MAJ09409 Colombia

Colombia is one of the most fascinating, culturally and biologically diverse countries in Latin America and is located in the north-west of the South American continent close to Panama. It has a population of over 46 million people. It was originally the centre of Gran Colombia, a post-independence confederation of Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, and Ecuador. Colombia is bordered to the northwest by Panama; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. It has a vast range of climatic conditions, from the snow-capped Andes and volcanoes, to the Amazonian jungle, the Guajira desert and fertile savannahs. Bogotá is the capital of Colombia and is located in the centre of the country at an elevation of about 2650m (8660ft) above sea level on a mountain rimmed savannah high in the Cordillera Oriental of the Andes Mountains. This gives it constant spring like weather. It was founded in 1538 by the Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. The new city became the vice-regal capital of New Granada in 1717. It was captured by Simón Bolívar in 1819 and was the capital of the independent nation of Great Colombia. Bogotanos preserve and cherish their churches, convents, homes (built in the ornate Spanish colonial style) and these influences are still visible. Bogotanos pride themselves on claiming their city as the Athens of South America and the city is Colombia's largest financial, political, cultural and educational centre. Its 7.3 million inhabitants include a multitude of immigrants from all over the world, which makes the capital a true microcosm of the nation. Modern highrises and skyscrapers contrast with old houses of colonial and republican architecture. Bogotá offers residents and visitors everything that a modem city can give. Cultural activities abound and its enormous selection of restaurants, bars and nightclubs offers all kinds of food and entertainment. Industries include printing and publishing, motor vehicle assembly, food processing, and the manufacture of beverages, textiles, metals goods, machinery, and electrical equipment. Many banks and corporations maintain their headquarters in the city. Railroads and highways, including the Pan-American Highway, link the city with other major centres.

Locations

Bogotá

Universidad de los Andes

The University of the Andes (Universidad de los Andes) is one of Colombia's best public universities, home to approximately 17,000 students. It is located in the centre of the city against the base of the mountains and has handsome views of the city and is close to other major universities. It is a coeducational, nonsectarian private university located in city centre Bogotá, Colombia. The University has nine faculties: Administration, Architecture and Design, Arts and Humanities, Sciences, Social Sciences, Law, Economics, Engineering and Medicine, which offer undergraduate and postgraduate programs; and the Center for Research and Training in Education (CIFE), and the Interdisciplinary Center for Development Studies (CIDER), for postgraduate programs. It is ranked as a top tier university in Latin America, occupying sixth place in the subcontinent according to the QS Times Higher Education classification. The university was founded in 1948 by a group of Colombian intellectuals and was the first university in the country to be nonsectarian, that is, independent of political parties or influence from the state or the church. Today, the University seeks to model itself after major research universities through strategies such as greater focus on graduate education and research.

www.uniandes.edu.co/en
www.uniandes.edu.co/en/component/content/article/656-about-uniandes

Academic calendar

• Semester 1: mid-January to early May
• Semester 2: mid-August to late November
• Summer semester: early June to late July

Pontificia Universidad Javeriana

The Pontificia Universidad Javeriana is one of the oldest private universities in Colombia, founded in 1623. Its main facilities are in Bogotá and a second campus in Cali. It has 18 schools comprising 61 departments and 181 academic programs catering to different areas of knowledge, giving the university its multidisciplinary nature. The Javeriana University in Cali offers 18 schools in four different faculties. It is located in Pance in Southern Cali and is considered to be a very prestigious university. The Javieriana has a Latin American Centre, which teaches Spanish language and culture classes. These classes are complimentary. The language centre is the oldest such language centre attached to a university in Colombia (established in the 1940s). It includes field trips (coffee plantations, craftwork centres, etc.) as part of its offerings. Students learn the vocabulary associated with the activities at the destination and then put them into practice on the fieldwork trip. The Alfonso Borrero Cabal, S.J. Library is open 24 hours a day during the week. Javeriana's students have the opportunity to participate in internship programs and in social projects, in Bogota or nationwide, where they can apply the acquired knowledge in their field of study. Javeriana University is a research-based University. It is ranked first among private universities in Colombia for having the largest number of refereed journals, and fifth for having the most research groups recognised by the National Agency of Science and Technology for their quality and productivity. The Sport Centre offers over 30 different sports. The University has a student population of 22,000 on its main campus in Bogotá and is easily accessible by public transportation. Javeriana University offers through Centro Atico next generation resources, enhancing the learning experience. Centro Atico is the first communication and information technological resource centre in Latin America for the development of education, sound, image and design. Javeriana University has its own, high quality University Hospital.

www.javeriana.edu.co
comunicacionylenguaje.javeriana.edu.co/

Universidad de La Sabana, Chía, Bogotá

La Sabana is a private university situated to the north of Bogotá in the satellite city of Chía, a mostly middle-class city with Spanish colonial architecture located in the beautiful dairy cattle country of the Savannah surrounded by the Colombian Andes. The university was founded in 1979. It has recently gone through an ambitious expansion with high-tech buildings (eco-friendly designs) to house ultra-modern radio, TV and journalism courses. The university has an ultra-modern Communication's Media Production Centre. La Sabana specialises in Business/Marketing, Engineering (all types), Medicine (it offers PhDs in Engineering and medicine), Nursing/Physiotherapy/Psychology, Education, Communication/Journalism, Law (especially human rights), and it has a Humanities Institute. The university also has a clinic, a health institution that deals with all medical disciplines and is one of the most important rehabilitation centres in Latin America. The clinic is an important centre for research, teaching and community service. The university currently runs 18 undergraduate programs. There are also 31 specialisation programs and five master's programs: Education, Process Management and Direction, Business Administration, Nursing, and English Language Teaching. La Sabana has a doctoral program in Biosciences. Master's programs in Nursing include Critical Pediatric Care, Rehabilitation Management and School Health.

www.unisabana.edu.co

Completion requirements