The Miguel Hernández University of Elche (http://www.umh.es) was established in 1997 with the aim of offering society high quality education, research and services, which will fully satisfy their expectations, as well as the demands derived from industry. That is why Miguel Hernández University keeps in constant contact with the industrial and business network. In this way, it can share information and knowledge which is beneficial to the businesspeople of the area through competitive professionals. At the same time, it helps members of the university community to develop professionally in order to achieve the integral development of students and help them in their entry into the working world.

The University Miguel Hernández was founded expecting to become an innovating public institution for higher education which would be able to respond to the challenges and demands from the changes which can be discerned for the 21st century.

At that time we decided to become a University which is recognised for its excellence in management. We wanted to build a modern university which would be a leader in the transformation process of Spanish Universities, where quality in teaching, research and management are primordial objectives.

During this a great number of our projects have been put into practice and owing to our quality system, our commitment to society has been made evident. We define our mission as:

“Serving society by offering quality teaching, research and services, which may fully satisfy their expectations, at the same time as allowing the members of the university community to develop professionally in order to achieve integral training for students and to facilitate their entry into the working world”.

Our Quality Management System, designed from the beginning, includes, as every Quality System, the Structure, Resources, Quality Plan and objectives to achieve our goals according to our mission.

Our main recognitions in matters of quality are:

• EFQM Recognition for Excellence, 2010
• Certificate ISO 9001:2008 for the design of study plans and for the yearly development of teaching plans for the degree/diploma courses being taught.
• Certificate ISO 9001:2008 for the Work Experience Unit in the Occupational Observatory.
• “Premios Futurelx”  (Futurelx Award) given by Elx City Council, 2005.
• “Premio Eficacia” (Efficiency Award) given by the Círculo de Economía.
• “Primer Premio a las Mejoras Prácticas” (First Prize for good practices) in Public Institutions in 2001, awarded by the Club Gestión de Calidad.
• “Distinción de la Asociación Española para la Calidad” (Distinction by the Spainsh Association for Quality) in the UMH for encouraging the culture of Quality in the Valencian Community
• Finalist in the “Premio Ciudadanía” (Citizen Award) from “Observatorio de Calidad en los Servicios Públicos” (the Observatory for Quality in Public Services) in 2000

Although the main administration offices are in Elche, where it offers Economics, Law, Environmental and Experimental Sciences, Industrial Engineering, Biochemistry and Statistics, there is also the campus of Altea, where Studies of Fine Arts are offered, the Campus of Orihuela with its Technical College for Agricultural Sciences, Business Management and Politic Science and the Campus of San Juan which houses the Studies of Medicine, Pharmacy and other Health Studies.

We welcome students who wish to start new careers or to improve their skills in their current career. More than 1000 teachers and 500 experts work in the classrooms and laboratories of the university in order to teach more than 15.000 students who pursue undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in any of the 96 areas of study in Fine Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, Experimental Sciences, Technology and Medicine. The Miguel Hernández University comprises 5 research institutes: Neuro-Sciences (as a centre with collaboration wit CSIC), Bioengineering, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Industrial Technology, Operations Research and the Prevention of Drug-Addiction.

That is one of the reasons why we have bilateral agreements with a lot of institutions, companies from different productive sectors, universities from Europe and America, as well as Spanish universities. We are developing a dynamic, professional and technologically advanced university. We have access to high technology in the laboratories with some of the most advanced equipment for research and innovation. The Miguel Hernández University addresses itself to those areas which are to the interests of society and is concerned with its needs and Socio-Economical improvement.

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