Program Overview
You’ll have a lot to write home about during your summer in Barcelona. This postcard-perfect city is a magnet for students who want to live in a thrilling, whimsical city near some of the most splendid beaches in Europe. On Summer in Barcelona – Barcelona School for International Studies, you can opt for one or two months at the Barcelona School for International Studies, where you’ll learn from some of the best faculty in Barcelona. Dive into coursework, practice your Spanish, eat delicious tapas, meander down the famous, tree-lined La Rambla, and gape at the outstanding Gaudi architecture. Barcelona will be the summer of your life!
- GPA Requirement
- 2.5
- Application Deadlines
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Summer - Session 1 (or 1 & 2): April 1
Summer - Session 2: May 1
- Avg Course Load
- 1 or 2 courses (3 or 6 U.S. credits)
- Language(s) of Instruction
- English and Spanish
Key Program Highlights
- Many opportunities for cultural exploration and hands-on activities
- Spanish classes tailored to your proficiency, whether beginner or advanced
- Classes taught in both English and Spanish
- Homestay option with a local family
- Intensive courses to gain six credits in one session
Your Journey Begins Here
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Connect with your Global Advisor to start planning. Apply by the application deadline.
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Meet your Program Coordinator to finalize acceptance paperwork, housing, courses, flights, visas, payments, etc. Attend a pre-departure orientation.
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Fly away. You'll be greeted at the airport, participate in a robust On-site Orientation and La Vida Local Curriculum with your Site Director.
Life in Barcelona
Welcome and Orientation
Once you arrive to the capital of Catalonia CISabroad staff will meet you at the airport and help get you to your apartment or homestay. Upon arrival you’ll take part in the CISabroad Logistical, Cultural and Academic Orientation with other students and interns on the program. The onsite staff will introduce you to this dynamic and cosmopolitan city that you will call home, giving you tips on to how to be safe and healthy as well as how to make the most of your experience professionally, culturally and personally.
After our fun, interactive orientation sessions, we’ll have a welcome lunch in a traditional restaurant, giving you your first culinary experiences in the new city by trying the staple, “pan con tomate,” along with other delicious Mediterranean food!
Farewell and Re-entry Program
As the program draws to a close, we will be sure you go home with the tools you need to make the most of your experience. In our re-entry workshop you’ll learn how to cope with cultural differences you’ll experience as you go home, how to put your abroad experience on your resume and in job interviews as well as how you can keep traveling in the future. We’ll end the trip with a farewell meal with all your new CISabroad “amigos” and the staff, for a chance to say “hasta luego” to your new city!
Housing Options
You can choose to live either in a shared apartment or in a homestay during the Summer in Barcelona – Barcelona School for International Studies program.
The apartments are, on average, about a 25-minute commute from the centrally located campus.The convenient location means you’ll have easy access to everything Barcelona has to offer, like shops, cafés, bars, museums, restaurants, and more!
- Fully-furnished, with a shared living room, a well-equipped kitchen, and bathrooms
- You’ll share a room with one other student, and most apartments accommodate four to six program participants
A homestay is the perfect way to fully immerse yourself in Spanish culture.Living with a host family is great way to try home-cooked Spanish cuisine, improve your language skills, and experience life like a local.
- Laundry service provided
- Breakfast and dinner served daily
Local Life
- Soccer match: Barça, Barça, Baaarça! Experience one of the best football clubs in the world and cheer like “culés,” fans from Football Club Barcelona.
- Barrio tours: Staff will take you on a tour of a neighborhood in Barcelona, showing you the history but also where locals hang out. Each tour includes a chance to try some local treats.
- Human Towers: Go to the practice space of the local Castells, a sport where teams compete to make the tallest tower possible.
- Cooking classes: Cooking classes with a professional chef.
- Intercambio night: A language exchange with local students.
