Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (English: King Juan Carlos University) is a public research university with campuses in the Southern area of the Community of Madrid- in Móstoles, Alcorón, Vicálvaro and Fuenlabrada. The Spanish university was named after king Juan Carlos I of Spain and was founded in 1996. Since then, the university has specialized in teaching and finding interdisciplinary solutions to current problems, therefore making it one of the best universities in Madrid. It was ranked among the best universities for excellence academic programmes and international scientific quality. Today, almost 38,000 students are enrolled in programmes at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC). The students benefit from the outstanding facilities and infrastructure of the campuses, as the university offers an excellent academic environment which is dedicated to research, innovation and learning. The school is the second biggest and second newest public university in the Community of Madrid. Students at Rey Juan Carlos University can study at undergraduate level, and also follow double degree, blended learning degree programmes. English-taught degrees are offered as well, aimed for international students, who are eager to develop their potential and have an international, professional and humanistic study experience. URJC can also delivers master and university-specific degrees, and PhD programmes. The school wants to make sure that every students is able to achieve their academic goal, and in order to make this possible, offers several scholarships and grants to students and graduates. All of the degree programmes are adapted to the European Higher Education Area. Prospective students can choose from a variety of subject areas- they could be studying towards a degree in Health Sciences, Experimental Sciences and Technology, Communication Sciences, Law, and Social Sciences, as well as Preschool Education, International Relations, Visual Arts and Dance, Criminology, and many more. The university also works closely together with numerous academic and professional partners.
I think the most remarkable skills that I have learned during the programme were the analytics ones. The critic eye you start to research any issue, especially advertising and communication. Also, it is important at this stage when you learn to work in a team of people you don’t know, it brings you closer to the way working in real life is.
View moreI study at Rey Juan Carlos University, I am in my third year of my degree, I only have to do my internship next year and the TFG. I consider my degree to be very complete since I have studied both analytical and creative marketing, seeing how the logistics and distribution of a company work up to CRM and customer acquisition and loyalty techniques. I have carried out projects to create products, campaigns, new services, etc. So in general I can say that my degree is quite practical apart from being theoretical.
If I had to say something that I didn’t like about my university, it’s above all that it is public, they don’t pay much attention to the students, you can hardly complain or ask why since they are so many students, they don’t pay attention.
However, I recommend that other students take my degree, since I consider that in the academic field they are very professional, the basis of the degree is very complete and you end up very prepared for the world of work.
View moreI am a Irish student in Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. And I can honestly say I love it here. Studying abroad has definitely opened my eyes to a new culture and language. My course is taught in English. I find it easy to understand. The university is well managed and you can find staff that speak English if you don’t understand Spanish.
View moreMy experience was wonderful! I studied a BA in International Relations, which was really interesting and offered me an extensive knowledge of the subject. The University is specialized in the political branch of International Relations, which is why I decided to study there. It also offers many opportunities for students to carry out international exchanges and a wide variety of internship programs. Definitely… an enriching experience in every way!
View moreThe school is relatively young which might be a limitation in matter of experience but I believe that it is more of an advantage. URJC is the leading University in Spain regarding international student mobility and international communication with new English bachelors. I believe that in today’s world and climate this is one of the most important aspects that a University should have. They are also quite modern and offer great opportunities so really at the end of the day if you want to grab the opportunity it is waiting for you and it’s all about what you do with it.
The teachers are quite good in majority with a few very bad exemptions so the University definitely needs to work on that but all else is truly great if you are an ambitious and responsible student.
In my case, my degree has not been offered for a long time; certain faults that I see I attribute to that. For example, the offer of subjects does not cover as many possibilities nor does it touch as many areas as in other universities, nor do many come close to what would be the working life, having great deficiencies and great redundancies.
I hope this changes and adjusts.
I know that there have been professors who have tried to do so and since the University it has not been accepted.
As for the facilities, everything is fine.
The offer of schedules is very limited, I do not think that it tries to adapt to the real lives or to the possible diverse circumstances of those of us who study here.
There are a number of activities such as quite interesting talks, seminars and colloquia, just as acceptable, but insufficient for me with what a university should really be; there are even less extracurricular organizations, they could promote it, but it is not the sole responsibility of the URJC but also of those who study here and what we want, expect and demand from our student experience.
I do not think that this is a unique problem of this University but of the very concept of this that has been diluted over time.
As for the Rectorate, there have been many controversies in recent years. This does not give us any confidence and, personally, I think it gives the image that this University is a company at the service of people and groups outside it, and that study, knowledge and learning are really nothing more than a circumstance.
I don’t rate it as bad or very bad because, after all, it is possible to study there; the organization does not leave to be desired and in my experience, they are lucky to have quite good teachers. The problems I see are more basic to the University itself.
I think this university has a great amount of career choices, such as lots of double-majoring careers and masters, while being a public university. However, the lack of a good digitalisation, the incompetence of a couple of teachers and the continuous feeling that everything is the same as high school, could be a set back. The scandals about the grading of certain politicians left the university in a bad state but I can assure that this phenomenon does not happen in the normal environment.
View moreUniversidad Rey Juan Carlos has many different study plans and that is an advantage that many universities don’t have. On the other hand, professors are quite inactive because they don’t have innovative ideas. In general, is a good university but I have to say that it’s not the best one. There are other universities in Madrid which have much more reputation.
The professors, in general, are very easy-going but they don’t get involved with the student’s progress.
There are many students from other countries and the URJC’s ESN is the biggest one in Madrid so you can involve in many different activities.
There are many others students groups which do more active the student life such a “Club de Debate” “Gaudeamus” or “ECOasoc”.
Another disadvantage is the price of languages courses, they are really expensive.
Universidad Rey Juan Carlos is one of the youngest Universities of Madrid; because of that the majority of its campus (Fuenlabrada, Móstoles and Alcorcón) have modern buildings and really good facilities, even though those are the campus located in towns outside the city of Madrid, which makes them a little far of the city center. There are two campuses located in the city center (Vicálvaro and Arguelles) but these have older facilities than the other ones, though they are good.
About the degrees, URJC is focused on Social Sciences and Communication and there are many different degrees related to those fields and the Professors are good (even though sometimes there are lazy/boring ones). In addition, URJC is launching a lot of new degrees about gaming, fashion or sign language, being pioneer among the public Spanish Universities.
One of the best things of the Uni is its international program. You have a lot of options to study abroad or make an internship, and there are a lot of grants which you can benefit from.
Also, if you are thinking about being a exchange student/Erasmus in this Uni I definitely recommend it. There is an international office in each campus which helps the exchange students. Also, it has an awesome Buddy Program which helps you meeting local students who will help you. There’s also a student association for the exchange incoming students called Erasmus Student Network Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. They help them with everything they may need during its exchange and they also organize a lot of trips and activities.
Only one campus (Vicálvaro) has student housing but it is really expensive, so I wouldn’t recommend living there.
View moreUniversidad Rey Juan Carlos is a modern, up-to-date, engaging university that offers numerous career paths and opportunities to develop your preferred studies. In their many campuses you can find a wide variety of majors (and even more, an incredible amount of interesting double majors that are not offered at any other public institution in Spain) that will help you feel prepared to face your professional future. It also offers an incredibly complete study abroad program that gives you the chance to explore other parts of the world and improve your CV. Also, I would really recommend it for international students looking for a place to study in Madrid as it offers a lot of their classes and majors in english. As a part of the Erasmus Student Network at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, I can assure you that we provide all the help needed to make Madrid your home away from home and make sure you make the most out of your stay!
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