius II issued a Papal Bull granting the teaching of higher education programs in the Estudio Viejo, or Estudio de Gramática. The definitive stage in the development of the University is inextricably linked to the figure of Archbishop Alonso III de Fonseca, an extremely erudite man and Renaissance thinker, the patron of numerous artists, and a confidant of important intellectual figures such as Erasmus of Rotterdam. It was during this period that the University acquired the Hospital de Peregrinos, which it would refurbish as a university college. The Santiago Alfeo College, today known as the Fonseca College, was also built at this time and became the centre of university life until the latter half of the eighteenth century. The University originally taught in three main disciplines – theology, grammar and arts – and later introduced studies in law and medicine. The USC underwent a series of changes in the eighteenth century as it broke away from the Church and became a fully secular institution. It was during this period that Charles III granted the USC a royal charter, adding the royal crown to the University seal and awarding the land and buildings confiscated from the Jesuits following their expulsion from Spain in 1767. Under its new status, the University established new academic degrees and introduced a series of practical and scientific disciplines such as experimental physics and chemistry. The beginning of the twentieth century saw the emergence of a new generation of intellectuals closely tied to the university and who would form the core of a cultural revival across Galicia, which coincided with a considerable increase in the number of students at the USC and the variety of academic programs offered. At the same time, the University began to establish partnerships with higher education institutions in other countries, particularly Portugal, and opened its classrooms to female students for the first time in the 1913-1914 academic year. Despite the progress made in the early part of the century, the outbreak of civil war brought a series of changes to the direction taken by the University, which was effectively placed under the control of Nationalist forces, who appointed a new rector and introduced a series of restrictive regulations. The life of the University was stifled, since opposition to Franco in Santiago stemmed primarily from academic circles, and not from workers´ movements, as was the case in cities such as A Coruña, Vigo and Ferrol. At the end of the 1980s, the Universidad de A Coruña and the Universidad de Vigo were officially founded as separate institutions from the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela.

The University has campuses in the historic cities of Santiago de Compostela and Lugo, where students can choose from 63 official degree programs covering the five main knowledge areas in higher education. Quality plays an increasingly important role in the University´s activities, and the USC is one of the leading Spanish universities in the process of convergence to the requirements of the European Higher Education Area.

Research policy at the Universidad de Santiago is founded on the balance between scientific excellence and the social and economic development of the local community. Today´s science is the key to technological development and the quality of life of future generations, but the importance of existing knowledge should not be underestimated, and the University plays a role in transforming this knowledge into tangible benefits for contemporary society. Research is carried out in the University´s state-of-the-art laboratories by researchers from 76 departments and 17 specific research institutes, whose work is supported by specialized centres such as the University Library and the Infrastructure Network in Support of Research and Technological Development (RIAIDT). There are three channels of research services at the USC, each designed for a specific user profile: the Research and Technology Office (OIT), which provides information and specific services to in-house researchers, the Innovation and Technological Transfer Centre (CITT), which provides support to external users of USC research facilities, and Uniemprende, which supports and advises students involved in entrepreneurial activities such as business development and knowledge creation and transfer.

Non-academic activities and university services form an integral part of the USC´s mission, and the University organizes a wide range of cultural and sports activities and strives to maintain high standards in the services offered to students, teaching and research staff, administrative and service staff, and to the wider local community. Cultural activities take a variety of forms at the USC, which promotes dialogue between social groups, creates forums for artistic production and discussion, supports students and staff walking the Camino de Santiago, runs a summer school, and promotes a range of organized and informal sporting activities.

The Universidad de Santiago attracts a particularly large number of foreign students through the Erasmus program and a range of specific agreements with higher education institutions from around the world. Equally, USC students spend periods of study at many prestigious universities in other countries under different exchange programs and agreements and complete placements in companies across Europe. The mobility of its students, teaching staff and administrative and services staff is an established priority of the USC.

The USC´s campus in Lugo is part of the extended area of the city, although the building housing the Vice-Chancellor´s Office and the University School of Teacher Training is located in the historic part of the city centre. There are three USC sites in Santiago de Compostela, the North, Central and South campuses. Facilities in the city include halls of residence, sports services and student dining halls. Teaching, learning and research activities are supported by a range of services including the University Library, the University Historic Archives, the Learning Technology Centre, the European Documentation and Studies Centre, the Innovation and Technological Transfer Centre, the Centre of Modern Languages, the Hydrobiological Field Station, the ´Luis Iglesias´ Museum of Natural History, the ´Ramón Mª Aller´ Observatory, the International Relations Office Agreements Unit, the Research and Technology Office, and the Computer Room Network.

The Universidad de Santiago de Compostela has been a cornerstone of Galician society for over five hundred years, and combines its rich history with a passion for innovation and improvement. In addition to ensuring excellence in teaching, the USC is a thriving research institution and a keen promoter of entrepreneurial spirit among its students.

Ver mapa más grande

No hay ningún documento en este momento. Puedes buscar documentos de otras universidades con el siguiente Buscador