Kacper Grass is an ISA Barcelona and Seville alumnus at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville whose impactful time in Spain influenced him to pursue graduate school in Barcelona. In this article, Kacper shares his experience and tips for those looking to make their way back abroad!
My first taste of studying abroad with ISA took place in Barcelona during the fall semester of my junior year of college. Enamored with the city and my life as a student in Spain, I had the hot-headed idea never to return to my home university and “simply” complete my bachelor’s degree at the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. As it turned out, my impulsive plan of transferring between two universities in two different countries in the middle of my degree would not have been so simple after all, and luckily reason prevailed: I returned to the University of Tennessee for the spring semester of my junior year, spent the fall semester of my senior year studying with ISA in Seville, and then returned to UT once again for my final semester and graduation. That spring, my primary focus was applying for the master’s degree program in political science at my beloved UAB. By the time of my graduation, I had been accepted into the program and was ready to embark on what would be a truly life-changing journey for me. Since I completed the master’s program, many undergraduate students and recently graduated alumni have asked me about my experience. To answer a few of the most frequently asked questions and address some of the most common concerns, this short article serves as a guide to help prospective American graduate students navigate and transition to the Spanish education system in pursuit of a master’s or doctoral degree.
Spanish and American Systems Compared
Although my personal experience with graduate studies at the UAB is certainly not representative of all Spanish graduate programs, Spain’s higher education institutions have undergone considerable standardization through the Bologna Process to ensure academic and administrative compatibility with universities throughout the European Union. Some general comparisons can therefore be made between graduate studies in Spain and the United States in terms of their organization, costs, and culture. First of all, while it is common for undergraduate students in the United States to apply directly for PhD programs that effectively include a master’s degree on the path towards the final dissertation, these two degrees are organized as completely separate programs in Spain. All graduate students must begin by completing a master’s degree that lasts one or two years and consists of coursework and a thesis. Then, those who wish to advance to a PhD must choose a potential advisor and prepare a dissertation prospectus as part of their application. If accepted, students in the PhD program typically focus solely on dissertation research rather than coursework.
Secondly, while the relatively high cost of university education makes most graduate students in the United States dependent on tuition waivers through teaching or research assistantships in their departments, Spanish universities offer much fewer employment opportunities to students, who are therefore frequently self-funded. This fact, combined with a challenging job market that makes even part-time positions in other sectors difficult to attain, has made it common for young Spaniards to live at home with their families until they complete their educations and find work in their professional fields. To put Spanish graduate school prices into perspective, however, the master’s degree program in political science at the UAB consists of 60 ECTS credits (more on this below) with a fee of €27.67/credit for EU citizens and €75.00/credit for non-EU citizens, or a total tuition of approximately €1,660 versus €4,500, respectively. Both of these figures are significantly lower than the average cost of a master’s degree in the United States, which is currently over $59,600 as reported by the Education Data Initiative.
Thirdly, whereas the academic culture in the United States tends to emphasize the importance of evaluating attendance, participation, and routine assignments, graduate-level courses in Spain assign a much more prominent role to final examinations that must be passed in order to complete a given course. Failing a final exam may mean having to retake it in a make-up session or even repeating the course the following academic year. Just as repeating courses is a more common occurrence in Spanish graduate programs than American ones, so too is receiving lower grades. There are a number of factors that have led to grade inflation in American education—not least of which is the fact that high costs of tuition make many students dependent on grade-based scholarships, which in turn pressures instructors to assign high grades more generously—but the Spanish grading scale typically reserves a score of 10 (A+) for a single student in the class, while scores of 9 and 8 are duly difficult to achieve.
Choosing a Graduate Program
There are numerous factors that must be taken into consideration when choosing any degree program, but I believe that the three most important ones for Americans studying in Spain are language, location, and type of “título”. Depending on your level of fluency, you may be more or less comfortable pursuing a degree in which the primary language of instruction is Spanish. Although I had double-majored in political science and Hispanic studies for my bachelor’s degree, one of the most appealing aspects about the master’s program in political science at the UAB was that it was internationally oriented. This means that the core classes were taught in English, some electives were offered in Spanish, and the thesis could be written and defended in English, Spanish, or Catalan. Such an arrangement, however, is not the norm for all graduate programs, so you must make sure that your language level is appropriate for your desired program before applying.
Moreover, although tuition costs do not vary greatly from one university to another, the costs of living do fluctuate from city to city. If you plan on spending a year as a full-time student without additional income, then it is important to make sure that the costs of living in the location of your desired degree program are permissible for your budget. While many universities offer the option of living in dormitory-style “residencias”, some real estate agencies like Inedit or Aluni lease single rooms in fully furnished apartments that are available exclusively to students. Those wishing to find a cheaper option themselves can search for apartments and rooms through websites like Idealista or Piso Compartido. If you are interested in supplementing your finances as a private English tutor while pursuing your degree, I recommend reading my previous article, An Alumnus’ Guide to Teaching English in Spain, in which I outline the various options for doing so.
Finally, it is also important to be aware that Spanish higher education institutions offer two types of degrees: títulos oficiales and títulos propios. The former are officially certified by the Spanish Ministry of Education, whereas the latter are certified only by the universities granting them. While it is not necessarily true that a graduate program offering a título propio is of a lower quality than one offering a título oficial, you should do some research to confirm that it meets all the standard requirements of a título oficial (60 ECTS credits, one to two years of study, final master’s thesis, etc.) before applying. Whichever type of degree you choose to pursue, you may be interested in having it accredited in the United States upon completion. For this, institutions like World Education Services can be consulted to convert your credentials, which will be listed according to the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System and the Spanish grading scale on your university transcript, to US credit hours and a US GPA.
Let the Journey Begin!
As I mentioned at the beginning, the year I spent in my master’s degree program in Spain was a truly life-changing journey for me, both personally and professionally. My cohort was a class of about 30 students from 25 different nationalities, several of whom remain close friends of mine to this day. In some ways, returning to Barcelona for graduate school fulfilled my dream of prolonging the study abroad experience I had begun with ISA as a junior in college. However, it was also an opportunity for me to become more independent and face the inevitable challenges of living and studying abroad myself. After I completed my master’s degree, I stayed in Spain for three more years to work as an English teacher, but since then I have returned to the University of Tennessee to pursue a PhD in political science. In hindsight, I believe that my experience as a graduate student at the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona did much to prepare me for the rigors and expectations of my current studies. Therefore, if you are considering graduate school in Spain, I say grab the bull by the horns and let the journey begin!
Curious to hear more from ISA/TEAN alumni? Read more blogs from Spain Alumni or explore other posts about how study abroad can influence your professional growth.
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