Founded in 1970, Tecnologica de Bolivar University enjoys an academic trajectory of over 33 years. Based in the Heart of the Caribbean, in Cartagena de Indias, a colonial Spanish city of great architectural richness and regarded as Cultural and Historical Heritage of Humanity, Tecnológica University is the utmost alternative when it comes to higher education in the city.
Since early on, Tecnologica University gradually defined and consolidated its entrepreneurial calling, a purpose which was reinforced in 1975 by the incorporation of the five main economical groups of Cartagena (ANDI, ACOPI, CAMACOL, FENALCO and the city’s Chamber of Commerce), in order to guide the University’s development towards the advancement of the entrepreneurial and industrial growth as well as the strengthening of competitiveness in Cartagena and the Caribbean region.
Over three decades after its foundation, Tecnologica de Bolivar University has solidified its relationship with several domestic and overseas Universities by means of a sophisticated virtual University System that follows a trend of unstoppable development. In November 2003, upon the demonstration of high quality research development with regional projection and impact, Tecnologica de Bolivar was accredited as a University per se by the National Education Office through resolution No. No. 2996.
Due to the futuristic vision of the University’s top management, The institution is presently outfitted with two modern Campuses, the first one located in Cartagena’s traditional neighborhood of Manga plus the Ternera Campus, which is based in the city outskirts at the “Carlos Velez Pombo” Industrial and Technological Park. Both facilities are made up of modern and comfortable edifications equipped with laboratories, workshops, computer rooms, groundbreaking technology and 2 modern libraries, which are two of the biggest libraries in the Cartagena District dedicated to the service of our community.
Tecnologica de Bolivar University has up to this date, provided the Cartagena, Caribbean and National communities with a wide range of academic choices which is acknowledged as having a very high level of excellence, a flexible pedagogical pattern that allows for the training of each and every student according to their professional profile and in compliance with their own interests, in addition to a teacher training program, an invaluable management team, a structured entrepreneurial and international projection for our graduates which is bound to become the Best Educational Project in the Caribbean by 2006.
Tecnologica University is a bilingual institution with an international profile, located in the city of Cartagena de Indias, right in the Heart of the Colombian Caribbean. Most local companies have been corporate partners of the University since 1975 and its main campuses are located at an industrial and technological park.
All of the University’s undergraduate programs are duly accredited by the National Education Office and one of them, the Business Management program with dual education awards an International Diploma in agreement with Berufsakademie Mosbach University in Germany. In addition, Tecnologica University is home to the first Summer School with a focus on knowledge of our Caribbean region.
The University is a member of several Colombian University Associations: -ASCUN, OUI, IAESTE, AIESEC, CREPUQ, ONUDI, APICE, REGLA, ATEI and is a strong ally of Andes University, Javeriana University, Norte University and the Mutis University Network. As an entrepreneurial University, the merger between the institution and such local companies is very solid. Today present, we have over 300 agreements with local companies for the professional training of our students.
The University has an online educational platform (SAVIO – A Virtual System for Interactive Education), Scholarships for Developing Communities (Excellence Award), flexible payment systems, faculties strengthened with an exclusive Master and PhD-supported professor staff, 14 research teams which have been officially certified by Colciencias and numerous projects and publications. Plus, we have a specialized Language Center offering Spanish Language lessons with a cultural focus.
The University has been officially certified to offer PhD and Master’s degree courses by the National Education Office since 2003. The Industrial Engineering Program has been accredited with a high assessment score twice by the Colombian Office of Education and we have also been awarded the Luis López de Mesa Medal. The Business Management Program was accredited through the CERTQUA – ISO 9001:2000 Certification.
The University is consolidating its international profile as well as its academic-multilingual community. All visitors, students, Language Instructors and guest professors who have been in our institution have come from countries such as the Czech Republic, The United Kingdom, Poland, Russia, Germany, Taiwan, The Virgin Islands, Canada, Cuba as well as The U.S and Mexico.
The University is also working towards the building of an International Studies Plan. All undergraduate programs will be reduced from five to four years and our professors are currently using research articles in English in order to foster and promote bilingual knowledge and research. The institution is attempting to build up linkage with other world-class universities in order to further student and professor mobility. We currently have agreements with several countries in Latin America, Europe, Canada, Asia and Australia.
