Bachelor in Cultural Studies

Exchange programs

The Erasmus programme permits UC3M first degree and post graduate students to spend one or several terms at one of the European universities with which UC3M has special agreements or take up an Erasmus Placement, that is a work placement or internship at an EU company. These exchanges are funded with Erasmus Grants which are provided by the EU and the Spanish Ministry of Education.

The non-european mobility program enables UC3M degree students to study one or several terms in one of the international universities with which the university has special agreements. It also has funding from the Banco Santander and the UC3M.

These places are offered in a public competition and are awarded to students with the best academic record and who have passed the language threshold  (English, French, German etc..) requested by the university of destination.

Non- European Mobility

It is recommended that students entering this Degree have studied either the Baccalaureate in Humanities or the Baccalaureate in Social Sciences (or, where appropriate, equivalent Baccalaureate courses or similar in terms of the subjects studied when the student comes from other non-Spanish educational systems).

Personal attitudes of initiative, teamwork, personal organisation of work, capacity for abstraction, critical thinking and responsibility and interest in the practical application of knowledge to solve real problems are highly valued.

Finally, the University offers the degree in a bilingual option, which means that students must complete at least 120 ECTS (half of the ECTS of the degree) in English. Therefore, students must demonstrate a good level of linguistic competence in English equivalent to level B2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, given that most subjects will be taught in English and students will be working with texts, materials, exercises, etc. entirely in English.  Similarly, and given that the degree is taught in Spanish and English, non-Spanish-speaking students must accredit at least the same level in Spanish when taking the Spanish option.

Application for a place in the degree

Graduates of the Bachelor's Degree in Cultural Studies must have a theoretical or practical interest in the various facets of contemporary society, but to which is added a greater sensitivity to the semantics and contents of the particular cultures that articulate social institutions. This is a student who is not entirely satisfied with the tools and theories of the social sciences, but who also does not consider the teachings of the more traditional disciplines of the humanities to be sufficient.

Secondly, a student who is an analyst, a theoretician, a creator, a manager and an activist. The degree proposed here also aspires to provide knowledge and tools with which to understand and provide an adequate response to these characteristic challenges of today's societies, without prejudice to recognising that the analytical procedures and academic rigour achieved by traditional disciplines must constitute a stimulus for the use of basic knowledge and methodological tools with which to solidly construct the new frameworks of creation and interpretation.

The bilingual nature of the proposed degree provides a further attractive and differentiating factor within the panorama of university studies in the Humanities in Spain and will notably increase the international mobility of students, which will also be favoured by the fact that it is a degree that already exists and is consolidated in a good number of European countries, as well as in North America and other regions, as will be explained in the following section of this report.

1. Knowledge of Titles

K1 - To know the principles and values of democracy and sustainable development, in particular, respect for human rights and fundamental rights, gender equality and non-discrimination, the principles of universal accessibility and climate change.

K2 - To know basic humanistic contents, oral and written expression, following ethical principles and completing a multidisciplinary training profile.

K3 - Identify and contextualize major contemporary cultural movements and conflicts, taking into account social factors such as class, gender, ethnicity, or religion.

K4 - Analyze current cultural practices in relation to their historical contexts and institutional trajectories.

K5 - Understand the functioning of contemporary cultural systems and their main agents (institutions, policies, formats).

K6 - Distinguish basic approaches to cultural analysis from humanistic and social perspectives (sociological, historical, philosophical, anthropological).

K7 - Understand the role of the media in the production and transformation of cultural forms. 

K8 - Recognize global cultural diversity and the processes of interaction and cultural hybridization linked to globalization.

2. Skills of Titles

S1 - To plan and organize team work making the right decisions based on available information and gathering data in digital environments.

S2 - To use information interpreting relevant data avoiding plagiarism, and in accordance with the academic and professional conventions of the area of study, being able to assess the reliability and quality of such information.

S3 - Apply critical reasoning to the interpretation of cultural phenomena, using appropriate terminology and basic analytical tools.

S4 - Communicate ideas and findings orally and in writing clearly, coherently, and appropriately for academic context.

S5 - Critically analyze cultural practices from an ethical perspective, recognizing cultural norms, values, and conflicts.

S6 - Design basic cultural initiatives in institutional or community settings.

S7 - Develop practical solutions to address cultural challenges in defined academic contexts.

S8 - Use basic tools of visual representation and digital communication to present analysis or research findings.

S9 - Develop strategies for the preservation of cultural heritage and the social practices that sustain it.

3. Competences of Titles

C1 - To Know and be able to handle interpersonal skills on initiative, responsibility, conflict resolution, negotiation, etc., required in the professional environment.

C2 - Apply concepts, approaches, and methods of cultural analysis to the study of sociocultural phenomena from a critical and informed perspective.

C3- Plan cultural initiatives, promoting innovation and social responsibility.

C4 - Independently and creatively address problems and questions specific to the field of cultural studies, selecting and effectively combining acquired knowledge, skills, and resources.

External internships

This is a selection in which students of this degree can do their internships:

• Departamento de Visitas del Palacio de la Bolsa de Madrid
• Fundación Largo Caballero
• Unidad de Funcionarios Internacionales del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación
• Biblioteca Nacional de España
• Arrebato Libros
• Metalocus

Career opportunities

The Degree in Cultural Studies aims to train profesionals capable of understanding the growing complexity of urban and cosmopolitan societies: social movements; leisure industries and cultural consumption as basic drivers of the economy; access to cultural goods; cultural factors in the management of goups in all areas and the semantic complexity of messages in the information society

They will be able develop their work as:

• Analyst, creators, managers in companies and institution related to the industry and cultural communication, as well as cultural management
• Research and dissemination of knowledge
• Management of education and cultural institutions 
• Research in arts and humanities
• Intercultural relations and cultural diversity management (Cultural mediation tasks
• Territorial development and international cooperation

Schedules and calendars

Schedule in bachelor's degree

Academic calendar

Exams calendar (first semester)

Exams calendar (second semester)

Exams calendar (recovery tests)

Schedules and calendar

Schedule in bachelor's degree

Academic calendar

Exams calendar (first semester)

Exams calendar (second semester)

Exams calendar (recovery tests)