Villanueva is a private University College affiliated by charter to the Complutense University of Madrid since 1997. It aims to be an innovative University, capable of leaving its hallmark on society as university institutions should in the second millennium of their existence. One of the features of this endeavour is our specialisation in the Social Sciences. Our ambition is to improve interdisciplinary research and development in this field, and to apply results to teaching and to the professions. The fact that the College is privately owned, yet affiliated to a state university, has two important consequences: first, students obtain a degree that is publicly recognised and second, the college can operate with enormous flexibility and adaptability without losing the traditional spirit and academic standards of the parent University. The Complutense University of Madrid was founded in the XVI century and is today the widest reaching and most highly respected of the Spanish state universities.
Size and Location
Villanueva abides by two criteria that form part of its identity; not to segregate students into suburban campuses removed from the professional and social reality in which they should be immersed; and to preserve a compact dimension in keeping with the degree of excellence that it demands of all its activities in the specialised areas of learning in which it is engaged. University sites are thus located in downtown Madrid – Claudio Coello, 11 - and in the Mirasierra district – Costa Brava, 2. Degrees awarded are related to the Social Sciences (Journalism, Audiovisual Communications, Publicity and Public Relations, Law, Business Administration, Education and Teacher Training). Admission standards and selection procedures are demanding due to the limited number of places available.
International perspective
Since its foundation, the international character of our University has been one of its main features. The syllabus includes the study of two foreign languages to all levels of certification, for which purpose agreements have been signed with different institutions (Centro Superior de Estudios Modernos of the Complutense University of Madrid and L´Institut Français).
Faculty and student exchanges with European and American universities are frequent and the internship system operates at an international level, so that when our students complete their degrees they are in a position to pursue their profession in any part of the world.
Internships and Gaining Practical Experience
Villanueva University College trains its students so that they can exercise their profession when they complete their degree, without having to enrol in a post-graduate study programme in order to adapt to the real world. This is achieved by a demanding programme that puts the student into contact with professional reality in three ways; within each subject, with practical cases and seminars; within each academic year, by relating acquired knowledge to real life cases and by taking part in tutored activities; and by professional internships in companies and institutions with whom we have reached agreements in Spain and other countries.
Tutorial and Assessment System
The tutorial system is an indispensable feature of any quality University. At Villanueva, we have defined two functions that we nurture with particular care. Each student group is assigned a Tutor, a professor who acts as coordinator of the students in each academic year, and who supervises their personal and academic performance.
For the purpose of contributing to the students' university and professional objectives, each student is additionally assigned a personal tutor, who assesses the student personally with regard to his or her specific difficulties and academic progress, offers career orientation to the student, and advises on study techniques and work methods.
Teaching Excellence
Professors are selected in accordance with high standards both with regard to academic qualifications and teaching capacity. They are evaluated every year. since they require the “venia dociendi†granted by the Rectorate of the Complutense University. This evaluation is obligatory for all affiliated colleges.
Research
In addition to teaching, the University’s other basic commitment is to look for new areas of research or to contribute to areas already opened up in applied research. At Villanueva we pay particular attention to these two branches of research in which a large number of our professors take part. Undergraduates in the final stages of their degree, who show an ability and inclination for research, may also participate in projects as research scholars. We believe that our research activity is a facet of our serious commitment to the search for truth.
Deontology
Since its foundation, all the activity of the University College has been imbued with the constant endeavour to better society as a whole. In order to do so, our graduates must not only carry out their professional activity seriously and thoroughly, but also ethically, and with a sense of service. In addition to our specialisation in the Social Sciences, our efforts are directed towards exercising the professions of law, business, communication or education with a new perspective, governed by strict and challenging professional ethical standards.
Within this framework, we have created the first University Institute of Professional Deontology in Social Sciences, whose activity includes innovative lines of research in the Social Sciences.