Academic Policies

All students are subject to BU’s Academic Code of Conduct

Must take a full course load for a grade (16 credits)
All coursework must be completed prior to end of program
If accommodations are needed, notify BU Study Abroad and BU’s Office of Disability Services
Policies

Attendance

Attendance at both classes and field trips is mandatory. No unexcused absences are permitted. Each unexcused absence or late assignment submission will result in a deduction of 0.25 points from the student’s final grade. Students must notify both the BU Madrid office and their instructor(s) in advance of any absence whenever possible. Appropriate documentation must be provided for absences to be considered excused.

- Students are expected to attend every class.
- Students should understand that they are responsible for the academic consequences of class or exam absences.
- Any student that has been excessively absent from a course, according to the instructor, may be recommended to withdraw.
- It is the student’s responsibility to notify the BU Madrid office & their instructors of absences.
- Personal travel must NOT conflict with academic obligations.
- BU Policy on Religious Observance

Further details will be given during the on-site orientation and/or in syllabi.

Internship Attendance

Students should note that attendance at the internship itself is mandatory. While your final grade will be determined by your academic work in the class, your performance at your internship will be also taken into consideration.

Elective Pass/Fail

Only one course per semester may be taken Pass/Fail.

The language placement test serves as a guide, but the on-site Spanish language instructors will have final say in assessing language level and placement in an appropriate class.
No more than two 300-level Spanish language courses (LS 306, 307, 309, 310) may be taken for credit at Boston University; students who have already taken two 300-level language courses should choose a literature course and three elective courses. Please consult your academic advisor for any major/minor credit requirements.
If you are enrolled in a Spanish class deemed too advanced for you, our language team will advise you to drop down a level in order to maximize your class performance.
If our instructors believe that you have enrolled in a level below your capabilities, you will be asked to move to the next Spanish class level so 1) you will not get bored in class (challenge yourself!) and 2) you will not be distracting or discouraging to other students.
Native Spanish speakers should enroll in a 400-level class.
If you have any academic requirements or constraints that prevent you from taking a language/ literature class, please contact Amalia Pérez-Juez at amaliapj@bu.edu.
All students should confirm in advance with their academic advisors which courses may be taken for major, minor, and departmental requirements, and which courses may be taken for elective credit.

Students should be aware that course selection varies from semester to semester, depending on the needs of the group as a whole as well as professor’s availability. Classes are subject to a minimum enrollment that must be met in order to be held. Classes are also subject to a max occupancy number and should this number be reached, no additional students will be admitted. BU Madrid may open wait lists for these classes. Registration operates on a first-come, first-served basis, but there are certain groups with priority enrollment (see below).

Priority Enrollment: certain academic groups may have limited options for their courses, therefore they have priority enrollment in certain classes. Students in Spanish levels LS 111-LS 212 can only choose from electives in English. Should the max enrollment be reached, students in the higher levels of Spanish (300+) will be asked to switch to an elective taught in Spanish. They may be added to a wait list. The same applies to certain groups who have limited schedules (ENG, SCI programs): these students will have priority enrollment in those classes held during the afternoon.

Students in higher levels of Spanish are strongly encouraged to take most, if not all, of their electives in Spanish. They will be permitted to enroll in the English-language electives on a space-permitting basis.

BU will provide students with the use of audio-guides during offsite class visits as well as group field trips. Students are responsible for the proper use of said audio-guides and if it is lost, stolen, or damaged, this will result in having to pay for a replacement guide. We also ask that they be returned in a timely fashion after use.

Students from other programs (i.e. Madrid Spanish & European Studies) cannot choose to switch into the internship program once the semester in Madrid has begun.

Additional UAM Policies

*An important note about the UAM SCIENCE academic schedule: The Universidad Autónoma de Madrid has shared a tentative academic schedule of the science courses you will be taking. The host university has scheduled classed Monday through Friday with exams scheduled on Friday afternoons. Additionally, lab work is tentatively scheduled to take place during one intensive week in late November. There is no flexibility with this schedule, as it is determined by the host university and has been determined based on laboratory space and restraints. Please keep this tentative academic schedule in mind as you prepare for your semester and consider independent travel you wish to pursue. As a reminder, in accordance with BU academic policy, exams and classes cannot be missed, and independent travel should not be booked prior to arriving in Madrid and receiving a detailed academic and program calendar.

UAM Direct-Enrollment Policies

Students enroll in UAM classes that they choose themselves and must accept full responsibility for their own academic success. Furthermore, students are responsible for:

-Correctly enrolling in UAM classes and meeting all deadlines associated with this process.

-Learning and understanding the requirements of classes including, but not limited to, the attendance policy, assignments and their deadlines, and exam dates and other requirements.

-Clarifying any questions or concerns related to the requirements of classes/professors, as each may vary in terms of evaluation methods and grading criteria.

-Accessing final grades, which only students themselves have access to through the UAM intranet. Students are responsible for contacting the professor for any further information. Should students need to discuss their final grades with their professor(s), they must do so in a timely fashion (before the deadline set by the UAM).

-Students are only entitled to take the first offered final exam (Convocatoria Ordinaria), and not to any other alternative exams (extraordinarios).

-Students should make their presence as a foreign student known to professors.

BU Madrid encourages students to seek out additional help from Spanish classmates who may be interested in acting as a tutor for compensation (paid for by BU Madrid) should they find it necessary to achieve academic success.

BU Madrid may request, in exceptional cases, that students change levels/programs should it be evident that their Spanish language level is not sufficient for meeting the demands of UAM classes.