Eligibility
- 18 years of age or above
- Good academic and disciplinary standing at Penn State
- 3.0 cumulative GPA or better at the time of application review
- Junior standing or above at the start of the program
- Landscape Architecture students must have successfully completed the prerequisite course LARCH 312 in order to participate.
- Students from all majors are welcome on the program as course projects can be designed to fit academic interests and local activities.
- Students and faculty must be vaccinated to participate on this program as required by the international partner*
Program Description
Barcelona is one of the most exciting cities in southern Europe – filled with music, art, festivals and food. Plazas, parks, streets and markets hum with life as the people of Barcelona exercise their penchant for community in the streets. Public spaces, formed during two millennia of creative architecture and design, are at the very soul of this Mediterranean city. There is no better place to live and study the design of vibrant urban spaces for the twenty-first century than Barcelona, Spain.
The city of Barcelona is renowned as a global leader in design, architecture and urban planning. It is recognized as one of the world’s most successful cities where city planning and urban design provide high-quality opportunities to live and work. The spirit of innovation and humanism in design continues as the city grapples with twenty-first century challenges of sustainability, tourism, gentrification, immigration and conversion to a post-industrial economy. With a creative process of community participation and cutting-edge design, Barcelona strives to enhance existing neighborhoods with new public spaces and people-friendly streets, repurpose former industrial areas as incubators for art, science and innovation and create the conditions for a robust economy and vital cultural scenes. It is an ideal laboratory to study the design, planning and historic geography of a contemporary world-class urban center.
Barcelona, the capital of Catalunya Autonomous Region of Spain, is located on the northeast coast of the Iberian Peninsula, facing the Mediterranean Sea on a plain framed by the Collserola Mountains to the west, the Llobregat River to the south and the Besòs River to the north. It has Mediterranean climate with warm, dry summers. The Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter), the medieval center of the old city, maintains the urban patterns of the Middle Ages with archaeological remnants of the ancient Roman city of Barcino. The L’Eixample (or Expansion) district, planned and designed by Ildefonse Cerda in 1856, was the first science-based city planning effort of the nineteenth century, still admired for its beauty and efficiency. Barcelona is famous for its Catalan modernist architecture, especially the work of architect Antonio Gaudí and contemporaries. Recent urban design projects such as the high-tech 22@ District and Diagonal Mar maintain Barcelona’s urban planning and design leadership. The municipality continues to invest in traditional neighborhoods to strengthen social capital by enhancing public spaces, services and regional parks. The city’s heritage of socially progressive and sustainable urban design continues into the twenty-first century as neighborhoods, parks and public spaces are redesigned or newly created with extensive community participation and management in order to satisfy emerging social and environmental goals.
Program activities will include: visits to architectural heritage sites in Barcelona; field excursions in Barcelona; visits to private practice architectural offices and public city planning agencies in Barcelona; study tours of nearby cities Girona and Valencia (two days); group meals and other organized group activities.
Madrid Study Tour
Students will participate in a three-day study tour of Madrid, Spain to explore the capital city's unique cultural landscapes and architectural history. During the study tour students will experience Madrid on foot, bicycle, and public transit with the help of a professional guide contracted through the Barcelona Architecture Center. We will also interact with local day-guides and professionals at specific locations.
Barcelona Architecture Center
The Barcelona Architecture Center is an educational and research organization that was founded in 1999 and is currently chaired by Miguel Roldán. The Barcelona Architecture center will coordinate the faculty-led, Penn State Landscape Architecture Barcelona Summer Program on-site in Barcelona. The center offers custom designed programs in Barcelona to international architecture students and schools. The BAC works in collaboration with the ETSAB (Schoolof Architecture) at the UPC (Polytechnic University of Catalonia), the UPF (Pompeu Fabra University) and the COAC (Official Institute of Catalan Architects). The BAC was created with the aim of developing academic and research collaborations with other universities and higher education institutions across the globe. The BAC is continually building an international network between universities to develop architectural research projects in common from a variety of geographical areas, including the United States, Mexico, Australia and Japan. Over the years, the BAC has reached a number of over 1,500 students, from eight different countries and more than 20 home universities.
