| Overview |
The Wake Forest Salamanca Neuroscience Program is a program that offers STEM students the opportunity to study science at one of the leading neuroscience institutes in Europe. Students on the program are enrolled at the Neuroscience Institute at the University of Salamanca (INCyL), site of cutting-edge research in areas ranging from Parkinson’s Disease to regenerative medicine to cell therapy. Students are taught by professors from the University of Salamanca, which has been designated an International University of Excellence in the Teaching of the Biological Sciences.
The program includes guided visits to culturally and academically relevant locations around Spain, including neuroscience institutes in Barcelona, Madrid, and/or Zaragoza, along with visits to different sites around the historic university city of Salamanca.
Students pay current Wake Forest tuition and housing fees. This covers the total cost of the program including tuition and fees, room, laundry, books, all group activities (including excursions), airfare, and internet. Students are responsible for all meals, visa fees, additional travel, and other personal expenses.
Accepted students can find more information on the Salamanca Neuro program website
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Students participating on the WFU/Salamanca program are required to obtain a visa prior to the program's start date. To help students and families understand the Spanish visa process, the Center for Global Programs and Studies has created a useful website.
Students should also check their passport's expiration date and ensure that it will be valid for at least 6 months after the program's end date. If students need to renew their passport, they should visit the U.S. Department of State's passport website for information on this process. Students can also contact their study abroad advisor with any questions about this.
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| Location |
Salamanca is a cosmopolitan university city approximately two hours northwest of Madrid. Students come to the city from all over Europe to study at the highly prestigious university and to enjoy the lively social and intellectual scene.
Designated a Cultural Capital of Europe in 2002, Salamanca has some of the most stunning architecture in Spain. The cathedral, plaza, and major buildings are constructed of a local sandstone that glows golden at dawn and sunset. University buildings, some of which date from 1254, include a recently-restored plateresque façade famous for its whimsical carvings.
Portugal and other parts of Spain are easily accessible from Salamanca. Students routinely visit Lisbon, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Madrid, and Barcelona. |
| Program |
Students in the Salamanca Neuroscience Program typically take 4 courses + HUM 170 during the semester in Salamanca. HUM 170 Contemporary Spanish Experience (1.5h) is required and includes the group excursions to sites around Spain. This course is pass/fail and is taught by the Salamanca Cultural Instructor.
The 4 remaining courses are chosen from the following list and must include at least 1 Spanish course. BIO 370 is not required.
All courses except the Spanish course are taught in English and all courses are scheduled Monday through Thursday, leaving three-day weekends for exploring the city or travel to other destinations.
Students with 5 semesters or more of Spanish (SPA 280 or equivalent) may take a course in the Immersion program, if it fits in their schedule.
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Courses offered:
BIO 363. Sensory Biology. (3 h) A lecture course with emphasis on sensory physiology and other aspects of sensory systems, e.g. molecular biology and anatomy. Credit not allowed for both BIO 363 and 364. P-BIO 114 or 150 and 214 or 160, or POI
BIO 354. Methods in Neuroscience. (3 h) and BIO 303 Neuroscience methods lab (1h) This lab course is an introduction to the techniques used in the field of neuroscience. Anatomical, physiological, molecular and behavioral methods are covered through lectures, laboratory work, and reading the primary literature. P-BIO 114 or 150 and 214 or 160, or POI. - This course contributes to the biology lab requirement (300 level, 4h course) for the Biology Major (the lab portion of the course is only offered in Salamanca).
BIO 370. Biochemistry I: Macromolecules and Metabolism. (3 h) Introduces principles of biochemistry including structure, function, biosynthesis and breakdown of biological molecules, analysis of enzyme function and activity, bioenergetics, and regulation of metabolic pathways. Also listed as BMB 370 and CHM 370. P-POI or two of the following: CHM 122 (CHM 123); CHM 280; BIO 214 (BIO 160).
