Mexican University Offers Courses

St. Lucians Urged To Take Advantage.

Dr. Lorena Careaga Viliesid, Director-General of Academic Affairs at University of Quintana Roo, told the media that her 25-year-old four-campus university is located in Quintana Roo, a Mexican state that borders the Caribbean. Five thousand students, she said, attend that university.

Careaga was in Saint Lucia earlier this month on a week-long promotion of the university ahead of its new academic school year which begins this fall.

According to Careaga, Quintana Roo, a public-funded university, runs a wide variety of programmes, including medicine, administration of tourism services, hotel administration, sustainable tourism, engineering, anthropology and law.

Quintana Roo University, she said, forms part of a consortium of the top 29 universities in Mexico as well as the National University Association, made up of 179 Mexican universities.

Students get to choose from an array of programmes in which Bachelor’s Degrees, Master’s Degrees and certificates are awarded. Careaga said the Quintana Roo University’s accreditations for the courses are also certified by Mexico’s education ministry.

The university is also interested in student and professor exchanges among universities in the region, including Saint Lucia. Such exchanges can be in the form of internships. The University is also very interested in creating a Centre of Eastern Caribbean Studies that will cover a broad spectrum of themes and academic and research projects.

Discussions are also being held with Sandals Resorts, Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC) and the St. Lucia Hotel & Tourism Association (SLHTA) to have exchange programmes, especially in hospitality studies.

“We have in our main campus several programmes at a very low rate. For Saint Lucian students, it would mean something like $8,000-$10,000 per semester, including tuition, accommodation and food,” Careaga said.

Students studying in Mexico will be required to learn the Spanish language, thereby equipping themselves with an understanding of those to communicate with Spanish-speaking tourists.

Careaga believes that with Saint Lucia and Mexico’s heavy reliance on the growing tourism sector, students from both countries can get a solid foundation in especially the shared experiences of each country’s industry.

Students studying in Mexico will be required to learn the Spanish language, thereby equipping themselves with an understanding of those to communicate with Spanish-speaking tourists.

Applicants can apply directly to Quintana Roo University or through the Mexican Embassy at Vigie. They must also sit an entry exam and must have completed high school and tertiary level education.