Studies & Degrees in Chilean Studies

Choose where you would like to study Chilean Studies:

Chile is one of the most prosperous nations in South America. Occupying a long and narrow coastal strip between the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Andes mountains to the east, it is populated by more than 17 million people and holds the distinction of being the 5th largest exporter and 8th largest producer of wine in the world, and as producer of more than one-third of the world’s copper. It gained reputation worldwide in 1960 when it was hit by a 9.5-magnitude earthquake, the world’s strongest, that left 1,600 people dead, and two million others homeless, and in 2010 when it was rocked by three strong earthquakes in one single day. The country is also known for having the driest desert in the world, and a dark part of history under the dictatorial rule of Army General Augusto Pinochet, who was accused of countless cases of human rights violation committed in Chile under his rule.

To the Chilean government, a study of Chile and its people should be an important part of the educational curricula for local students and those from other countries. It has cited certain reasons why Chile is a perfect Study Abroad destination along with other modern and progressive countries. Among these reasons are (a) the Spanish language can be learned through immersion and university programs, (b) the country has world-class universities, (c) the country has varied political history, (d) the country’s cost of living is affordable to students, and (e) it is home to a variety of tourist spots and festivals. The importance of a Chilean study is once more underscored by the Center for Chilean-American Studies in North America, which promotes public awareness about Chilean immigrants in North America.

Certain universities in the United States have put up Study Abroad programs that include a study of Chile or studying in Chile. The David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies and the Harvard Office of International Programs of the Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts offer a Study Abroad program that touches on the social debates in Chile about the late General Augusto Pinochet and the human rights abuses in the country. Students enrolled in the program are allowed to enroll at Chile’s leading universities, particularly the Universidad de Chile and the Pontifica Universidad Catolica in Santiago, the country’s capital, that both allow Harvard University students to enroll in both the undergraduate and graduate programs. An Education Abroad Program (EAP) of the University of California has a Study Abroad in Chile program that recommends the top universities in Santiago that are open to international students. The university’s EAP provides its students with the opportunity to become global thinkers or international citizens, and prepares them for world careers and for gaining skills they need to succeed in the international marketplace. The Institute for Study Abroad (IFSA) of the Butler University in Indiana also has a Chilean Study Abroad Program that provides options for its students to study in universities either in Santiago or Valparaiso, all of which have a wide array of courses and subjects that include areas pertaining to and of interest to Chile.