More About Barcelona
It’s no wonder that Barcelona is one of the top tourist and study abroad destinations in the world. This incredible location on the shores of the Mediterranean has a delightfully mild climate year round. Plus, Barcelona is one of the most exciting and vibrant cities to live in! The second-largest city in Spain has two official languages, Castilian Spanish and Catalan. It’s the perfect place to challenge yourself and practice your own Spanish skills, while also learning more about the unique Catalan history and culture.
The city is bustling, and you'll be in awe of the architecture, including Gaudi's towering Sagrada Familia basilica. When you're ready to immerse yourself in nature, you can easily reach beaches and hiking sites just outside of Barcelona. The efficient public transportation system allows you to quickly travel to the many beaches to both the north and south of Barcelona. It also means you can easily navigate campus and the many amazing sites located throughout the city.
The city’s diverse international population, colorful flair, exciting nightlife, and vast array of cultural, historical, and modern attractions makes Barcelona an unparalleled place to study abroad!
Program Excursions
While participating on a CISabroad program, you'll be able to take part in built-in weekend and day trips at no additional cost. These trips are subject to change from term to term; listed below are excursions that have run in the past.
Day Trips
This day trip around Catalonia includes guided tours, some museum entrance fees, a group lunch, and some free time. You'll visit the Salvador Dalí Museum in Figueres, hike the beautiful coastal trail known as the Camino de Ronda on the Costa Brava and wander the old Jewish Quarter in beautiful Girona.
Weekend Trips
During weekend trips, you might experience Flamenco and tour the beautiful Alhambra in Granada; eat Spain’s best tapas and visit wineries in Basque Country; or hike coastal trails and tour medieval villages in Costa Brava. Trips change each semester.
4 Days in Morocco
Fall and Spring semester students also have the opportunity to join a four-day trip to Morocco with a non-profit organization dedicated to helping travelers jump off the beaten path and understand the local culture.
Academics
GPA Requirement
If you find your GPA is lower than the requirement listed at the top of this page, do not despair! Get in touch to let us know your situation. In many cases, there are additional application materials that you can submit to make your case for acceptance.
How to Choose Your Courses
Now the fun part! You get to pick the courses you will take abroad. Review the course information on this page and once you’ve decided which courses you want to take. Fill out the CISabroad Course Selection Worksheet in your online portal.
Course Approval
Make sure to talk with your home university about course approval and get additional classes approved before you go abroad. For example, if you are taking 4 classes abroad, we recommend getting 8 approved. This gives you some flexibility in setting up your class schedule. Think about courses required for your major, but also courses that fulfill your elective requirements.
Choose your courses, making sure to get them approved by your home university and then fill out the Course Selection Worksheet.
Course Information
Course descriptions and catalog:
Option A: 1 Spanish-language course (3 credits), plus 1 elective in English (3 credits)
Option B: 2 Electives in English (3 credits each, 6 credits total)
Option C: 1 intensive Spanish-language course (6 credits)
Option D: 1 Spanish language course (3 credits)
Option E: 1 Elective (3 credits)
Spanish courses:
Elementary Spanish A1
Upper Elementary Spanish A2
Intermediate Spanish B1
Upper Intermediate Spanish B2
Advanced Spanish C1
Advanced Spanish C2
Electives offered Summer 2017 during both sessions:
1. Great 20th Century Artists: Picasso, Dali, Miro
2. Contemporary Spanish Society: From Dictatorship to Democracy
3. Sports and Society in Spain and Catalonia
4. Cross-Cultural Psychology and Early Childhood Education
5. Management Across Borders
The University
At Barcelona School for International Studies (SIS), you'll enjoy innovative courses in the heart of the vibrant, playful city of Barcelona. The city center is just a ten-minute walk from campus. SIS prides itself on offering unique curriculum, allowing you to fulfill courses in languages, culture, history, art, and the humanities. At SIS, you can immerse yourself in the local culture, make Spanish and international friends, and have easy access to all that Barcelona has to offer.
SIS shares its facility with a renowned language school, providing you with the opportunity to meet students from around the world. The campus is located in the Eixample district of the city, where many of Barcelona's distinct neighborhoods are just a walk away, including the old city, La Rambla, and the Barceloneta beach.
