DIntroduction 
The creation of the Foundation Year arises from the growing demand for international candidates, belonging to non-Portuguese speaking countries, for the first cycles of UMa, for degrees in the areas of engineering.

The Foundation year was then created, where students will learn Portuguese (oral and written expression) but will also have Curricular Units where they can work on soft skills. It is also intended that through sport they can get to know the natural environment of Madeira and enjoy the experiences that it provides.

It also offers the possibility to complement their knowledge in key areas for the different courses, being able to choose from among the optional subjects that are offered.

The purpose of this course is to learn the Portuguese language, as well as to make these students loyal to our university. 


 Foundation Year - 40 ECTS 

1st Semester (Mandatory Curricular Units)	ECTS	2nd Semester (Mandatory Curricular Units)	ECTS
Portuguese I (oral and written expression)	5	Portuguese II (oral and written expression)	5
Transversal Skills – soft skills	3	Introduction to Management	3
Education, Citizenship and Globalisation	3	Technologies and Web Applications	3
Sports, Nature and Tourism I	3	Sports, Nature and Tourism II	3
Optional Curricular Units (choose 2 UC per semester)
Mathematics Applied to Social Sciences	3	Mathematics	3
Physics	3	Chemistry	3
Biology	3	Computing	3
Portuguese (Literature)	3	German	3
Interpersonal Communication	3	French	3
Design	3	English	3

Recipients
1.1. Students who are not Portuguese nationals. 
1.2. Students who are not covered:
a. Nationals of a Member State of the European Union;
b. Family members of Portuguese or nationals of a Member State of the European Union, regardless of their nationality, considered as such under the terms of Law No. 37/2006, of 9 August;
c. Those who, not being nationals of a Member State of the European Union, have legally resided in Portugal for more than two years, uninterruptedly, on 1 January of the year in which they intend to enrol in higher education, as well as their children residing with them legally, disregarding, in this case, the length of residence for study;
d. Those who are beneficiaries, on January 1 of the year in which they intend to enter higher education, of the status of equal rights and duties attributed under an international treaty granted between the Portuguese State and the State of which they are nationals;
e. Those who require admission to higher education through special access and admission regimes regulated by Decree-Law No. 393-A/99, of October 2nd, amended by Decree-Law No. 272/2009, of October 1st;
f. Foreign students who are at the University of Madeira, within the scope of an international mobility program to carry out part of a cycle of studies at a foreign higher education institution, with whom the University of Madeira has established an exchange agreement with that goal.
1.3. Students with dual nationality, where one of them is Portuguese nationality or that of another member state of the European Union, are prevented from applying for this competition.
 
Course Diretor
Elsa Fernandes