Study & Intern in Bolivia (in English, Spanish) - ISEP Exchange
Universidad Privada Boliviana is a private institution founded by the Bolivian business community. It is recognized as a leading university in the country, and has been named as one of the 10 best universities in Latin America for academic strength and one of 25 best for business and economics.
Universidad Privada Boliviana has three campuses - La Paz, Cochabamba, and Santa Cruz. La Paz and Cochabamba offer the majority of degrees, and the newest Santa Cruz is adding degree programs year by year.
La Paz Campus:
Located in the bustling capital city of Bolivia, La Paz is one of the highest cities in the world with an altitude of 3,649 meters (about 12,000 feet) above sea level. Nestled between the flat Altiplano and the glacier-topped Cordillera Real mountain range, La Paz is a melting pot of European-influenced cultures and traditional indigenous beliefs. It’s burgeoning café and restaurant scene combined with countless street food vendors means it’s impossible not to gain an appetite for traditional Bolivian dishes. The city boats the world’s longest and highest urban cable car network, which is used for both commuting and sight-seeing. An important political, economic, cultural and sports center of Bolivia, La Paz has been recognized as an official Global City and one of the New 7 Wonders Cities.
Cochabamba Campus:
Known as the "City of Eternal Spring", Cochabamba is a rapidly growing and student-friendly city located at the base of the Cerro Tunari mountain. The city is a melting pot of European-influenced cultures and traditional indigenous beliefs. It’s growing foodie scene blends harmoniously with offerings from local street food vendors, giving the popular chicha fermented corn drink a new platform. Colonial-charm, urban bustle and unmatched natural beauty make Cochabamba an ideal location to live and study.
Santa Cruz Campus:
Located in the business heart of Bolivia and one of the fastest growing cities in the world. Santa Cruz de la Sierra is the most economically prosperous city in the country and considered the engine of the Bolivian economy. The region is a tropical paradise with large extensions of jungle and grasslands. It has several national parks and tourist attractions nearby, such as the Fort of Samaipata, the thermal waters of Roboré, and the Chiquitanía.
Study in Bolivia:
Universidad Privada Boliviana offers a wide variety of degrees from Business focused degrees like Business Administration, Marketing & Logistics, and Economics, to Engineering and Architecture degrees like Civil Engineering, Architecture, and Environmental and Alternative Energies Engineering.
ISEP students immerse themselves in Bolivian culture and daily life by taking university classes with local students and living with a host family in the community. The university has an active student body, and ISEP students can participate in sports teams, cultural activities and student groups. Internships in a variety of fields are also available to ISEP students. UPB has a "buddy" system to help connect ISEP students with local students and adjust to life in Bolivia.
Course Description
Universidad Privada Boliviana offers a wide variety of degrees in their schools of Business Sciences & Law, and Engineering & Architecture across their three campuses: Cochabamba campus, La Paz campus, and the newest campus, Santa Cruz campus. Though many degrees are offered on each campus, be sure to check that the degree you're interested in is offered at the campus you're exploring!
The school of Business Sciences & Law offers degrees in Business Administration, Communication, Law, Graphic Design, Economics, Commercial and Financial Engineering, Marketing & Logistics, Organizational Psychology and International & Business Relations.
The school of Engineering & Architecture offers degrees in Architecture, Civil Engineering, Electromechanical Engineering, Electronics and Telecomunication Engineering, Industrial & Systems Engineering, Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Computational Systems, and Environmental and Alternative Energy Engineering.
Additionally, Students may also enroll in a one-month Spanish language pre-session course, included in ISEP benefits.
Latin American Young Leadership Program (LEAP) offers a semester-long program, taught fully in English, which includes a five week in-company internship and non-credit certificate in Spanish language. This is an absolute must for students studying business and entrepreneurship who want a for-credit internship experience and to improve their Spanish!
Latin American Undergraduate Research Semester Program (LAUREATE) offers a semester-long research program for engineering and architecture students. This 20-week combination of classes and research at one of UPB's research centers is offered fully in English or in Spanish.
Credits Earned
UPB has a modular system with 4 modules per semester, each around a month long. Students generally take two classes per module, thouogh class number can vary. Typically, students will enrol in 5 - 8 courses each semester. Credits vary by class, though most are equivalent to 2 to 4 U.S. credits. Students meet for 2 hours per day, per class, for a total of 10 hours per week per class, and 20 hours total between 2 classes each module.
