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The purpose of Universidad de Antioquia is to pursuit, develop, and spread knowledge in the fields of humanities, science, arts, philosophy, and technology through research, teaching, and outreach activities. These activities are included in both undergraduate and graduate programs using in-person, blended, and open and distance learning methods and are at the service of a comprehensive understanding of the human being.

The university consists of 25 academic units divided into 14 faculties, four schools, four institutes, and three corporations that together offer around 130 undergraduate programs. Moreover, it offers 48 specializations, 50 medical specialties, 73 master’s programs, and 27 PhD programs, for a total of 190 graduate programs.

On September 5th, 2003, Universidad de Antioquia was the first public university in Colombia to be granted the high-quality institutional accreditation for nine years by the Ministry of National Education. On December 14th, 2012, the National Council of Accreditation consecutively renewed, for 10 years, such accreditation of the university. Universidad de Antioquia along with Universidad de los Andes, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, and Universidad del Valle are the only universities to have been acknowledged for the longest periods of this institutional accreditation in the country.

Besides standing out in the academic and research fields, the university is also a well-known cultural icon. It has institutions and dependencies that promote culture and art, such as the Universidad de Antioquia University Museum, the Carlos Gaviria Díaz Central Library, the Universidad de Antioquia Publishing House, the Universidad de Antioquia Cultural Radio Station, and the Faculty of Arts Cultural Center.

Mission

Universidad de Antioquia, scientific, cultural, and historical heritage of the Antioquia and national community, is a state institution that develops the public service of state education with criteria of academic excellence, ethics, and social responsibility. In the exercise of university autonomy,  teaching, learning, research, and professorship freedoms guaranteed by the Political Constitution, and open to all currents of thought, it fulfills the mission of acting as a center for the creation, preservation, transmission, and dissemination of knowledge and culture through research, teaching, and outreach.

The University offers undergraduate and graduate programs for people with high academic and professional qualities: Autonomous individuals who are aware of ethical principles, responsible for their actions, and able to work in teams. They are free to exercise judgment and criticism, able to lead social change, and committed to knowledge and the solution of regional and national problems with a universal vision.

As a fundamental desire, and by virtue of its transforming character, the Institution seeks to influence all social sectors through research, teaching, and outreach activities. The University is present in the daily life of society through the professional activity of its graduates and strives for the cultivation of scientific habits and the creation of pedagogical strategies that develop intelligence and creativity, focused on improving life and respecting the dignity of humans and their harmony with their fellow men and nature.

The University promotes change and progress in society and participates in its integration with the world's cultural, scientific, and economic movements. Likewise, the Institution carefully selects, perfects, trains, and stimulates its professors, employees, and workers so that collective, creative, and organized work leads to the fulfillment of institutional goals with efficiency and quality. Finally, the University, based on the principle of equality, facilitates access to higher education for those who demonstrate the necessary abilities and meet the required academic and administrative conditions.

Vision

In 2027, Universidad de Antioquia, as a public institution, will be recognized nationally and internationally for its academic excellence and its innovation in support of the community, the territories, and the environmental sustainability.

Core purposes

Research

As a source of knowledge, driving force, and support of teaching, research is included in the curriculum. Its purpose is to generate and verify knowledge aimed at the development of science and the production and adaptation of technology in order to find solutions to the problems of the region and the country.

Teaching

Having its foundations in research, teaching allows students to be trained in the fields and professions of their choice through the creation of curricula and the use of pedagogical methods that facilitate the achievement of the ethical and academic goals of the university. Because of its spreading and educational nature, this component plays a social role delegating scientific and moral responsibilities to professors towards their students, the institution, and the community.

Outreach

It refers to the permanent and direct university-community relationship whose impact works both ways: the institution on the community and the other way around. Outreach takes place through interaction processes and programs—artistic, scientific, and technological activities and consultancy services—with different social sectors and stakeholders and through programs aimed at spreading arts and knowledge and exchanging experiences and financial support in favor of the university’s mission. Continuing education programs and other activities oriented to ensure general wellbeing are part of this component. In this sense, the university achieves one of its main goals; and, for that, its alumni, as a living and acting expression of the university in the community, play a fundamental role.