Language Policy

GENERAL LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS FOR INCOMING EXCHANGE STUDENTS

It is essential that your Spanish language skills are good enough for you to undertake an academic course. Following the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), a B1 level of Spanish is required for undergraduate students.

A level of C1 or higher in Spanish is highly recommended for students enrolling in Master"s or PhD programs because we cannot guarantee that these courses will be offered in other languages.

The Philology faculty has stricter requirements that you can find below.

UCM offers a FREE Spanish Language Course for levels below C1 to students who ask for it when applying.

PROCEDURE

The student must apply for the Spanish Language Course by checking the corresponding box in the Application Form.
Students who have applied for the course, must take a compulsory level test that will be held at UCM aproximately the first week of September (for 1^st semester/Full year students) and arround first week February for 2^nd semester students. The exact date and place will be provided well in advance to each student by e-mail. Please, bear this course in mind for accommodation arrangements.
The intensive language course will take place during the month of September (for first semester/full year students) and during the month of February (for second semester students). This course takes place before the start of the Academic Year/Semester. As mentioned before, this free course will be offered for levels B2 and below.

Students at C1 or C2 levels are not allowed to attend the free Spanish courses. However, there are other courses available to Erasmus at special prices. For further information, please go to www.ucm.es/info/cextran/Index.htm.

Certificates are only requested for:

Geography and History Faculty, Communication Sciences, Journalism Faculty, School of Languages and Literatures

Language Requirements for the School of Languages & Literatures (Facultad de Filología)

1. General requirements

All language levels in this document refer to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR):

http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Source/Framework_EN.pdf

All levels are understood to be "consolidated" or "completed.” This means that if level B2 is required under no circumstances will a certificate for level B2.1 be accepted.

Students at the Faculty of Philology of the UCM who are studying subjects in which the vehicular language is not Spanish must also demonstrate a basic knowledge of Spanish (level B1) so that they can participate in the academic and social life of the university. Erasmus and visiting students wishing to improve their level of Spanish can register for courses at the Centro Complutense para la Enseñanza del Español (for further information and prices, please go to: www.ucm.es/ccee ).

We prefer the SIELE (Servicio Internacional de Evaluación de la Lengua Española; www.siele.org) as proof of proficiency in Spanish, but we will accept certificates issued by the Cervantes Institute, the Centro Complutense para la Enseñanza del Español or the university of origin. Certificates of proficiency levels in the four skills issued by the university of origin must be drafted in Spanish. If not, a translation into Spanish must be provided.

Ambiguous language certificates or those drafted in any language other than Spanish will not be accepted and would imply the need of providing the results of the SIELE (www.siele.org) for admission.

Students whose level of Spanish is clearly lower than that stated on the certificate from the university of origin will be required to take a placement test at the Centro Complutense para la Enseñanza del Español (for further information and prices of the test, please go to: www.ucm.es/ccee ).

Students declaring Spanish to be their mother tongue are exempt from providing certification of their level in the language.

Officially recognised certificates (IELTS, TOEFL, Zertificat Deutsch, DELF, DALF, CELI, etc.) and those from the university of origin are accepted for all other languages. If language certificates are not originally in Spanish, a translation must be provided. Students declaring a modern language to be their mother tongue are exempt from providing certification of their level in that language.

Students who do not provide certification of the required language level at the time of application will not be admitted.

These requirements received approval from the Board of the Faculty of Philology on 21 October, 2015. The translation of the original Spanish document into English was revised in November 2016 and minor modifications were introduced for purposes of clarity.

2. Degrees in Spanish

2.1. Degree in Spanish: Language and Literature

The degree is designed for native or bilingual students. The minimum level required is C1 in Spanish in the four skills, but for certain highly specialised courses the professors may require a C2 level for Erasmus and visiting students.

2.2. Master in Research in Spanish Language

Required level: C1 in Spanish.

2.3. Master in Spanish as a Second Language

Required level: C1 in Spanish.

2.4. Master in Spanish Literature

Required level: C1 in Spanish.

2.5. Master in Latin American Literature

Required level: C1 in Spanish.

2.6. Doctorate in Spanish Language and Literature

Required level: C2 in Spanish.

2.7. Doctorate in Latin American Literature

Required level: C2 in Spanish.

Note: These requirements have been approved by the different Department Councils: Spanish Language, Theory of Literature and Comparative Literature (20 May, 2015), Spanish Philology IV (Latin American Literature and Bibliography) (22 June, 2015) and Spanish Philology II (Spanish Literature) (8 July, 2015). These departments will regularly review the language requirements for Erasmus and visiting students.

3. Degrees in English

3.1. Degree in English Studies

The degree is designed for students who, in principle, are not native English speakers. The starting level for the first year, in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, is B1.3 (Introduction to B2), meaning that the student is expected to be at about a B2 level at the end of the year. Therefore, students with a lower level are advised to take catch-up courses. These can be done at the Centro Superior de Idiomas Modernos department of modern languages at the UCM (https://www.ucm.es/centro-superior-de-idiomas-modernos). The level that should be achieved by the fourth year of the degree is C2 (also in accordance with the CEFR).

All subjects in the English Studies Degree are taught in English. For specialised subjects in the first year the recommended level is B2 (initiation). The other basic subjects in the first year are taught in Spanish (except the second foreign language I and II - see the corresponding degree). For these subjects the minimum level recommended is C1 in Spanish in the four skills, although students with a "consolidated" level of B2 in all the skills will be accepted in exceptional cases.