Tecnologica University welcomes students from all over the globe that may be interested in becoming part of our institution over a given academic year. Over the span of one or two semesters, students can take classes in a variety of faculties, thus improving their linguistic and communicative abilities while they delve into in the Caribbean Culture.
For those students coming from abroad who intend to learn or improve their Spanish, the University offers a highly qualified program which is quite innovative. As they immerse in the program, the students will not only learn the language but also the Latin American literature and culture. Furthermore, they will have the chance to visit tourist places with a high cultural and historical significance for both locals and foreigners.
The University supplies a wide array of academic alternatives to the local and international communities during summertime, especially for those who wish to stay in Cartagena de Indias for a brief span of time.
We offer courses taught by highly qualified teachers from various countries around the world. We also provide vacation time lessons for students who want to gain extra credits during the summer as well as a Diploma course on Cartagena de Indias, its past, present and future. Studying in the University’s Summer School represents a marvelous experience because people learn in the midst of the magic of the Caribbean Colombian Coast.
There is continuous developmental participation at our University in terms of social projects in and around Cartagena de Indias. All interested professors and students give a little bit of themselves to the Cartagena Community and they can become a part of such projects throughout the University.
For a span of a semester or up to a whole academic year, experienced and young international researchers can do collaborative work along with renowned professors from the University staff. Our faculties are endowed with relevant data to be shared on the various outcomes of our studies and we welcome all researchers from anywhere in the world.
The University has developed a program which enables professors from Universities all over the world to come to Cartagena de Indias and share their knowledge and experience with our students and faculties. International professors taking a sabbatical may find Cartagena as a wondrous alternative for teaching and doing research work.
UTB is the first non-profit private university founded in Cartagena de Indias. There are two main campuses, one located on the Manga Island (5.673.09 m2) and the other one is in the Ternera Technological and Industrial Area (16.892.50m2).
On the Manga Campus the Administrative and Economical Science faculty, the graduate and Permanent Education School and part of the management offices can be found; On the Ternera Campus the Basic Sciences, Engineering, Social and Humanistic Faculties are located.
Comfortable inter-campus transportation is available day and night at all times. On both campuses, UTB counts on all resources required for the development of diverse academic and research programs, teaching, social projects and managerial activities comfortably housing over 4000 students in a variety of spaces such as classrooms, labs, 2 auditoriums, 2 libraries offering services 7 days a week 24 hours a day, administrative offices, sports fields and courts (soccer, softball, volleyball, kickball), 2 snack bars, restrooms and spacious parking areas.
The Colombian Caribbean Territory, comprised by a 1600-kilometer beach line that includes islands and archipelagos, provides visitors with a varied range of sceneries, ranging from a snowy mountain system to rich coral sea beds for those who enjoy undersea activities.
The Caribbean Sea’s warm and clear waters, its permanent summer weather and the white sand beaches mingle with the lighthearted spirit of its people, which turn the Colombian Caribbean into the core of Latin America as well as an ideal tropical destination for those who wish to take an up-close look at history reflected upon the colonial architecture and the legacy of pre-Hispanic civilizations.
This region is 132.288km2 long which corresponds to 11,6% of Colombia’s total area. Geographically, the Colombia Atlantic Coast is formed by the following states or departamentos and their respective capital cities: Atlántico (Barranquilla), Bolívar, (Cartagena de Indias), Cesar, (Valledupar), Sucre, (Sincelejo), Córdoba, (Montería), Magdalena, (Santa Marta), La Guajira, (Riohacha) along with the San Andrés and Providencia Archipelago, (San Andrés). In these eight regions, there are 182 municipalities, 1.093 towns and 493 hamlets.
Each one of these states or departamentos encloses wonderful exploration spots where the most breathtaking and assorted natural scenery can be found. All of the departamentos comprising this region of the country are endowed with folk items, handicrafts and typical cuisine that mark their particular identity.
Without a doubt, Cartagena de Indias, pronounced Historical Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 1984, is the most visited destination of the Colombian Caribbean. The city’s hotel infrastructure is engineered to tend to thousands of travelers coming from all over the globe, which provides them with all they need to enjoy a vacation season plentiful of relaxation and entertainment by the shores of the warm, tropical, calm and legendary Caribbean Sea.
