Portugal is a European country located on the Iberian Peninsula. Portuguese, the language of the country is one of the major languages in the world with about 230 million people speaking it. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report, the Portuguese economy is ranked 42nd in the world. This vibrant economy is stimulated by many reputable multinationals, such as Sonae Industria, the world’s biggest producer of wood-based panels, Conservas Ramirez, the world€™s oldest canned food producer, The Navigator Company, a leading company in the international paper market; EDP Renovaveis, the 3rd top producer of wind energy globally, Jeranimo Martins, a leader in the manufacturing and retail of consumer products manufacturer, Amorim, the leader in cork production globally, or Cimpor, one of the world’s 10th largest producers of cement.

The Portuguese educational system ranked 35th globally during the first edition of the QS Higher Education System Strength Rankings and has been in gradual modernization and relative expansion in recent years. Portugal is not only home to several top-notch universities, institutes, and business schools, Portuguese schools have trained many world-renowned scientists, politicians, and business leaders. The Portuguese university system has a strong theoretical basis and is relatively research-oriented while the polytechnic system usually offers more practical training. Degrees in traditional fields such as law, sciences, medicine, economics, pharmacy, sociology, or psychology are mostly taught in universities. Other fields of study like business, engineering, sports, technology, agriculture, or education are usually offered by both universities and polytechnics. Vocational programs such as nursing, accounting, early childhood education, are often only taught by polytechnics. Portugal’s oldest university is the University of Coimbra (established in 1290) and its largest university is the University of Porto – with about 28,000 students currently enrolled.