This strategic alliance plans modalities for student exchange and possible double-graduation programs.

With a clear international outlook and an increased number of foreign students, the European University of the Atlantic in Spain is the most recent institution that established a Cooperation Agreement with the Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Science of the Universidad de La Frontera.

The European University of the Atlantic is located in Santander in the north of Spain and has three faculties, more than 2 thousand undergraduate students and about 5 thousand postgraduate students.

The objective of this agreement with the UFRO, through the Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Science, is to strengthen the exchange of students in related fields and the elaboration of a double degree program.

Apart from that, it also considers the development of academic and professional programs, the exchange of publications on research reports and the exchange of academic staff and specialists in the fields of their academic, research and/or professional competencies.

“We are very enthusiastic about students coming to study at our institution and students from our institution going to study at the UFRO or even getting a double degree. The objective is to be linked between universities and to deepen in possible ways of cooperation, projects, or R&D&I”, Rubén Calderón Iglesias, rector of the European University of the Atlantic, said.

At the moment, both higher education institutions have to work on the analysis of structure equivalence of undergraduate, master´s and doctoral programs. All that with the aim of reaching a more precise and concrete partnership. One of the key factors in the draft for this cooperation was the Ibero-American University Foundation whose director, Pablo Eisendecher, was present at the signing of the agreement.

“It is very important for us that the number of foreign students is as high as possible and that they come from as many countries as possible. The idea is to create cross-disciplinary skills”, Calderón added.

The European University of the Atlantic was founded in 2012 and offers four programs that are oriented towards the field of food science. One of them is the program in Engineering of Food and Agriculture Industries, from which this cooperation with the Universidad de la Frontera started.

“As a faculty we keep moving towards internationalization and we are strongly convinced that this is the way to go since we have been able to confirm the results, especially regarding our undergraduate programs,” Rodolfo Pihán, the dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Science, explained.

Written by: Sergio Valenzuela
Communications Office