Climate Change Summer School: Announcing all of its details

You can choose between three options

You can enroll only in the Climate Change Summer School or in one of two other courses as well. Therefore, you have three options:

  • Workload equivalent to 3 ECTS credits: You will follow the two-week intensive course “A Multidisciplinary Approach to Climate Change” from July 14 to 25, 2025. This course offers a multidisciplinary view of climate change at the university level.
  • Workload equivalent to 6 ECTS credits: From June 30 to July 11, 2025, you will have another two-week intensive course. This pre-course will improve your writing and speaking skills to help you succeed in your academic and professional career. Please, see our Skills Summer School website for more details.

Objectives of A Multidisciplinary Approach to Climate Change

Introduction

Climate change is the main global environmental problem and one of the main economic and social problems facing humanity. And citizens increasingly perceive it as such. For example, the latest Eurobarometer survey, published in 2023 by the European Commission, shows that 93% of EU citizens believe that climate change is a serious problem, and 77% that it is a very serious problem. Moreover, climate change ranks as the third most serious problem facing the world as a whole, after ‘poverty, hunger and lack of drinking water’ and ‘armed conflicts’.

On the other hand, climate change is a multidimensional problem that must be studied from all disciplines of knowledge. However, our curricula do not usually offer a multi- or interdisciplinary understanding of the problem. Furthermore, although the population perceives it as a very serious problem, there is a notable lack of knowledge about its nature, effects, possible scenarios, policies, and responses to the challenge it poses for humanity.

Objectives

The main objective of this course is to alleviate the shortcomings of our curricula and the lack of knowledge of a large part of the population mentioned in the introduction. To this end, the course offers a multidisciplinary and rigorous vision of the problem of climate change. Experts in each subject offer this comprehensive, university-level vision. Although academically rigorous, their classes are adapted to the necessary introductory level. This is necessary given the heterogeneous profile that students will have.

In addition to the primary objective, the course has a secondary objective. The complementary objective is to provide an enriching study abroad experience. Studying abroad provides students with extraordinary benefits in terms of academic, cultural, and personal enrichment.

Academic Guide / Syllabus

Climate Change Summer School: CCSS Syllabus 2025

Skills Summer School: SSS Syllabus 2025

Schedule of the Climate Change Summer School

There will be an average of 3 hours of class per day, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. There may be activities on some afternoons.

We will publish the detailed schedule here before the start of the program. Unfortunately, we cannot announce it well in advance, as institutions only confirm the dates of most academic visits at short notice. In addition, the booking of some visits depends on the number of students finally enrolled, and many students enroll very close to the start of classes.

Academic visits and cultural and social events

We always plan a wide variety of academic visits and cultural and social events to make the most of your summer. We hope they will contribute to make your stay in Madrid unforgettable. The detailed program will be announced later in the detailed schedule.

Here are some examples of our regular visits and events during the 4 weeks of our summer schools:

  • Welcome lunch
  • Madrid on foot
  • Visit to the Prado Museum
  • Visit to the Congress of Deputies
  • Flamenco workshop
  • Visit to the Reina Sofía Museum
  • Visit to the Madrid Stock Exchange
  • Farewell lunch

Course venue of the Climate Change Summer School

Most classes will take place in the Facultad de Ciencias de la Actividad Física (INEF) of Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM). INEF is in the University City of Madrid (Ciudad Universitaria), which is the largest campus in Spain. This campus is shared by UPM, UCM and UNED. Ciudad Universitaria has had cultural heritage status since 1999, with the category of historic site.

The address of INEF is:

Street name: Martín Fierro

Street number: 7

ZIP code: 28040 Madrid

INEF front door, where the Climate Change Summer School will take place
INEF front door (source: Google)

INEF is wonderfully accessible by public transportation:

  • Subway: The “Ciudad Universitaria” Metro station on Line 6 is a 10-minute walk away.
Walk from “Ciudad Universitaria” Metro (source: Google)
Walk from “Ciudad Universitaria” Metro (source: Google)
  • Subway: The “Moncloa” Metro station on Lines 6 and 3 is a 15-minute walk away.
Walk from “Moncloa” Metro (source: Google)
Walk from “Moncloa” Metro (source: Google)
  • Bus lines “U” and “46” of the EMT pass by the INEF and the Metro stations “Ciudad Universitaria” and “Moncloa”.

If you wish, you can live on campus in one of the many student residences near INEF. See here for on-campus student housing options.

Some classes may take place at other campuses and during on-site visits.

Are you interested in the Climate Change Summer School?

See the costs and how to apply