The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) is one of the most prestigious, Spanish-speaking, educational institution worldwide. UNAM has a Head Office of International Affairs (CRAI). It is responsible for planning, promoting and coordinating policies and actions to consolidate the international presence of UNAM, strengthening alliances with strategic partners; integrate institutional information to design a strategy towards the internationalization of UNAM to benefit the community.
The office’s vision is to become the innovative international reference to coordinate and boost the international position of UNAM, generating reliable and timely information for designing and promoting strategies, actions and institutional policies in the international field, and through active leadership, strengthen cooperation with external authorities.
It has the following objectives:
- To represent UNAM before government offices and diplomatic missions, institutions of higher education, academic cooperation networks and national and international organizations, in order to establish academic and international cooperation.
- Coordinate Public Macro universities Network of Latin America and the Caribbean as well as the International Unit of Foreign Universities.
- Integrate institutional information on internationalization activities conducted by the University through academic institutions and university departments.
- To promote the internationalization of the university by developing strategies for cooperation with institutions and organizations, as well advertise activities and institutional education opportunities, academic exchange and student mobility.
Website: http://crai.unam.mx/EN/index.html
UNAM Abroad
United States of America
Extension School in Chicago
It was established in 2002 with the purpose to disseminate Spanish and Mexican culture, and to academically support the Mexicans that reside in this region of the United States. Its activities are focused on spreading the Spanish language and Mexican culture, as well as on the academic interchange with United States Middle Western universities. The courses of Spanish and English as second languages are outstanding among the programs offered by the School, as well as the courses of Mexican culture, middle high education, and completion of undergraduate studies.
Thanks to the modern technology of UNAM’s distance education, the Extension School in Chicago offers to the community various courses and conferences of UNAM different schools and centers, through the videoconferences on-line and open systems.
Extension School in San Antonio
It was inaugurated as part of the program of UNAM’s temporary courses in 1944, and it acquired a permanent standing starting from 1972. Its purpose is to contribute to a better cultural understanding between Mexico and the United States of America. In this school Spanish, English and a wide range of Mexican culture courses are taught. It serves as link between various American universities and and it is the technological bridge between foreign academic institutions, UNAM and the national network of videoconferences in Mexico.
Today, in coordination with the Teaching Center for Foreigners. it develops a distance education program so that several UNAM’s schools, institutes and centers offer their academic support to different Mexican and Mexican-American communities in the United States.
Center for Mexican Studies in Los Angeles
This center started its activities in 2014, with the mission to disseminate, bring closer, and widen the learning of the Spanish language, culture, science, art, and knowledge among the residents of this area. All this with a social commitment with the interrelation and understanding of Mexico, while having the intention to become a useful ally for the communities where it operates. It offers courses and cultural activities in English and Spanish, but with special emphasis on the Mexican and Spanish speaking community.
In addition, it has the capacity to design academic programs in accordance with the needs of the different community groups: i.e., companies, civil associations, governments, universities, and professors at all levels. In order to carry out its mission it uses the entire available academic teaching resources: from classes taught in classrooms to the use of different technological tools for distance and on line education. It is located within the California State University at Northridge.
Center for Mexican Studies in Seattle
Created in February 2014, and with headquarters in the State of Washington, its tasks include: to promote interchange of professors, researchers, and students; to support the organization of courses, workshops, and seminars in areas of interest for UNAM and the universities located in the Pacific Northwest of the United States of fi America and Canada; to seek sources of public and private financing in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America and Canada; to promote that UNAM’s students residing in this region of the continent may conclude their studies through the Open University System; to disseminate the work of the institution in universities located in the Pacific Northwest of the United States of America and Canada; to organize activities to disseminate in Mexico the work of Mexican artists who live there, and to support in a significant manner the members of Mexican groups from this region. It is located within the University of Washington.
Canada
Extension School in Canada
The purpose of UNAM’s Extension School, located in Ottawa – Gatineau, is to strengthen the academic bond between the different divisions of the National Autonomous University of Mexico and its Canadian counterparts in the fields of teaching, research and the dissemination of culture.
In order to accomplish its mission, UNAM’s Extension School offers courses on culture and in Spanish as a Second Language. In addition, the school conducts numerous academic and cultural activities in Ottawa – Gatineau, as well as providing access to those originating in UNAM in Mexico, and in its Extension Schools in San Antonio, Texas, and Chicago, Illinois, through the latest technologies in distance education.
Spain
Center for Mexican Studies
This center was founded in 2013 within the Cervantes Institute in Madrid. It has the task to strengthen even more the historic relations among UNAM and Spanish universities. Its goals are to increase the exchange of students at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, as well as with faculty members; and to increase the amount of joint research projects and cultural activities. This center also participates in the development of the SIELE exam to certify the knowledge of Spanish language worldwide.
France
Center for Mexican Studies
CEM is an organization whose main purpose is bonding, collaboration, and academic, scientific, technological, cultural and social exchange between the offices of UNAM and universities, colleges and academic and cultural public and private entities, both at a European level and in particular in France. It is an instrument for the internationalization of UNAM and disclosure of their activities for the dissemination of Mexican culture, and to promote the exchange of researchers, professors and students between UNAM and those entities. This center is located within the Pierre and Marie Curie University, which belongs to the Sorbonne University Consortium, and was created in 2014.
England
Center for Mexican Studies
Located in the central campus of King’s College in London, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) has the Center for Mexican – UK Studies (CEM-RU), created in 2015.
This is the eight center that UNAM opens abroad and the objective is to assist in the dissemination of Mexican culture, increasing the exchange of undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as faculty members, to encourage joint research projects and promoting teaching of Spanish and participate in the evaluation and certification of this language.
China
Center for Mexican Studies
The National Autonomous University of Mexico headquarters in China (UNAM-China) are located within the Beijing Foreign Studies University at the heart of Beijing City.
UNAM-China is part of the internationalization project of UNAM, whose mission is to generate greater opportunities for bonding, cooperation, exchange and mobility for the student community, artistic, teaching and research between the National University and Higher Education Institutions of the Popular Republic of China (China), in the context of economic and social globalization. This center was established in 2012.
On the other hand, UNAM’s Center for Foreign Students (CEPE) offers a wide range of Spanish language courses at UNAM´s campi in Mexico City and Taxco.
Spanish and Mexican Culture Courses
CEPE´s Spanish language program is one of the most complete immersion programs in Latin America which combines Spanish language acquisition with a curriculum on Mexican history, art and literature. It has a clear correspondence with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, which facilitates mobility and exchange among national and international institution for learning. Its main goal is to develop the four skills of language -listening, reading, speaking and writing-, all based on a strong grammatical foundation, with a special emphasis on oral abilities within the Mexican culture.
CEPE offers:
- Six course sessions every year (6 weeks course periods)
- Nine Spanish Levels
- Workshops and other extracurricular activities to encourage Spanish Learning
- Guided Tours
- Accommodation services in Mexico City and Taxco.
Website: http://www.cepe.unam.mx/