Panamerican University (), commonly known as UP, is a private

research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

founded in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. It has four campuses: the main

Mixcoac Mixcoac is an area of southern Mexico City which used to be a separate town and municipality within the Mexican Federal District until it was made part of Mexico City proper (the '' Departamento Central'' at the time) in 1928. Mixcoac consists o ...

campus in the Benito Juarez borough of south-western Mexico City, founded in 1968; the

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

campus established in 1981; the

Aguascalientes Aguascalientes, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Aguascalientes, is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. At 22°N and with an average altitude of above sea level it is pre ...

campus established in 1989; and Campus Santa Fe, also in Mexico City, founded in 2011. One of the most prestigious universities in Mexico, it on is currently ranke
4th
best university in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

QS World University Rankings The ''QS World University Rankings'' is a portfolio of comparative college and university rankings compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education analytics firm. Its first and earliest edition was published in collaboration with '' Times ...

and has a 4 star rating.

History

The university was founded in 1967 as a

business school A business school is a higher education institution or professional school that teaches courses leading to degrees in business administration or management. A business school may also be referred to as school of management, management school, s ...

, when a group of wealthy and devout catholic businessmen and academics, inspired by the

University of Navarra The University of Navarra is a private Catholic research university located on the southeast border of Pamplona, Navarre, Spain. It was founded in 1952 by Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, the founder of '' Opus Dei'', as a corporat ...

and

University of Salamanca The University of Salamanca () is a public university, public research university in Salamanca, Spain. Founded in 1218 by Alfonso IX of León, King Alfonso IX, it is the oldest university in the Hispanic world and the fourth oldest in the ...

, created the Instituto Panamericano de Alta Dirección de Empresas (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

: Panamerican Institute for Executive Business Management), also known as IPADE. Soon after, they promoted the creation of a university. As a result, the Instituto Panamericano de Humanidades (Panamerican Institute of Humanities), founded in 1968, merged with the IPADE and created the Panamerican University. It was all done under the spiritual direction of

Opus Dei is an institution of the Catholic Church that was founded in Spain in 1928 by Josemaría Escrivá. Its stated mission is to help its lay and clerical members seek holiness in their everyday occupations and societies. Opus Dei is officially r ...

, a personal prelature of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Carlos Llano Cifuentes Carlos Llano Cifuentes ( México City, February 17, 1932 – Miami, May 5, 2010) was a Mexican philosopher and university professor, as well as one of the founding members of IPADE Business School and founder of Universidad Panamericana. Carlos l ...

, a Mexican

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

who had ties with

, is often named the 'father of the university' because of his longstanding involvement in the conception of the institute. In 1978, the IPH was given University rank and took the name Universidad Panamericana, even though the IPADE and IPH conceived from their origins the universal and unitarian knowledge. The new university began with only two programs,

Pedagogy Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

and

Administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...

. During the 1970s new programs were added, including

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

and

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

(1970),

Economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

and

Business Administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

(1977), and

Industrial Engineering Industrial engineering (IE) is concerned with the design, improvement and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, information, equipment and energy. It draws upon specialized knowledge and skill in the mathematical, physical, an ...

(1978). Further new programs were added in the 1980s and 1990s, including Electromechanic Engineering,

Accountancy Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the process of recording and processing information about economic entities, such as businesses and corporations. Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activities and conveys ...

(1981),

Informatics Informatics is the study of computational systems. According to the Association for Computing Machinery, ACM Europe Council and Informatics Europe, informatics is synonymous with computer science and computing as a profession, in which the centra ...

Marketing Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...

International Business International business refers to the trade of goods and service goods, services, technology, capital and/or knowledge across national borders and at a global or transnational scale. It includes all commercial activities that promote the transfer o ...

Finance Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...

(1993), and

Medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

(1996).

Motto and coat of arms

''Ubi spiritus, libertas'' (Where the spirit is, there is freedom) is the university's motto, synthesizing the educational philosophy. Love of freedom in a space where the human spirit is cultivated—love of authentic freedom. The university's arms is formed by two elements: The red square and the blue band on the golden left side, which represent the coat of arms used by

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

when he landed in the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

; they symbolize

Pan-Americanism Pan-Americanism is a movement that seeks to create, encourage, and organize relationships, an association (a Union), and cooperation among the states of the Americas, through diplomatic, political, economic, and social means. The term Pan-Amer ...

. On the right side, on top of a golden bottom, there's an Oak, symbol of strength. Its roots are the diverse sources of integral development; the four ramifications symbolize the

Cardinal Virtues The cardinal virtues are four virtues of mind and character in classical philosophy. They are prudence, Justice (virtue), justice, Courage, fortitude, and Temperance (virtue), temperance. They form a Virtue ethics, virtue theory of ethics. The t ...

Prudence Prudence (, contracted from meaning "seeing ahead, sagacity") is the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason. It is classically considered to be a virtue, and in particular one of the four cardinal virtues (which are, ...

Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

Fortitude Fortitude may refer to: * Courage, the choice and willingness to confront danger Ships * HMS ''Fortitude'', any one of several Royal Navy ships and installations ** HMS ''Fortitude'' (1780), a 74-gun third rate launched in 1780 ** HMS ''Cumber ...

and Temperance; the leaves and acorns represent the rest of the virtues, which derive of the fundamental four.

Schools and faculties

Currently, the university offers 42 undergraduate academic programs, known as ''licenciaturas or ingenierías'' (equivalent to

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

and

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

), as well as 120 graduate programs. Universidad Panamericana has 5 Schools and 3 Faculties. *School of Institutions Administration *'
School of Health Sciences
'' *'
School of Economic and Administrative Sciences
'' *School of Communication *'
Faculty of Engineer
'' *Faculty of Law *Faculty of Philosophy *Faculty of Pedagogy UP is widely known for its 'specialty' programs, a 1-year-long graduate program to study a certain topic, distinguishing from a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in that master programs have a duration of 2 years, in addition, speciality students do not have to write a

Thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

in order to graduate. The university is also in charge of the Preparatoria Universidad Panamericana (Panamerican University Highschool), a

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

with the same educational principles. It has two distinct campuses one for boys and another for girls, called Yaocalli.

Accreditations

ABET ABET (pronounced A-bet), formerly known as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc., is a non-governmental accreditation organization for post-secondary programs in engineering, engineering technology, computing, and applied ...

Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology

CENEVAL
(Centro Nacional para la Evaluación de la Educación Superior)
ENARM
(Examen Nacional de Aspirantes a Residencias Médicas)

Reputation

* Ranke
4th
best university in

* 2nd best private university in

15th
best university in Mexico by

Times Higher Education World University Rankings The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'', often referred to as the THE Rankings, is the annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli Symon ...

For more information see the IPADE Rankings.

International programs

For several years, the university has offered several exchange agreements with the following universities (among others): *Fachhochschule

Schmalkalden Schmalkalden () is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in the southwest of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is on the southern slope of the Thuringian Forest at the Schmalkalde river, a tributary to the Werra. , the town had a popul ...

University of Lethbridge The University of Lethbridge (also known as uLethbridge, uLeth, and U of L) is a public comprehensive and research university located in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, with a second campus in Calgary, Alberta. Founded in the liberal arts traditio ...

University of Westminster The University of Westminster is a public university, public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first Polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic to open in London. The Po ...

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (; UdeM; ) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce on M ...

Bond University Bond University is Australia's first private university, private not-for-profit university and is located in Robina, Queensland, Robina on the Gold Coast, Queensland. Since its opening on 15 May 1989, Bond University has primarily been a teachi ...

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...

European Business School International University Schloss Reichartshausen European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

Shanghai Normal University Shanghai Normal University (SHNU) () is a public research university in Shanghai, China. SHNU is one of the three Key Universities (上海市重点大学) (Along with Shanghai University and University of Shanghai for Science and Technology) i ...

Notable faculty

* Carlos Abascal *

Miguel Alessio Robles Miguel Alessio Robles is a lawyer, notary public, public official, and professor in law in Mexico. He received his law degree from the Escuela Libre de Derecho and has been a registered notary public in Mexico City since 1988. Specializing in comm ...

* Sergio Salvador Aguirre Anguiano

Notable alumni

Some notable alumni from UP in politics include

Enrique Peña Nieto Enrique Peña Nieto (; born 20 July 1966), commonly referred to by his initials EPN, is a Mexican former politician and lawyer who was the 64th president of Mexico from 2012 to 2018. A member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), he p ...

(L.L.B., '91), who was the 57th

President of Mexico The president of Mexico (), officially the president of the United Mexican States (), is the head of state and head of government of Mexico. Under the Constitution of Mexico, the president heads the executive branch of the federal government and ...

(2012–2018); Governors Miguel Alejandro Alonso Reyes (L.L.B., '98 & M.P.P., 2022) of

Zacatecas Zacatecas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Zacatecas, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 31 states of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Zacatecas, 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas City, Zacatec ...

(2010–2016) and

Martín Orozco Sandoval Martín Orozco Sandoval (born 25 June 1967) is a Mexicans, Mexican politician affiliated with the National Action Party (Mexico), PAN, who served as the Governor of Aguascalientes from 2016 to 2022. From 2012 to 2016, he represented Aguascalient ...

(B.A., '89) of

(2016–2022);

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

Kenia López Rabadán Kenia López Caballán (born 25 October 1974) is a Mexican politician from the National Action Party. From 2009 to 2012 she served as Deputy of the LXI Legislature of the Mexican Congress representing the Federal District, and previously served ...

