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IES Barcelona – Affiliated Semester Program

Spend the Fall or Spring in Barcelona taking business and non-business courses that count toward your degree requirements.

Participants in the IES Barcelona “Liberal Arts and Business” program can choose from a variety of interesting and enriching courses in finance, international business, marketing, management, management information systems, history, Spanish, and more. Students take classes taught at the IES Center and can also choose classes from a few different local universities. Students may also complete an unpaid internship in Barcelona that is pre-approved for the B A 353 requirement.

 Barcelona has a rich history and each neighborhood has its own culture and charm. In addition to being the home to world-class art museums, a bustling music and literary scene, amazing buildings and parks designed by architects such as Antonio Gaudi, Barcelona is a major hub for start-up companies. The city is the site of a few major universities, which makes for a lively social environment. It is well-connected by plane, train, boat, and bus to the rest of Europe, which makes traveling to other destinations incredibly easy.

Quick Info

  • Academic Term: Fall or Spring
  • Program Dates: Fall: Late August-Mid-December, Spring: Early January - Late April
  • Credits: 15 credit hours including a 3-hr SPN class
  • Eligibility: BBA students w/ min. 3.0 GPA. Completion of ECO, Math and STA 301 is required prior to departure. ACC 312 is recommended.
  • Prerequisites: Course Dependent
  • Program Code: 220034
  • Please access the UT program page here

Apply Now*

*Did a program coordinator give you access to this application? You can open it here!

Read the application tab below for more info. 

Program Information

About the Program

ABOUT THE PROGRAM 

ELIGIBILITY

  • Our BBA program with IES in Barcelona is only available during the fall or spring and is not available during the summer.
  • Undergraduates from the McCombs School of Business,  at least 18 years of age, and in good academic standing at UT with a minimum 3.0 GPA.
  • Completion of both ECO, Math and STA 301 are required prior to departure. Completion of ACC 312 prior to departure is recommended.
  • Sophomore (spring semester only), junior, or senior standing when program begins. Some courses at local universities may not be open to sophomores. Please contact an IES Abroad Representative for details.
  • No previous Spanish language courses are required
  • Students can only participate in this program if it is offered in person. Virtual options are not permitted for UT Austin students. 

 

ACADEMICS

Learn more about the course options on the IES website.

  • Many of the courses at the site above have been evaluated by by UT faculty here and are in the My Credit Abroad database. If you interested in an IES Barcelona course that is not in this database, you need to send us the syllabus (in English) and we will have it evaluated.
  • Not every course listed in the My Credit Abroad database will be offered during your semester abroad.
  • Students are required to take one Spanish language class during the semester for which you will get 3 hours of credit of either upper or lower division SPN credit depending on your level. Beyond that, you can take all of your classes with IES or some with IES and one or two at a local university. You also have the option to do an unpaid internship that will satisfy the BA 353 requirement.
  • After IES sends us your transcript after the semester abroad ends, you will work with the BBA office to transfer your courses back to UT. You will receive transfer credit and the credit can count toward your degree requirements. The grades will appear on your UT transcript but will not factor into your UT GPA.
  • In your meeting with a BBA International Programs coordinator in McCombs, you will discuss which of your degree requirements you could satisfy on this program.

PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Questions about this program? After you have attended one of our Information Sessions, you must schedule an appointment with a Semester Programs Coordinator.

Application

APPLICATION

IES APPLICATION PROCESS

 

  • After you attend an Info Session, you must first meet with a Semester Programs Coordinator in the BBA Program Office in order to access UT’s MyAbroad portal application. You may make an appointment in our Contact Us section of our website. After this meeting, you will be given access to the application and detailed next steps. Make sure you use application code 290034 and select Jasmine Bisheh as your Study Abroad Advisor. 
  • The application deadline for both the UT application and the IES Barcelona application is March 1 for Fall and Late September for Spring. Meeting the eligibility requirements doesn’t guarantee admission to program.
  • Prior to your meeting with a Semester Programs Coordinator, you should think about your goals and research the IES Barcelona Liberal Arts and Business Program site.
  • Before you apply and after you meet with the Semester Programs Coordinator, it is a good idea to check in with your Academic Advisor to inform them of your plans to study abroad on this program.
  • Once you have submitted your application to UT, you will then need to submit a separate application to IES. 
  • You will hear from both the McCombs BBA Office and IES about your admission to the program or if something else is needed for your application.
  • After being admitted, you will learn about various required forms, meetings, and resources from both IES and UT.
  • Congratulations on your decision to apply to study abroad!

Fees and Tuition

COST

Student pays to UT Austin: 

Application Fee:  $75

Affiliated Studies Fee: $600

Required International Health Insurance: $19/week (~$300)

Student pays to IES:

IES Program Fee: ~$19,500 (Includes courses, housing, and much more). Students from state universities like UT Austin will receive an automatic $2,000 scholarship.

The IES Barcelona webpage has more details about the costs, what the program fee includes and estimated additional expenses. You can also find more information there about IES scholarships. 

 Both IES and UT have scholarships available.

Housing and Transportation

HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION

HOUSING

Students can choose from 3 different housing options including an Apartment, Homestay or Residence. Please review the IES website for more housing details. 

TRANSPORTATION

Participants are responsible for all transportation costs including airfare and local transportation.

Visa and Passport Information

VISA AND PASSPORT INFORMATION 

PASSPORT

Passports must be valid for at least 6 months after the end of the study abroad trip. Texas Global Passport Services can process passport applications.

U.S. passports are taking an exceptionally long time to be processed. If you are even considering a study abroad program and you do not have a passport (or your passport will expire within 6 months of the end of your program), you should apply for one now.  

 

VISA

Unless you hold citizenship with an EU country, students going to Spain for a semester will need to obtain a Spanish student visa through the appropriate Spanish consulate in the US. 

It is possible to apply for this directly on your own, but IES can also provide assistance for a small fee. In our experience, it is worth the cost, as the Spanish visa process can be complicated. You will learn more about this after being admitted to the program.