The program focuses on immersion in the Spanish language, but mostly offers classes taught in English. Your diverse international professors are all highly qualified, and they are used to adapting their courses for study abroad students. You’ll get to enjoy the use of spacious classrooms, multimedia equipment, and other modern amenities during your time in Barcelona.
Accreditation(s): Barcelona School for International Studies is accredited by Jacksonville University.
Student Feedback
Maleesha Ebanks - West Virginia University
Program Support
Meet Our StaffBefore, during, and after your study abroad experience, you’ll be supported by the dedicated and passionate CISabroad staff. Our goal is quick responses to your questions before you depart, and even quicker once you’ve arrived on site.
Robust Advising Center
Our team of advisors will help you choose a program, connect with your home university regarding classes and financial aid and get you prepared to apply for your program.
Team of Dedicated Program Coordinators
Your Program Coordinator will assist you in finalizing housing, enrolling in courses, booking flights, obtaining visas, arranging payments, and provide pre-departure orientation.
Experienced On-site Staff
From greeting you at the airport to a robust On-site Orientation to La Vida Local Activities our on-site staff will be there to support you throughout your time on-site.
Ongoing Support
Our support doesn’t end when your program does. We have alumni programming, webinars, and resources to help you readjust when you’ve returned from your experience.
Your Support Staff
Global Advising Team
We love what we do and want to talk to you! The Global Advising Center is here to help you decide on a program, and complete the Online Application. From the moment you first hear from us be it through a phone call, email or personal visit, you will find that our passion for international education is contagious. We’re ready to launch you abroad.
Elena Villaescusa
Site Director in Barcelona
When traveling make sure to use humour and start conversations with local people, they are the experts of the places you visit and you can learn so much from them; particularly the older generation can be a wealth of information. Try to enjoy every single minute of your travels!
Program Fees & Dates
Advisor Tip: Please do not book flights until you have received confirmed dates in your acceptance paperwork. Dates posted here are subject to change.
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Summer 2018: Session 1 (4 weeks)
Application DeadlineApril 1ArrivalMay 28 (Estimated)OrientationMay 29 (Estimated)Classes StartMay 30 (Estimated)Classes EndJune 26 (Estimated)DepartureJune 28 (Estimated)PRICE$4,890 - $5,490 (Estimated)
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Summer 2018: Session 2 (4 weeks)
Application DeadlineMay 1ArrivalJune 29 (Estimated)OrientationJune 30 (Estimated)Classes StartJuly 2 (Estimated)Classes EndJuly 26 (Estimated)DepartureJuly 28 (Estimated)PRICE$4,890 - $5,490 (Estimated)
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Summer 2018: Sessions 1 & 2 (8 weeks)
Application DeadlineApril 15ArrivalMay 28 (Estimated)OrientationMay 29 (Estimated)Classes StartMay 30 (Estimated)Classes EndJuly 26 (Estimated)DepartureJuly 28 (Estimated)PRICE$6,990 - $8,690 (Estimated)
CISabroad reserves the right to alter fees at any time due to currency fluctuations and/or fee changes made by our partner universities.
Program Inclusions
As with all study abroad programs, you should count on a few additional expenses.
Program fees are in US dollars and include the following:
- In-depth orientation and guided tours of the city
- Cultural activities such as cinema nights, museum visits, and dance lessons!
- 1 weekend excursion to cities such as Costa Brava or Valencia
- 1 day trip to sites such as Dalí museum, Tarragona, or Sitges
- Full-time tuition and fees
- Housing (apartment, local home, or residence hall)
- Meal plan available with a homestay
- Medical and accident insurance
- CISabroad support services before, during, and after the program
- On-site support
- Academic advising
- Financial aid counseling
- Assistance with travel arrangements
- Predeparture orientation
- Airport pickup
- Barcelona School for International Studies orientation
- Jacksonville University official transcript
- NYTimes Digital Subscription
- La Vida Local cultural program