(M.P.P., 2012) of the National Action Party (2018–); Jesús Pablo Lemus Navarro (M.A., 2012), Mayor of

(2021–) and César Nava Vázquez (L.L.B., '97), wgo was President of the National Action Party (2009–2010), Representative for

(2009–2012) as well as Personal Secretary to

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Felipe Calderón Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa (; born 18 August 1962) is a Mexican politician and lawyer who served as the 63rd president of Mexico from 2006 to 2012 and Secretary of Energy during the presidency of Vicente Fox between 2003 and 2004. ...

(2006–2008). UP has produced several notable businessmen and businesswomen, including Marcos Martínez Gavica (MBA, '95), the incumbent

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of the

Mexican Stock Exchange The Mexican Stock Exchange (), commonly known as Mexican Bolsa, Mexbol, or BMV, is one of two stock exchanges in Mexico, the other being BIVA - Bolsa Institucional de Valores. It is the second largest stock exchange in Latin America, only after S ...

since 2020,

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of Santander Mexico (2016–2020) and chairman of the Mexican Association of Banks (2005–2007 & 2017–2019); Juan Ignacio Gallardo Thurlow (MBA, '85), who has a net worth of around $1.3B, a member of the

board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

of Santander, Bombardier, Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico,

Rabobank Rabobank (; full name: ''Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A.'') is a Dutch multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Utrecht, Netherlands. The group comprises 89 local Dutch Rabobanks (2019), a central organisation (Raboban ...

and former

of Cultiba, a Mexican leading holding company whose operations engage in the production and distribution of

cane sugar Sucrose, a disaccharide, is a sugar composed of glucose and fructose subunits. It is produced naturally in plants and is the main constituent of white sugar. It has the molecular formula . For human consumption, sucrose is extracted and refined ...

molasses Molasses () is a viscous byproduct, principally obtained from the refining of sugarcane or sugar beet juice into sugar. Molasses varies in the amount of sugar, the method of extraction, and the age of the plant. Sugarcane molasses is usuall ...

and

soft drink A soft drink (see #Terminology, § Terminology for other names) is a class of non-alcoholic drink, usually (but not necessarily) Carbonated water, carbonated, and typically including added Sweetness, sweetener. Flavors used to be Natural flav ...

s. It is the only company in Mexico that distributes all

Pepsi Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...

-brand drinks across

. He was also the chief negotiatior of the Mexican Business Delegation during the

NAFTA The North American Free Trade Agreement (, TLCAN; , ALÉNA), referred to colloquially in the Anglosphere as NAFTA, ( ) was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that created a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The ...

agreement-seeking hearings; and Daniel Becker Feldman (MBA, '93), chairman of the Mexican Association of Banks (2021–2012) and

of Mifel Financial Group, a leading Mexican commercial bank and financial servicies institution. ;Academic *

Hector Zagal Héctor Jesús Zagal Arreguín is a Mexican philosopher, essayist, novelist, and associate member of Opus Dei. As a scholar he specializes in Aristotle. Academic career Zagal has written books on ecology, ethics, Aristotle,Honoris Causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

'' degrees awarded by the UP include: *

Kim B. Clark Kim Bryce Clark (born March 20, 1949) is an American scholar, educator, and religious leader who has been a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since April 2015, and was the church's seventeenth Co ...

, American economist

Affiliated schools

* Universidad Panamericana Preparatoria (senior high school)

Controversy

Mexican journalist

Carmen Aristegui María del Carmen Aristegui Flores (; born January 18, 1964) is a Mexican journalist and news anchor. She is widely regarded as one of Mexico's leading journalists and opinion leaders, and is best known for her critical investigations of the Mex ...

published a series of reports on alleged plagiarism found in the thesis entitled "The Mexican presidentialism and Alvaro Obregon" from the current President of Mexico

, to obtain a degree in law at Panamerican University. The university informed their community that a group of "distinguished members" would make an analysis of this thesis and issued an institutional statement dated August 28 informing that the graduating procedure of

complied with the requirements back in the year 1991 and the thesis of his own presents both original ideas and ideas from other authors treated in five different ways: * Textual fragment reproduction of previously published works according to academic standards * Textual fragment reproduction without quotes or footer section of the literature * Support Reproductions in which there is no quoted footnote reference but in the reference section * Textual reproduction in which credit is given to the author of ambiguous or imprecise manner * Cases in which credit is given to the original author, but not the source from which the quotation was taken In the same statement the law faculty reports that proceeded to search rules that allow a proper response to a discovery of this nature and concluded that: # This was an unprecedented case in which there are no provisions in the applicable regulatory bodies titration procedure, a technical consultation to the National Autonomous University of Mexico was asked to confirm in writing this criterion # The General Regulations from that institution does not apply to former students # It is a consummated act on which it is impossible to proceed in any way

References

External links

Official website in Spanish
{{DEFAULTSORT:Panamericana Sede Mexico, Universidad Educational institutions established in 1967 Catholic universities and colleges in Mexico 1967 establishments in Mexico Universities in Mexico City Christianity in Mexico City