Valparaíso and Viña del Mar

Valparaíso is the historical center and the main port of Chile. Pablo Neruda spent part of his life in Valparaíso and was inspired to write of the city’s colorful buildings and cerros. Neighboring Viña del Mar is known by the name ciudad jardín, the garden city, and is a popular summer destination for Chileans. Both cities represent an important center of Chilean higher education, given the presence of many universities.

For students in Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, there are five different host universities to choose from. Three of them—the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, the Universidad de Playa Ancha, and the Universidad de Valparaíso—are located in Valparaíso, while the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez and the Universidad Andrés Bello are across the bay in Viña del Mar.

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso

The Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso enrolls 13,000 students and the main campus hosts approximately 400 international students each year, which has resulted in more structure and guidance from the university. Particular university strengths are in business, history, and public administration, although courses are found across the spectrum of the liberal arts curriculum.

For available courses, select a carrera from the list. Once on the carrera’s webapge, click on the Adobe Icon with the title of Malla or Plan de Estudio on the left-hand side of the screen.

When reviewing the course offerings, remember that the odd-numbered semesters correspond with the spring semester in the U.S., while the even-numbered semesters correspond with the fall semester.

Universidad de Playa Ancha

The Universidad de Playa Ancha affords students the opportunity to study art, literature, history, anthropology, sociology, political science, ecology, and music in a close setting where they have easy access to their professors.

For available courses, select a carrera that interests you from the grid on the university’s homepage.  Once on the carrera’s webpage, click on Malla curricular at the bottom of the list of dropdown menus, in the middle of the page.  You can click on the image of the malla to enlarge it.

When reviewing the course offerings, remember that the odd-numbered semesters correspond with the spring semester in the U.S., while the even-numbered semesters correspond with the fall semester.

Universidad de Valparaíso

Most of the Universidad de Valparaíso is located near the national congress building in central Valparaíso, but some buildings and classes—especially those in the facultad de humanidades and the facultad de ciencias económicas y administrativas—are in nearby Viña del Mar. The university has a strong focus on business, but there is a Latin American regional/cultural department that offers history, economics, and sociology courses appropriate for liberal arts credit. Other strengths include psychology, philosophy, and marine biology.

For available courses, select a facultad that interests you from the list and click on that facultad’s website link on the right side of the screen.  Once of the facultad’s homepage, click on “Pregrado” in the menu bar at the top of the page for a dropdown menu of the different undegraduate majors (carreras de pregrado) available within that facultad.  Click on a carrera that you are interested in, and then scroll toward the bottom of the page until you see the “Plan de estudios.”

When reviewing the course offerings, remember that the odd-numbered semesters correspond with the spring semester in the U.S., while the even-numbered semesters correspond with the fall semester.

Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez

Nestled on a hilltop with a panoramic view overlooking the city, the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez has a campus in Viña del Mar that boasts a state-of-the-art facility for its 2,000 students. This private university welcomes about 150 international students each semester. It was originally established as a School of Business in 1953 and has since grown to be one the top business programs in Latin America. UAI also offers a unique minor in Liberal Arts, providing students with a multidisciplinary foundation on which to base critical thought—very similar to the educational philosophy of traditional liberal arts colleges in the U.S.

To view courses, click on Facultades in the menu bar at the top and select an escuela that you are interested in.  Once on the escuela’s homepage, click on Carrera from the menu bar at the top (you may need to click again on the carrera of interest).  From there, you can either click on Ver Folleto, which offers a PDF brochure about the carrera that includes the malla curricular (academic plan) or you can scroll down until you come to the malla on the homepage.

When reviewing the course offerings, remember that the odd-numbered semesters correspond with the spring semester in the U.S., while the even-numbered semesters correspond with the fall semester.

Universidad Andrés Bello

The Universidad Andrés Bello has recently been focused on the internationalization of its three campus locations throughout Chile. Its facultades are concentrated into one central, downtown location in Viña. The university’s strength in the field of science is demonstrated through its dedication to research and is a leader among private institutions for its production of scientific publications.

For available courses, click on the facultad that you are interested in, and then click on carreras in the menu bar at the top of the page.  Once on the carreras page, click on the carrera that you are interested in and scroll down to Malla Curricular to view a PDF of the courses.

*Please note: Courses in education and social sciences are not open to international students.

When reviewing the course offerings, remember that the odd-numbered semesters correspond with the spring semester in the U.S., while the even-numbered semesters correspond with the fall semester.