Business + Culture

GPA

2.5 

Language Requirements

There are no specific language requirements for this program.

Additional Requirements

Please refer to the detailed Program Essential Eligibility Criteria 

Requirements

All students enroll in 4-6 courses for 12-18 semester credits. Students enroll in: 

• CIEE courses taught in English or Spanish (Students opting to take courses in Spanish must have completed 4-semesters of college level Spanish, or equivalent) 
• Up to 2 host Institution courses taught in English at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella. International students are eligible to take courses in every Department except for the School of Architecture 
• Up to 3 host institution courses at Universidad del Salvador; few courses from the following departments are available to international students, so enrollment cannot be guaranteed: Law, Medicine, Arts and Architecture, Agrarian Sciences, and Veterinary 
• Up to 2 ASU online courses (max 8 total credits). Students will be limited to ASU Session B in the spring term. 

Please Note: Students may choose to combine one course at Di Tella with a maximum of two courses at El Salvador. This is logistically possible and local staff will advise students accordingly. 

Program Credit

Total Credit: 12-18 semester credits/18-27 quarter credits 

Course Credit

• CIEE Courses: 3 U.S. semester/4.5 quarter credits; 45 contact hours   
• El Salvador Courses: The number of hours of each course will be reflected in the transcript:   
  • 36 contact hours – 2.5 U.S. semester credits 
  • 54 contact hours – 4 U.S. semester credits 
  • 72 contact hours – 5 U.S. semester credits    
• Di Tella Courses: 68 Contact hours – 4.5 U.S. semester credits 
• ASU Online Courses: Typically, 3-4 U.S. semester/4.5-6 quarter credits; 45-60 contact hours 

Academic Culture

As Argentina is in the south of the equator in the southern hemisphere, the fall semester roughly coincides with the U.S. academic year, from August to December and spring runs from late February/early March to July. The U.S. and Argentine educational systems have significant differences. Argentine students follow specialized paths of study to gain expertise in one field. Courses focus on more in-depth analysis of a given field study; hence students are expected to take great initiative and responsibility for learning and completing assignments. Students must take all exams (mid-terms and finals) within the program's official dates. 

Courses taught in Spanish and English at partner universities tend to gather local and international students who are enthusiasts of the language and want to practice more. Classes are typically scheduled Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. In terms of attendance, both host institutions have a policy requiring students to attend more than 80% of class time. Each host institution has its own learning management platform. 

CIEE-offered courses are exclusively for CIEE students across programs, and they are designed to follow U.S. academic culture and standards. Courses usually go from Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. CIEE instructors use Canvas as their academic platform. Communications, notifications, along with assignments, grades, and readings are stored and disseminated through this means.   

Both CIEE and host institution classes tend to meet twice a week.  

ASU Courses: Most ASU online courses are asynchronous. You may find yourself in classes with students from ASU, other American universities, and students from around the world. You’ll receive direct and individualized support from ASU faculty, 100% online. 

Class Format

In general, the Argentine pedagogical teaching approach is more teacher-centered, with the instructor mainly leading the lectures and facilitating the course discussions. Instructors at local universities tend not to have office hours. Instead, they can be reached by email, the corresponding academic platform, or right after or before class time.   

To avoid falling behind, students should not plan personal travel out of Buenos Aires when classes are in session and plan any trips for the long weekends.  

ASU online courses meet in “sessions” that are 7.5-weeks long in the semester, and all work must be completed within the session dates regardless of when your other CIEE courses begin or end. 

Grading

CIEE reports all final course grades to students’ home institutions using a U.S. letter grade equivalent scale of A-F. For CIEE-administered courses, students’ grades are based on attendance, class participation, homework, project work, presentations, and midterm and final examinations. Learning outcomes assessment is continuous through personal reflections, evaluation feedback, self-assessment, and requirements as set out in course syllabi. Just as with CIEE courses, final grades for local institution courses are a compound of components of different nature, such as attendance, class participation, homework, project work, presentations, and midterm and final examinations. Primary assessments (assessments with more weight) are usually two or three partial written exams. The final examination may be held in either oral or written format (or both) and is usually worth around 30% of the final grade for the course.  

ASU grading follows the same format and standards as ASU courses taught in-person. “Pass/fail” or “Audit” is not allowed for CIEE students. 

Language of Instruction

English and/or Spanish