*The international host partner, Barcelona Architecture Center, requires all participants to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, prior to their arrival. BAC will not honor any COVID-19 vaccination exemptions approved by Penn State or otherwise. Exemptions approved by Penn State offices hold no influence with foreign governments or international educational institutions, many of which have enacted strict vaccination protocols. Therefore, students who are not vaccinated, even those who have been approved for an exemption by Penn State, may face limitations or restrictions in their participation in education abroad programs, including cancellation of their admission, due to regulations by foreign governments or international educational institutions. Since reasonable accommodations cannot be identified without fundamentally altering the nature of the educational program or activity, including if significant health and/or safety concerns remain, Penn State reserves the right to rescind the offer of admission to study abroad, regardless of any academic unit’s approval. For more information, please visit our website with Education Abroad updates related to COVID-19 and vaccinations.
Dates
Summer: May 6- June 16, 2024
Program Costs
Summer Costs
For more information on program costs, please be sure to review the budget sheet. These budget sheets include information on costs that are billable to the bursar bill, as well as estimated additional costs. Costs vary by program, so it is important to review this information carefully.
Please note that tuition rates may vary depending on major and class standing.
Scholarships
The Education Abroad Office awards a number of grants and scholarships to students who participate in an education abroad program through Penn State Global. The application for the scholarships awarded through the Education Abroad Office is included with your program application. Eligibility is based on academic merit and/or financial need. You must have a current FAFSA on file to be awarded. There are additional scholarship opportunities through our partner universities, Penn State Academic Departments, and other sources. To view a full list of scholarships, eligibility requirements, and deadlines visit Funding Study Abroad.
Student Aid
Penn State students who plan to study on a Penn State approved program can use most forms of financial aid towards the cost of the program. Exceptions include work-study awards and some athletic scholarships. If you have specific questions regarding your aid awards, contact the Penn State Office of Student Aid.
Withdrawal & Refund Policy
Withdrawal and refund details are dependent on the timing and reason for your withdrawal from a Penn State Education Abroad Program. For specific details and steps on how to withdraw, read the Education Abroad Policies.
After Commitment
Once a student has committed to a Penn State Education Abroad program, they are financially responsible for any fees incurred on their behalf. Therefore, if a student plans to withdraw from a program it is their responsibility to immediately notify the Education Abroad office, in writing; email is preferred.
Regardless of the timing or reason for the withdrawal, the student will be responsible for paying the Education Abroad Administrative Fees. For faculty-led freestanding programs, there is a specific withdrawal penalty schedule.
Education Abroad makes every attempt at keeping the program and administrative costs to a minimum. However, when you commit to participating in a program, Education Abroad begins to make financial commitments on your behalf. In case of withdrawal, the following fees will be charged to your Bursar account
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Upon Commitment - 90 Days Prior to Departure: 25% Program Fee + EA Admin Fee
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30 - 89 Days Prior to Departure: 50% Program Fee + EA Admin Fee
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29 Days - Departure Date: 100% Program Fee + EA Admin Fee
Following the start of the summer semester, any adjustment of tuition charges will be made according to the Tuition Adjustment Schedule as determined by the Office of the Bursar. More information can be found on the University Senate Policy on Withdrawal and Leave of Absence.
After the Start of the Program
If a student withdraws after the start of a program, any adjustment of Penn State tuition charges will be made according to the Tuition Adjustment Schedule as determined by the Office of the Bursar. Students may be responsible for up to 100% of program costs. In most cases, partial credit cannot be awarded for leaving a program before its successful completion.
For additional information on withdrawal policies, separate and apart from financial consequences, please consult the University Senate Policy on Withdrawal and Leave of Absence.
