Curso de Inmersión en Español (CIE)

The Curso de Inmersión en Español (CIE) is a tailored intensive Spanish course designed for international students with an A2 level of Spanish who are interested in reaching the upper-intermediate level (B2 CEFR) or the advanced level (C1 CEFR) at the end of the academic year in order to enrol on undergraduate or master’s studies in Spain.

This program is designed and taught by IDIOMES UPF, the language centre of Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), and has received the seal of quality of Instituto Cervantes. It offers students the possibility to significantly improve their level of Spanish and, moreover, to get to know and enjoy the premises and location of internationally-renowned Pompeu Fabra University (UPF).

The CIE program has been designed together with HANGZHOU CERVANTES EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY, a collaborator agency from China, which offers supplementary services such as accommodatoin, cultural activities, etc.

Course details

• Duration: October 2023 - June 2024 (8 months in total)
• Total number of hours: 640 hours (breaks are included)
• Schedule: from 9.30 am to 2.00 pm
  • Grammar, writing and reading classes (written skills): from 9.30 to 11.30 am
  • Speaking and listening classes (spoken skills): from 12 to 2 pm
• Format: face-to-face
• Location: rooms with all the necessary equipment at the campus of Universitat Pompeu Fabra, in Barcelona.

Structure of the course

The CIE program is divided into two modules: a grammar, writing and reading module (written skills) + a speaking and listening module (spoken skills).

The orientation of the grammar, writing and reading course is communicative, both in the objectives and the methodology it follows. This means that the objectives and the contents for each level are determined according to students’ ability to use the language. Moreover, the methodology is based on the completion of usage activities and reflection processes about the language that make it easier for students to internalise and improve their knowledge of Spanish structures and units.

Concerning the speaking and listening course, it aims to improve the students’ communicative competence and to expand their vocabulary and discursive strategies so that they can successfully interact with others in everyday settings (basic, elemental and intermediate level), and to develop their oral fluency and reach more expressivity and accuracy in a variety of communicative settings, particularly academic settings, which will grant them the capacity to express themselves and understand others orally in a level that approaches the knowledge of Spanish native speakers (upper-intermediate and advanced levels).

Additionally, as an optional complement, 40-hour modules on cultural features are also offered, which are ideal for those students who are interested in culture and have a B1 level of Spanish. These courses include: Escritura académica en español, Español de negocios, Español a través del cine y Cultura y sociedad en la España actual.

Evaluation and course certificates

At the beginning of the course, students complete a Spanish level test in order to determine their starting level. The rythm of the courses will be constantly adjusted to the level of the sudents and the end result will depend on their performance. Moreover, students will progress through the planned Spanish levels (from CEFR level A2 until level B2 or C1). At the end of the program, they will be awarded a UPF certificate with Instituto Cervantes’ seal of quality which will certify the level of Spanish they have reached.

Along their progression, students can expect to receive personalised attention from the teacher and the coordinator of the CIE program. Moreover, they will be accompanied by a Chinece person of reference which will join them at UPF during the whole stay in Barcelona.

Certification by Instituto Cervantes

In June 2022, after undergoing a long and thorough process of examination, Idiomes UPF obtained the SACIC certification, granted by Instituto Cervantes. This certificatoin evaluates, among many other things, how a centre is organised and run, the quality of the Spanish courses they offer and the premises and services offered by the university. It is the only seal of quality for the teaching of Spanish with international recognition, and it is granted by Instituto Cervantes, the most prestigious institution in the world of Spanish teaching.

The SACIC certification recognises Idiomes UPF’s hard work, carried out both by the centre and Pompeu Fabra University, and opens a window, of international nature, to the language courses that are taught at UPF through their language centre.

Other advantages

• Native teachers, highly qualified in teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language (ELE) and with vast experience in university contexts.
• Universitat Pompeu Fabra, a prestigious public university in a European and worldwide context, which is the highest-ranking Spanish university on the Ranking Times Higher Education 2022 (more information on UPF’s position on the rakings).
• University campuses in central locations in Barcelona, with great transport connections and in priviledged surrondings near the sea and the city.
• Besides the certification granted by Instituto Cervantes, for more than 20 years Idiomes UPF has also been a partner of the Asociación de Centros de Lenguas en la Enseñanza Superior (ACLES), which aims to promote learning and circulation of many languages in tertiary education.
• Moreover, Pompeu Fabra University is a member of the SICELE, a multilateral initiative by tertiary education institutions from Spanish-speaking countries whose members, together with Instituto Cervantes, have agreed to the harmonisation, transparency and coherence in the mutual recognition of the knowledge of Spanish as a foreign language.
• Certificates awarded by Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) which include Instituto Cervantes’ logo.
• Courses based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Language skills (CEFR).

More information and enrolment

Any universities, agencies or individual students who are interested in this program can contact our collaborator in China, HANGZHOU CERVANTES EDUCATION TECNOLOGY, by sending an email addressed to Rebecca Chen ([email protected]). The agent will provide all the necessary information concerning the organisation of the program and the enrolment process.

Pictures of our students

Opinions from our students