Our History
Cartagena de Indias is, indubitably, one of the most beautiful bays in America. Surrounded by isles, marshes and lagoons, it was the settlement spot for the indigenous Kalamari people. This city was founded on June 1st, 1533 by Don Pedro de Heredia and, thanks to its strategic location as an entry point of the territory, became a very prosperous city where beautiful streets, houses and cloisters were built.
Its fame as a thriving city made it the most sought-after bounty spot for pirates and looters; soon enough, the legions of soldiers meant to protect the city fell short and the Spanish Crown decided to commission the construction of castles, forts and walls all around the city. Such a task lasted 208 years, at the end of which, Cartagena wound up outfitted with 11 Kilometers of walls surrounding the city, the San Felipe de Barajas Castle, which was built up to fend off ground attacks by means of watch-points, ammunition and supply storage rooms and underground tunnels over 25 meters deep. There are also forts, such as San Sebastián de Pastelillo, The San Angel Battery in Tierra Bomba, the San Fernando Fort of San José in Bocachica, all of which are must-see places for our tourists.
The most outstanding samples of local religious architecture are the city’s Cathedral, the church and cloister of San Pedro Claver, the Santo Domingo church and La Popa monastery, which was built up by the early 17th century and is located on top of a small hill. Other places of interest are the Palace of Inquisition, which today present houses the Colonial Museum and the Historical Archives of Cartagena de Indias, Las Bovedas Square and the Gold Museum, among others.
For over 250 years, Cartagena was part of the Spanish Crown. On November 11th, 1811, the city claims independence and yet another stage of its history begins. Such a stage was not an easy one and scarred the city for life by giving it the name “Heroic City”.
All throughout its 471 years of existence, the history of Cartagena tells us of very prosperous as well as very rough times; every street, house and church keeps a different story that deserves to be heard. Each and every historical place around the city is endowed with accredited tour guides who narrate unbelievable stories through which tourists can get to know our background in depth.
Presently, Cartagena de Indias, proclaimed as an alternate site for the central government, is a beautiful city that gracefully combines its history and culture with an industrial boost, which has achieved high recognitions for the city especially in the petrochemical and agricultural-industrial fields. It is deemed an excellent tourist city, frequently visited by tourists from all over. Cartagena de Indias counts on a hotel infrastructure that allows for the city to hold important international events, among which we can mention the World Summit of Presidents, and the International Film Festival.
The city is currently one if the negotiations sites for the FTA with the U.S. Along with its tourist breakthroughs, the city’s strategic location has turned it into one of the most relevant ports in Colombia as well as in all of America. It welcomes freight vessels and cruise ships from all over the world on a daily basis.
The city’s industrial district is home to more than 124 industrial companies, which export their products to the whole world. The main tourist landmarks are the Laguito and Bocagrande beaches, frequented by those who love the sunlight and water sports. Such beaches are surrounded by restaurants, cafes, discos and hotels which offer a wide array of choices. “palenqueras”, women who carry big bowls full of mangoes, coconuts, watermelons, papayas, melons and pineapples on top of their heads, also delight the beachgoers with their delectable fruits. Cartagena de Indias is also a fit place for sports fans. In the city’s beaches you can practice windsurfing and sail boating. Sports such as beach volleyball, soccer and softball are also played and important sports tournaments are held.
45 kms. by ground and about 2 hours away by boat southeast of Cartagena, you can find Corales del Rosario National Natural Park. It encompasses 119.506 hectares and is different from other parks in our country in that it is the main undersea park in Colombia.This small cluster of isles and coral keys comprises a group of 30 islands. Some of them offer accommodations and gear for sea sports such as shallow diving and scuba diving, sail boating, fishing and open-sea swimming. The park has mangroves, 53 species of coral reefs, 215 species of fish and 31 types of sea birds, in addition to numberless sorts of shellfish, crustaceans, algae and sponges.
San Martín de Pajarales Island counts on a very interesting aquarium with distinctive species from the Colombian Caribbean where you can admire from small fish up to dolphins and huge sharks.