Información General

The university may respond to those who believe that age is no obstacle to keep asking questions. The university offers alternatives to all those who, whether they have higher education or not, find studying and gaining knowledge enjoyable. It is never too late to learn: everything depends on each individual and his or her willingness to learn. The first university for mature students dates back to 1973 and was created in Toulouse. This was in response to, as what later occurred with those created in Spain (today there are over fifty) and other countries, the UNESCO World Declaration on Higher Education in the twenty-first Century, which set the need to open the doors of higher education for adults in a flexible, open and creative manner. Reports from The Club of Rome and Delors are also in keeping with this concept, urging lifelong education, with no limits on space or age, which responds to a deep need for culture and refreshing knowledge which some adults require who are now living longer and wish to make maximum use of this time. There are numerous reasons of a different nature which justify integrating these programmes into the university structure: social (our debt which must be settled with those who had no possibility of studying in their youth and given the current level of development in our country, university and society ), educational (responding to new demands, to sectors of the population who do not seek a professional qualification, but to access a type of lifelong learning that contributes towards their personal development, and to obtain a more educated, critical and participative society) demographic ( the fall in population will provide greater evenness of ages and origins), financial (people over 50 years old will have a fundamental role in economic and financial structures), apart from nurturing development of scientific and cultural training activities which encourage encounters and generational interchange. In this vein the Jose Saramango University for Mature Students goes beyond covering some alternative educational needs. We wish to meet the requirements of a world in which elderly people cannot be marginalized by society but must be involved in it as a way of promoting and improving it, both individually and as a group. Moreover, the university as alma mater of society has a continuous task of developing and educating about culture which helps citizens to understand and adapt to the rapid changes characterized by the times we live in. All these arguments explain and act as the basis for studies without any rigid contents and enables students to choose those which best satisfy their interests and expectations. These began to be managed in the year 1999 in Talavera de la Reina and were finally incorporated into the UCLM in the academic year 2001-2002, and are now fully consolidated and integrated.

All elderly people have not only the right to be beneficiaries, but also to be active agents, participants and protagonists for social, cultural and scientific development of the society in which we live. It is necessary to train and take actions and initiatives which promote the rights of adults to participate in and take an active part in developing the community we live in. In this setting, the José Saramango University Programme for Mature Students has played an important part since it was created. Everyone who has benefited from it can attest to this truth. The protagonists in this university project are those people who, due to age or other circumstances have retired. The studies are therefore aimed at all those people aged over 50 (active professionals, retired people, people taking early retirement, housewives, etc ) interested in making old dreams come true and completing their intellectual education. To enter these "Classrooms" there are no qualifications or previous academic requirements. This initiative is open to all those hungry for and keen to open themselves to new experiences, both human and university ones.

The teaching approach to this educational programme is to incorporate academic university methods, adapting them to the special needs of adults, which prioritize active participation of the students in the learning process.

The essential objectives sought are as follows:

• Involve the students in defining goals and activities
• Nurture teamwork
• Stimulate active learning for the student by means of information research activities, making and presenting individual or group assignments and an assessment system that stimulates student progress.
• Satisfy the diversity of interests and aspirations the students have
• Gradually incorporate the use of new information and communication technologies in  the development of teaching.
• Favour use of the RU (Resources Unit) services put at the disposal of the students.

The assessment mechanisms applied are directed at achieving the following goals:

• Provide incentives  and stimulate learning.
• Acknowledge personal work.
• Prevent students from becoming disheartened or feeling that they have failed.

From these goals, each lecturer will set flexible mechanisms which can be adapted to the special features of each student.

 

Specific cycle (3 years)

This programme is exclusively designed  for the University of  Castilla-La Mancha mature students. It is organized according to a 3-year study plan and enables a total of 30 subjects to be studied  in 360 class hours as well as  extracurricular activities, with there being  no previous requirement other than to be 50 years  old or over.

The joint study plan  is made up of three academic years, each one made up of two semesters each. Each semester is worth 6 credits  so the total  amount of credits in the first cycle is 36 (360 class hours).

A structure of 5 compulsory subjects per semester has been set. Each subject is organized under the supervision of a lecturer/coordinator.

Each subject is organized under the supervision of a lecturer/coordinator.

The basic contents are structured on the basis of the following subjects adapting them to the special features of each campus:

• Literature
• Law
• History
• Health Sciences
• Computer  Science
• Sociology
• Writing Techniques
• Nature and the Environment
• Economics
• History of Art
• Psychology
• Philosophy
• English

First year

 

First Semester	Second Semester
Literature	Literature II
Law I	Law II
History I	History II
Health Sciences I	Health Sciences II
Computer Science I	Computer Science II

 

Second year

First Semester	Second Semester
Art Education I	Art Education  II
Computer Science III	English I
Literature III	Literature IV
Nature and Environment  I	Nature and Environment  II
Economics I	Economics II

 

Third Year

Primer Cuatrimestre	Segundo Cuatrimestre
Art I	Art II
Needs and challenges for society today  I	Needs and challenges for society today II
English II	English III
Psychology	Psychology
Health Sciences  III	Health Sciences  III

 

Integrated cycle

The idea for setting this second cycle in motion came from the numerous  requests from recently graduated students or those in their final year at the José Saramango University for Mature Students who requested  a line of continuity in their studies.

The main goals of  the design and development of this second cycle are:

• Provide continuity to the knowledge and areas presented in the specific programme.
• Knowledge and proficiency in the knowledge areas of the centre which it belongs to.
• Integration of the students in the official subjects  of the different disciplines taught at the centre.
• Rich intergenerational exchange in the classrooms.

