Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP)

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Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP) is located in downtown Puebla City – two hours from the International Airport in Mexico City.

It is a university city whereby education is the primary outgoing.

Some of the institutions main strengths include:

•    Academic quality: UPAEP has 50 years of experience in the realms of education. More than 60 of the professors belong to the National Research System, and have a strong focus on the professional and personal developments of students.
•    Humanist background: The professional design of UPAEP is based on educational criteria. UPAEP’s identity is at the heart of its mission
•    Educational model
•    Internationalization: Global vision is fundamental at UPAEP from bachelor’s degree level to postgraduate


Although UPAEP has a multicultural character the main language spoken at the university is Spanish, but a majority of the classes incorporate English too.

The Languages Center offers classes in English, German, Chinese Mandarin, Italian, French, and Spanish for international students.

To find out more about the programs, you can visit the social media pages: Facebook; YouTube; Instagram; Twitter; LinkedIn

U50 Educational Model

The U50 Educational Model set up the path that UPAEP follows towards its 50th anniversary. The institutional philosophy, identity, and pedagogical approach are the fundamentals of the model, addressing its purpose to the achievement of the common good while responding to social challenges, thus creating streams of thought and molding leaders willing to transform society.

Our educational model takes inspiration from the phrase "Duc in Altum," which means "put out into the deep." The message encourages us to face new challenges in the search for the common good, by experiencing the value of education that strengthens its potential to transform social structures, within a culture of respect to human dignity and peaceful coexistence.

UPAEP's history and ideas are transmitted through the educational model, as well as through a system of comprehensive humanist education under Cristian thought (FIXH), socially-relevant academic systems (SAPS), and the transformational leadership program.

The U50 Educational Model is dynamic, open, and flexible; it encourages an educational vision that mobilizes and transforms society from a human person approach. Such transformation occurs in the light of knowledge and significant experiences in all areas of academic life. Social mobilization requires promoting truth as a basis for the construction of the common good.

The model integrates three distinctive dimensions that encourage engagement in the process of continuous analysis, reflection, and dialogue while providing scenarios for ethical discussion.

These dimensions are:

• Transparency and organizational commitment.
• Transversality and interculturality.
• Transcendence and transformation.

Transparency and organizational commitment. It involves the achievement of mutual goals gathering together all the efforts from areas and personnel considered within the organizational structure. Academic and formative functions are a priority, focusing the attention of management activities on these. This dimension promotes transparency in academic and management activities to ensure the fulfillment of all institutional goals under UPAEP's vision, which unifies the efforts of the university community as a whole.

Transversality and interculturality. It includes all the activities designed and evaluated according to the fundamentals and to the system of comprehensive humanist education under Cristian thought (FIHX), transmitted into all core activities; particularly, teaching, research, and university relation with society.
Programs are flexible, interdisciplinary, and intercultural, and they promote global thinking. They constitute a proposal of value and the foundations for the construction of the common good.

Transcendence and transformation. It explains how the educational process is a continuous and collaborative journey under the FIXH system, offering high-quality professional training in which academic excellence and specialists in different areas of knowledge provide a unique learning environment. The grounds of a professional orientation are the service commitment attitude centered on responsible solutions to address social problems while creating significant learning experiences through life projects that bring meaning and purpose.

Every formative process within this educational model empowers students to reach their full potential as human beings and to contribute to society's improvement. The students decide over their own needs for education, and the academic staff assumes the role of a mediator within the teaching-learning process.

The personal encounter through learning moments and significant authentic experiences is the way to achieve Transformational Leadership.  At UPAEP, leaders can observe, judge, act, and influence different environments with integrity and congruence, practicing ethics and service.

The U50 Educational Model centers itself on the person and their human dignity in an environment of authenticity and meaningful work that explores numerous possibilities to develop abilities and skills. The pedagogics offer a high level of personalization and accompaniment.

Our educational model implements learning methodologies such as challenge-based learning, project-based learning, research-based learning, problem-based learning, relations-based learning, and service-learning, all of which encourage student involvement. In order to develop comprehensive and socially-relevant projects, the model gathers many other different methodologies.

Learning outcomes are the framework to foster and develop the UPAEP's student profile, which contributes to evaluating student transformation systematically.