Sample Classes Available:
|
Business Administration & Management |
Economics & Finance |
Marketing |
Communications |
|
|
Leadership & Ethics |
Promotion and Advertising Management |
Finance II & III |
Promotion Strategies |
Audiovisual Language |
|
Advertising (Creativity and Innovation) |
International Busineses Management |
Microeconomics III |
Marketing of Services I |
Journalism Workshop I |
|
Intercultural Communication and Globalization |
Strategic Management |
Agribusiness Economy |
Marketing of Services II |
Multimedia |
|
International Management |
Culture of Quality |
International Economy |
International Marketing |
Advertising II & III |
|
Internship (3 credits) |
Human Resources Planning and Management |
Economic Evaluation of Projects |
Strategic Marketing |
Screenwriting |
The list above is not an exhaustive list of courses. For additional course options, please review the Other Academic Conditions below.
Academics
Other Academic Conditions
Students arrive: First week of February, End of July
Classes start: First week of February, First week of August
Classes end: Last week of June, Third week of December
Exams: Take place during the final weeks of classes
Tips for Finding Courses:
Students can expect to take 5 – 8 courses, and may choose to take a Spanish as a second language course. A full course load at UPB is considered 2 classes per module, or 8 courses (there are 4 modules per semester). Students typically spend about 20 hours per week in the classroom.
Leap Program courses:
- The Latin American Young Leadership Program (LEAP) is a unique semester-length program offered entirely in English which includes a five-week in-company internship for 3 credits.
- Review the LEAP flyer for exact details on the course breakdown by module. Page 4 of the flyer shows the exact breakdown of courses. The LEAP program is only offered at the Cochabamba campus.
Tips for finding regular courses in Spanish:
- Go to the Careeras webpage. Degree programs at UPB are divided between the School of Business Sciences & Law (Facultad de Ciencas Empresariales y Derecho) and the School of Engineering and Architecture (Facultad de Ingenierías y Arquitectura).
- Select your campus of interest, and the degree program offered on that campus. Click the link ‘Plan de Estudios y Menciones’ to see which courses are offered each semester. Degree plans, or Malla Curriculares, are also available and show which courses are taken each semester/year for the degree program.
- Additionally, all degree plans (Malla Curricular) are available here.
- Courses in odd-numbered semesters (Semester 1, Semester 3, Semester 5, Semester 7) are offered January – June. Courses in even-numbered semesters (Semester 2, Semester 4, Semester 6, Semester 8) are offered July – December.
- A small selection of courses are taught in English on each campus. Not all courses are offered every semester.
- If you need to see specific syllabi for courses, please let your SSO know.
Latin American Undergraduate Research Semester Program (LAUREATE) offers a semester-long research program for engineering and architecture students.
- This 20-week combination of classes and research at one of UPB's research centers is offered fully in English or in Spanish.
- Students are recommended to have at least four semesters of university level studies in engineering or architecture. See the LAUREATE flyer for more details.
Academic Restrictions
Students may only take courses at one campus (La Paz, Cochabamba or Santa Cruz) due to the large distance between the cities. Pay close attention to which degrees are offered at which campus. Once you complete your ISEP application, you will need to decide which of the campuses you would like to attend if a degree is offered at multiple campuses.
All students enrolling in courses in Spanish must submit a language evaluation with minimum of a B1 level. Students taking courses in English, or participating on the LEAP program, will not be required to complete a language evaluation, though some prior knowledge of Spanish is encouraged.
Semester & Prices (based on your filters)
Select a semester to calculate the price. Semesters are named according to host university's calendar.Semester Tuition
- Priority Admissions Deadline: {{schedule.semester.semesterTranslation.displayPriorityDeadline}}
- Chance of Placement: {{schedule.chancesOfPlacement.name}}
- Application Deadline: {{schedule.applicationDeadline}}
- Average Classes Per Week: {{schedule.semester.classesPerWeek}}
- Average Class Hours Per Week: {{schedule.semester.hoursPerWeek}}
Required Expenses
Pre-Sessions
{{child.getBenefitsRangeDisplay()}}
University Deadline: {{child.studentDeadline | date:'longDate'}}
Housing
Meals
Optional Expenses
Pre-Sessions
{{child.getBenefitsRangeDisplay()}}
University Deadline: {{child.studentDeadline | date:'longDate'}}