The different sites will offer blocks of subjects, integrated into the ordinary study plan for each centre and weighted in credits which  are stipulated in these plans, which may make up different itineraries set by the different sites. In principle, it will not be possible to do various itineraries simultaneously so as to maintain a logical teaching structure although consecutive enrolment will be permitted once the academic years corresponding to each speciality or itinerary have finished.

Specific cycle (3 years)

This programme is exclusively designed  for the University of  Castilla-La Mancha mature students. It is organized according to a 3-year study plan and enables a total of 30 subjects to be studied  in 360 class hours as well as  extracurricular activities, with there being  no previous requirement other than to be 50 years  old or over.

The joint study plan  is made up of three academic years, each one made up of two semesters each. Each semester is worth 6 credits  so the total  amount of credits in the first cycle is 36 (360 class hours).

A structure of 5 compulsory subjects per semester has been set. Each subject is organized under the supervision of a lecturer/coordinator.

Each subject is organized under the supervision of a lecturer/coordinator.

The basic contents are structured on the basis of the following subjects adapting them to the special features of each campus:

• Literature
• Law
• History
• Health Sciences
• Computer  Science
• Sociology
• Writing Techniques
• Nature and the Environment
• Economics
• History of Art
• Psychology
• Philosophy
• English

First year

 

First Semester	Second Semester
Literature	Literature II
Law I	Law II
History I	History II
Health Sciences I	Health Sciences II
Computer Science I	Computer Science II

 

Second year

First Semester	Second Semester
Art Education I	Art Education  II
Computer Science III	English I
Literature III	Literature IV
Nature and Environment  I	Nature and Environment  II
Economics I	Economics II

 

Third Year

Primer Cuatrimestre	Segundo Cuatrimestre
Art I	Art II
Needs and challenges for society today  I	Needs and challenges for society today II
English II	English III
Psychology	Psychology
Health Sciences  III	Health Sciences  III

 

Integrated cycle

The idea for setting this second cycle in motion came from the numerous  requests from recently graduated students or those in their final year at the José Saramango University for Mature Students who requested  a line of continuity in their studies.

The main goals of  the design and development of this second cycle are:

• Provide continuity to the knowledge and areas presented in the specific programme.
• Knowledge and proficiency in the knowledge areas of the centre which it belongs to.
• Integration of the students in the official subjects  of the different disciplines taught at the centre.
• Rich intergenerational exchange in the classrooms.

The different sites will offer blocks of subjects, integrated into the ordinary study plan for each centre and weighted in credits which  are stipulated in these plans, which may make up different itineraries set by the different sites. In principle, it will not be possible to do various itineraries simultaneously so as to maintain a logical teaching structure although consecutive enrolment will be permitted once the academic years corresponding to each speciality or itinerary have finished.

Specific cycle (3 years)

This programme is exclusively designed  for the University of  Castilla-La Mancha mature students. It is organized according to a 3-year study plan and enables a total of 30 subjects to be studied  in 360 class hours as well as  extracurricular activities, with there being  no previous requirement other than to be 50 years  old or over.

The joint study plan  is made up of three academic years, each one made up of two semesters each. Each semester is worth 6 credits  so the total  amount of credits in the first cycle is 36 (360 class hours).

A structure of 5 compulsory subjects per semester has been set. Each subject is organized under the supervision of a lecturer/coordinator.

Each subject is organized under the supervision of a lecturer/coordinator.

The basic contents are structured on the basis of the following subjects adapting them to the special features of each campus:

• Literature
• Law
• History
• Health Sciences
• Computer  Science
• Sociology
• Writing Techniques
• Nature and the Environment
• Economics
• History of Art
• Psychology
• Philosophy
• English

First year

 

First Semester	Second Semester
Literature	Literature II
Law I	Law II
History I	History II
Health Sciences I	Health Sciences II
Computer Science I	Computer Science II

 

Second year

First Semester	Second Semester
Art Education I	Art Education  II
Computer Science III	English I
Literature III	Literature IV
Nature and Environment  I	Nature and Environment  II
Economics I	Economics II

 

Third Year

Primer Cuatrimestre	Segundo Cuatrimestre
Art I	Art II
Needs and challenges for society today  I	Needs and challenges for society today II
English II	English III
Psychology	Psychology
Health Sciences  III	Health Sciences  III

 

Integrated cycle

The idea for setting this second cycle in motion came from the numerous  requests from recently graduated students or those in their final year at the José Saramango University for Mature Students who requested  a line of continuity in their studies.

The main goals of  the design and development of this second cycle are:

• Provide continuity to the knowledge and areas presented in the specific programme.
• Knowledge and proficiency in the knowledge areas of the centre which it belongs to.
• Integration of the students in the official subjects  of the different disciplines taught at the centre.
• Rich intergenerational exchange in the classrooms.

The different sites will offer blocks of subjects, integrated into the ordinary study plan for each centre and weighted in credits which  are stipulated in these plans, which may make up different itineraries set by the different sites. In principle, it will not be possible to do various itineraries simultaneously so as to maintain a logical teaching structure although consecutive enrolment will be permitted once the academic years corresponding to each speciality or itinerary have finished.

Teaching takes place between the 2nd of October 2017 and the 30th of May of 2018 in observance of the academic schedule set at each Campus.

Non class hours

Christmas Holidays; from the 24th of December 2017 to the 6th of January 2018
Easter Holidays: from 29th of March to 8th of April 2018

University and Centre specific  festivals

Santo Tomás de Aquino: 27th of January of 2018
Patron saints of each centre: according to what each centre decides
Local festivals and those determined by the 2018 work schedule

 

State Association of University Programmes for Mature Students.(AEPUM).
José Saramago on Facebook.