University of Magallanes
Founded as a campus of the former Technical University of the State in 1961, the University of Magallanes is a public, state-run, secular institution with a strong tradition in the Chilean university system. It engages in teaching, research, and outreach activities, primarily aimed at the growth of the southernmost region of the country.
Currently, it has an enrollment of over four thousand students, focusing its activities in Punta Arenas, where the Central Campus is located. This campus houses its five faculties, the School of Medicine, the GAIA Antarctic Research Center, and other student and administrative facilities. Additionally, in the same city, you can find the Institute of Patagonia along with the Museum of Memory, one of the most visited tourist attractions; the CADI-UMAG Teaching Assistance and Research Center, established on land adjacent to the Magallanes Clinical Hospital, the Music Conservatory, the Vice-Rector’s Office for Outreach and Engagement, and, outside the urban area, specific laboratories such as Bahía Laredo and E-Fuels.
More than sixty years after its founding, the University has progressively expanded throughout the southern Patagonia. In the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic Region, it has a presence in various provinces, with the Puerto Natales University Center, the Territorial Office in Porvenir, the Cabo de Hornos University Center with its Subantarctic Center, and the wonderful natural laboratory “Omora Park” located in Puerto Williams. In the Aysén Region, it has the Coyhaique University Center, and finally, it has a UMAG liaison office in Santiago.
With a unique character, the University aims to be a national and international reference in the generation of knowledge in Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, Subantarctic territories, and Antarctica, prioritizing, according to its development plan, areas such as: Human settlement in high latitudes; Antarctic and subantarctic biodiversity, Energy, and environment.
Committed to providing high-quality education, our University is accredited until December 2023 in the areas of Undergraduate Teaching, Institutional Management, Research, and Outreach, being one of the few higher education institutions accredited in research.
Thus, the University of Magallanes consolidates its mission as the Regional State University of Chile, primarily focused on the formation of human capital in the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic Region; the creation of knowledge, with a special emphasis on applied research relevant to the realities of Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, and Antarctica, and effective engagement with the regional community.
Vision
The University of Magallanes aspires to be a reference in higher education processes, as well as in the cultivation and management of knowledge from the particularities of Subantarctic Patagonia and Chilean Antarctica, contributing with social responsibility to sustainable development and the quality of life of people.
Mission
The University of Magallanes is a public, state-run, geographically isolated higher education institution, focused on the continuous education of technicians, professionals, and postgraduate students, as well as on research, knowledge creation, and outreach, in and from Subantarctic Patagonia and Chilean Antarctica.
Strategic Guidelines
- In Teaching, and in line with its Educational Project, the Institution bases its work on a context of quality and equity, promoting the social inclusion of economically vulnerable students.
- In Management, consolidating a responsible organization that provides academic, administrative, and financial viability to the Institution.
- In Research, Development, and Innovation, the University focuses on strengthening studies and publications in the various disciplines that comprise the humanities, social sciences, engineering, and natural sciences, mainly in the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic Region.
- In Outreach, the Institution fosters relationships with the community and public and private organizations in the Region, as well as the preservation and strengthening of the cultural, economic, and social heritage of the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic Region.