Barcelona Academic Year Program
CONSORTIUM FOR ADVANCED STUDIES IN BARCELONA (CASB)

Please note: Only students registered in the undergraduate College of the University of Chicago may apply to this consortially-sponsored program through Chicago. Students at one of the other CASB universities should apply through their home institution. Students at non-CASB institutions should contact the CASB office at Brown University (phone: 401-863-3555; e-mail: oip@brown.edu) to inquire about making an application.

This page describes the College's academic-year university-based program in Barcelona. To read about the winter-quarter civilization program in Barcelona, click here.

   


Melissa Thomasma, '08
Three Kings Day/Epiphany Parade
General Description:
The University of Chicago Academic Year program in Barcelona provides students in the College with an opportunity to study for an academic year in Barcelona, a lively and cosmopolitan Spanish city, the capital of Catalonia. The program is sponsored by the Consortium for Advanced Studies in Barcelona (CASB), a group of private research universities in which Chicago has membership. The program calendar runs from early September to mid-June. It begins with a three-week Cultural Proseminar devoted to history and culture as well as (depending on the language background of the individual student) a review or introduction to Spanish and Catalan languages (the two languages spoken in Catalonia). Students then take regular courses at one or more of the three major universities in the city: the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, the Universitat de Barcelona, and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Normally they will also take one course each term offered by the CASB and taught solely to program participants.

Barcelona is a bi-lingual city where Catalan and Spanish co-exist on the streets and in the universities (the two Romance languages are closely related). At each university program participants will find that some courses are offered in Spanish, while others are in Catalan. Still others will be linguistically flexible depending upon the language abilities of the students.Students in the Barcelona Academic Year program who are proficient in Spanish will take courses in which Spanish is the language of instruction. Those who are proficient in Catalan will take courses in this language.

For a virtual tour of Barcelona, visit http://barcelona.arounder.com.

Housing:
Participants in this program will reside in a university residence hall in central Barcelona. This accommodation features single rooms, each with a kitchenette and bathroom. The resident population is composed of both Spanish and non-Spanish students.


Kelly Russell, '08
A trip to the market

    
Credits:
Students in the program will receive a full year's credit for their work in Barcelona. This credit is posted in the form of course titles, units of credit, and grades at the top of their Chicago transcript. Since the application of these credits toward specific requirements in a student's degree program is variable, students are expected to consult with their academic adviser and program chairman to determine the exact distribution of credits.

Registration and Tuition:
Students remain registered full-time in the College and pay regular College tuition, a Barcelona program fee, and the study abroad administrative fee required of all participants in Chicago's programs abroad. (For precise figures click on the Study Abroad Program Fees.) The Barcelona program fee is essentially a housing fee, paying for accommodation in the residence hall. Students pay miscellaneous expenses, including food, books, travel, and incidentals, “on the ground” in Barcelona.

Financial Aid:
Students retain their financial aid eligibility. However, two expenses--the study abroad administrative fee and the round-trip air fare to Barcelona--are not underwritten by College Financial Aid. On the other hand, since students cannot be expected to work part-time while in Barcelona, the self-help component of their financial aid package does not include a term-time employment factor.

Eligibility and Application:
    


The Barcelona Academic Year program is designed for students who are beyond their second year in the College. For most students the third year is the most appropriate time to participate in this program, though fourth-year students may participate as well. While qualified applicants with compelling reasons for participating in their second year will be given a fair hearing, normally such students will be advised to spend their second year on campus, taking courses that will better prepare them for a third year spent in Spain. While the official language prerequisite for the Barcelona program is two years of College-level Spanish or Catalan, participants are encouraged to take Spanish or Catalan courses beyond the second-year (intermediate) level (and an acceptance to the program may be contingent upon such coursework). Applicants must also present an academic transcript that evinces the sort of scholarly seriousness and resourcefulness demanded by this program. An applicant's transcript should also show that they have addressed themselves conscientiously to general education requirements and have gotten a start in their major subject during their first two years in the College.

The application process includes a required conference with Lewis Fortner. Appointments can be made with Mr. Fortner by contacting the Dean of Students in the College at 773-702-8615.

A student accepting an offer of admission is expected to secure his or her place with a non-refundable study abroad administrative fee.

Further Information:
If you would like to discuss the Barcelona Academic Year program and the possibility of participating in it, please contact Lewis Fortner (Harper 213; 702-4858). For applicants to the Barcelona program an interview with Mr. Fortner is required.

Statements contained on this site are subject to change without notice.