Generales

International dual-degree program

The UdeA School of Engineering, the University of Groningen Faculty of Medical Sciences and the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) have signed a dual degree agreement to provide students from both universities with greater career options. Universidad de Antioquia currently has 13 dual degree agreements with partner universities worldwide. 

Dual degrees were implemented at UdeA in 2006.  These programs allow undergraduate and graduate students the chance to spend 1-2 years in universities abroad and earn a dual degree from both UdeA and an international university. 

“The rise of the dual degree programs in recent years has been fostered by increased higher education opportunities, trade integration policies, strategic international partnerships and free trade agreements,” said Diego Franco of the UdeA International Affairs Office. 

UdeA School of Engineering has dual degree agreements with several international universities including Politecnico di Torino, Université de Limoges, Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Metz, Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Tarbes, Institut National des Sciences Apliquées Centre Val Loire and the University of Groningen.

Most of these agreements provide engineering students who have completed 80 percent of their coursework with the opportunity to pursue a master’s degree abroad.

UdeA School of Communication also offers a Master of Arts degree in Linguistics with an emphasis on German as a foreign language at the Pedagogical University of Freiburg, Germany. This agreement allows students to attend 3 semesters at Universidad de Antioquia and a semester in Freiburg, and earn two master’s degrees.

“During their stay in Germany, students are encouraged to advance their research work. They have access to databases and bibliographic material as well as advice from German scholars and researchers,” said DAAD representative and coordinator of the UdeA dual degree program in Linguistics Lissette Mächler. 

Advantages of dual degrees

“When you choose to study a dual degree you open your mind to a world of possibilities. You will also learn about other cultures and how to fix your mistakes, and you will also have a brand new and improved perspective on life," says Anderson Mosquera, a School of Engineering graduate who pursued a dual degree at Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Metz.

Currently there are about 260 UdeA students who have completed or are currently pursuing a dual degree abroad. The benefits of earning a dual degree include being in contact with highly skilled and knowledgeable faculty, building relationships with partner universities abroad, improving your foreign language skills and being ready to successfully enter the global workforce, among many others.

Maritza Areiza, coordinator of the Study Abroad Office at the UdeA School of Engineering says dual degrees have helped strengthen the link between the University and other universities abroad. “Because of the many skills they gain with a dual degree, our graduates are highly sought after by the all sectors of the industry,” Areiza said.

Other academic units of the University that offer dual degree programs include the Department of Basic Biomedical Sciences, the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, the School of Art and the School of Economic Sciences. The medium-term goal is to increase the number of dual degree agreements. 

Dual degree agreements face challenges such as funding since students spend a longer time abroad than those who pursue internships and study abroad programs. However, these types of agreements include benefits such as tuition waivers and grants.

The aim of these agreements is that more international students become interested in pursuing dual degrees at Universidad de Antioquia by implementing dual degree programs that suit the needs of the partner universities.