Subjects in the second year of the English Studies Degree will require a minimum level of "consolidated" B2 in English for all compulsory subjects, and the same level for optional ones, although C1 is preferred. Finally, a "consolidated" C1 is recommended for all subjects in the third year, and C2 is preferred for the fourth year of the degree, as well as for the more highly specialised optional subjects. The option of Translation and Contrastive Linguistics: English-Spanish is a special case and requires a level of C1 in both English and Spanish.

These required levels must be certified by officially recognised certificates (IELTS, FCE, CAE, etc.) or by the university of origin. If the language certificates are not in Spanish or English they must be translated into one of these languages.

3.2. Master in English Linguistics: New Applications and International Communication

Required level: C1 in English.

3.3. Master in North American Studies

Required level: C1 in English.

3.4. Doctorate in English Linguistics:

Required level: C1 in English.

Note: These requirements have been approved by the English Philology I and English Philology II department councils. These departments will regularly review their language requirements for Erasmus and visiting students.

4. Degrees in Other Modern Languages

4.1. Degree in Modern Languages and Literatures

This degree is designed, in principle, for students who are not native speakers of the language in which they are specialising.

Except for French (which starts at A2.1) and English (which starts at B1.3), the other languages start at A1; therefore, Erasmus and visiting students do not need previous knowledge of these languages if they only intend to take the basic language level subjects.

Part of the subjects on literature and culture in this degree are taught in Spanish. The minimum level recommended is C1 in Spanish in the four skills, but for certain subjects the professor may require a C2 level for Erasmus and visiting students. Exceptionally, students with a proven level of B2 in the four skills will be accepted, provided the level is a "consolidated" or "completed" B2 (i.e. B2.1 will not be accepted). Such exceptions do not apply to highly popular subjects or to those whose level of specialisation require a C1 or C2.

There are subjects in English, Italian and German literature and/or culture that are taught in their respective languages. French literature and/or culture classes are always taught in French. The required language level for registering for these subjects varies between B and C, depending on the professor and the course offering the subject. Students of French, English, German and Italian are usually expected to reach level C in the fourth year.

Specific information on language requirements for this degree is available on the Faculty of Philology website (http://filologia.ucm.es/ >Alumnos>Horarios y exámenes)

These requirements have been approved by the Commission for Coordination of Modern Language and Literature Degrees on 3 June, 2015. The commission will regularly review language requirements for this degree for Erasmus and visiting students.

4.2. Degree in Spanish and German Studies

The minimum level of German required for this degree is A2. For the rest of the modern language and literature subjects in the degree the requirements are the same as those for the Degree in Modern Languages and Literatures (4.1.).

4.3. Master in Literary Studies

Required level: C1 in Spanish.

4.4. Master in Applied French Language (Spanish-French Master in conjunction with Univ. Sorbonnne-París IV)

Required level: French: B2; Spanish: B2.

4.5. Doctorate in French Studies

Required level: C1 in French.

4.6. Doctorate in Literary Studies

Required level: C1 in Spanish.

5. Degrees in Classical Philology

5.1. Degree in Classical Philology

Required level: C1 in Spanish.

5.2. Double degree in Ancient History and Classical Philology

Required level: C1 in Spanish.

5.3. Master in Classical Philology

Required level: C1 in Spanish.

5.4. Doctorate in Ancient World Studies

Required level: B2 in Spanish.

These requirements have been approved by the Latin Philology and Greek Philology and Indo-European Linguistics department councils. These departments will regularly review their language requirements for Erasmus and visiting students.

6. Degrees in Semitic Philology

6.1. Degree in Semitic and Islamic Studies

Required level: B2 in Spanish.

7. Degrees in Linguistics

7.1. Degree in Linguistics and Applied Languages

Required level: B2 in Spanish. For the modern language and literature subjects in the degree the requirements are the same as those for the Degree in Modern Languages and Literatures (4.1.).

7.2. Doctorate in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics

Required level: C1 in Spanish.

8. Other degrees

8.1. Degree in General and Comparative Literature

This is taught in Spanish and designed for native or bilingual students. The minimum level recommended is C1 in Spanish in the four skills, but for certain subjects the professor may require a C2 level for Erasmus and visiting students.

Exceptionally, students with a proven level of B2 in the four skills will be accepted, provided the level is a "consolidated" or "completed" B2 (i.e. B2.1 will not be accepted). Such exceptions do not apply to highly popular subjects or to those whose level of specialisation require a C1 or C2.

For the modern language and literature subjects in the degree the requirements are the same as those for the Degree in Modern Languages and Literatures (4.1.).

8.2. Degree in Translation and Interpreting

Required levels:

Spanish: C1.

English, French, German: B2.

8.3. Master in European Intercultural Studies

Required levels:

Spanish: C1.

German: C1.

8.4. Master in Mediaeval Studies

Required level:

Spanish: C1.

8.5. Master in Digital Literature

Required level:

Spanish: B2.

8.6. Master in Literary Translation

Required levels:

Spanish: C2.

German, Italian, English or French: C2 is recommended, but a consolidated C1 will be accepted.

For Outgoing

The knowledge of the language of study in the host institution is essential for the mobility. You can check the language requirements of the partner universities at each faculty or center at: http://www.ucm.es/acreditacion-de-idioma

For information on accreditation requirements and test schedule see the following link: https://www.ucm.es/csim/acreditacion-para-programas-movilidad-ucm

Admitted accreditation and certification levels can be checked at:
https://www.ucm.es/data/cont/media/www/pag-42937/Certificados%20oficiales%20admitidos%20por%20CSIM%20para%20Erasmus%20Actualizacion%20Noviembre%202014.pdf