approved programs

Office of International Education
Consortium for Advanced Studies in Barcelona

Study abroad on a Harvard-affiliated program that enrolls you directly in regular university courses at the Universitat de Barcelona, the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya along with regularly enrolled Spanish university students.  The Consortium for Advanced Studies in Barcelona allows U.S. undergraduates from Consortium schools (Brown, Chicago, Cornell, Harvard, Northwestern, Princeton, and Stanford) with advanced Spanish language proficiency to study and live with Spanish and international students.  At the CASB Center, core and content courses are offered to support, guide, and enhance the students’ coursework at the Spanish universities.  These Consortium courses are taught by the Faculty-in-Residence, the Resident Director, and Spanish and Catalan language instructors. 

Barcelona is a bilingual city, and so you will have the opportunity not only to improve your fluency in Castilian Spanish but also to gain a working knowledge of Catalan.  The program is delivered in Spanish.  Single semester students who arrive with proficient oral and written skills in Catalan and full-year students who have acquired Catalan proficiency during the fall term may have the option to pursue content courses in Catalan.
For more information on this program, see the website of the CASB program and the most recent CASB Student Handbook.

Eligibility Requirements
-Spanish is the language of instruction; students must have five semesters of college-level Spanish or the equivalent proficiency
-Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors with a minimum gpa of 3.0 are eligible to apply
-Must submit the CASB Program Application with all supplemental materials to the Office of International Education by the appropriate deadline
-Must have an interview in Spanish at the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures to determine your suitability for the program.  The faculty member will inform the OIE of the results of the interview.

How to Apply:
Submit the following by the above deadlines to the OIE:

1. The CASB Program Application
2. Statement of Purpose
3. Copy of Official Harvard transcript (submit in sealed envelope)
4. Letter of recommendation from an FAS faculty member; submit in sealed envelope
5. Make an appointment for a language proficiency interview by the application deadline and supply the OIE with an email confirmation of the date and time of the interview
6. Other materials as described on the application (copy of passport photo page and copy of health insurance card)