Brown in Spain - Academics
Barcelona Universities
The Consortium for Advanced Studies partners with three distinguished universities whose combined course offerings provide students with an array of opportunities in the humanities, social sciences, physical and natural sciences, art and architecture and business.
The Universitat de Barcelona (full year/spring students only) , founded in 1455, boasts well over 70,000 students. Offering 75 undergraduate degrees, over 90 doctorate programs and 390 postgraduate courses, the UB is the largest of the ten universities in Catalonia and the second largest in Spain.
The Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona (full year/fall/spring students only) was established in 1968 and has over 50,000 students. The state-of-the art Bellaterra campus, in Cerdanyola del Vallès, is home to most of its departments, institutes and services. Seventy-eight degree programs are available at the UAB, covering a wide range of fields, including the humanities and arts, social sciences, health sciences, experimental and technological sciences.
The Universitat Pompeu Fabra (full year/fall students only) is a dynamic institution that was established in 1990. Today it has 11,000 students, courses in all fields – from experimental, health and life sciences to human and social sciences and technical studies – and an expanding campus in the heart of the city, stretching between the Ramblas and the district of Poblenou, site of the 1992 Olympics.
All three universities are leading institutions of higher learning in Spain. This is reflected in the high academic accomplishments of their students and the many teaching and research awards earned by their professors.
Academic Program
Students will take the majority of their courses at the Consortium’s partner universities in Barcelona. The typical course load each semester consists of three university courses plus one course offered by the Consortium Center. A mandatory credit-bearing Cultural ProSeminar is offered at the beginning of the semester. The Cultural ProSeminar introduces students to Catalan history and culture in the context of Spanish and European history. It focuses on the language needs of students in Spanish and Catalan to prepare them to meet the academic expectations they will face as students in Spanish university classrooms. The Center will also offer a small range of full-semester courses that will use the city and the region as classroom and text. All lectures are conducted in Spanish. Students with knowledge of Catalan or with particularly strong skills in Spanish may have the option of attending lectures in Catalan.
Academic Calendar
NOTE:The academic calendar below is an approximation based on previous schedules and observances. Specific dates may vary.
- Fall: Early September - Late December
- Spring: Early January - Late June
Updated: October 1, 2008