PSY 317. Special Topics in Experimental Psychology: Cognitive Neuroscience. (3 h). Theoretical and empirical examination of specialized areas within experimental psychology. May be repeated for credit if topic varies. P-PSY 151. (D)
SPA 196. Spanish for Neuroscience. (3 h) Introduction to basic Spanish vocabulary and grammar for those working in the field of neuroscience. Offered only abroad. P - POI. [For students who have not completed the WFU language requirement in Spanish and who have placed into SPA 112, 113, 153, 154, or 212]
SPA 300C. Spanish Across the Sciences Curriculum. (3h) Coursework in Spanish done as an adjunct to specifically-designated courses in the sciences and medical curriculum. May be repeated for credit. P—POI. Counts as an elective towards Spanish major and minor. [For students who have completed the WFU language requirement in Spanish or placed into SPA 280)]
HUM 170. Contemporary Spanish Experience. (1.5h) An introduction to Spanish history, culture, art and society for students taking part in the WFU Neuroscience in Salamanca program. Includes site visits and field research. Pass/fail. |
| Faculty |
Faculty from the University of Salamanca teach courses in the program, while two Spanish WFU staff members serve as permanent administrators. A WFU faculty member from either Neuroscience or the Department of Spanish serves as resident professor in Salamanca throughout the semester. Two of these three WFU professors accompany Neuroscience students on the excursions included in the program. |
| Accommodations |
Students live in either a residence hall or with a host family.
The majority of students stay in In a residence hall, where they are housed in singles. The resident hall is within walking distance of the Neuroscience Institute and includes an exercise room, laundry facilities, a game and social room, and study space.
Students who have completed 5 semesters of Spanish or the equivalent have the option to live with a host family. In a host family, students are housed in a single room. Host families typically live slightly further away from the Neuroscience Institute.
NOTE: Housing/dining accommodations you may have on campus do not automatically transfer to abroad and certain housing/dining accommodations (single rooms and private bathrooms, for example) may not be available.
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| Excursions |
Over the course of the semester, students are taken on a number of guided trips. Destinations include cities from a variety of
regions around Spain. These trips total approximately seventeen days and enable students to explore places of cultural and scientific relevance to their studies.
Sites that may be visited range from Moorish palaces and Christian cathedrals to science institutes and art museums and from ancient ruins and modern wineries to local restaurants and eateries.
These program trips are an integral and mandatory part of the Neuroscience Program. Be sure not to make plans for personal travel before consulting this calendar for the dates of these trips.
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| Selection |
Students must be in good academic standing and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher to be eligible for
the program. Prerequisites to the program include:
- POI or two of the following: BIO 150, PSY 151, or NEU 200.
- One semester of Spanish or the equivalent (SPA 111)
Majors in all disciplines are eligible. Preference will be given to applicants who have taken NEU
200 and NEU 201. |
| Costs |
Students pay current Wake Forest tuition and housing fees. This covers the total cost of the program including tuition and fees, room, laundry, books, all group activities (including excursions), a weekly load of laundry, airfare, and internet.
Students are responsible for all meals, visa fees, additional travel, and other personal expenses. |
| Scholarships |
Federal and institutional financial aid may be used. Additional funding is available through the Center for Global Programs and Studies. Detailed information and applications can be found at: http://studyabroad.wfu.edu/funding/#Semester%20Scholarship%20Information
Please note that scholarship deadlines may be earlier than application deadlines. |
| Visa & Passport |
Passport Information
Students need to check their passport's expiration date and ensure that it will be valid for at least 6 months after the program's end date.
Students going on a fall program need to make sure their passport is valid through at least mid-June of the following year. Students going on a spring program need to make sure their passport is valid through at least mid-November of the same year.
US passport holders who need to renew their passport should visit the U.S. Department of State's passport website for information on this process.
Non-US passport holders who need to renew their passport should refer to their home country's passport office.
Visa Information
All students participating on the WFU/Salamanca: Neuroscience program are required to obtain a visa prior to the program's start date. Until you have received your visa, students are advised to refrain from making international travel plans in the months preceding their study abroad semester.
To help students and families understand the Spanish visa process, the Center for Global Programs and Studies has created a useful website.
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| Contact |
Main contact:
Katy Lack
Co-coordinator of the Neuroscience minor
Department of Biology
15 Winston Hall
Phone: (336) 758 3811
E-mail: lackak@wfu.edu
Wayne Silver
Co-coordinator of the Neuroscience minor
Department of Biology
15 Winston Hall
Phone: (336) 758 5920
E-mail: silver@wfu.edu
For questions about Spanish course offerings:
Kathryn Mayers
Program Director, Salamanca Programs
Department of Spanish
325 Greene Hall
Email: mayerskm@wfu.edu
Phone: 336.758.4739
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| Testimonials |
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