Summer programs are a great way to advance – you get to learn something interesting, meet new people and discover the city, all at the same time. There are a range of summer courses offered, so it helps to have a little guidance.
Let’s break it down into three main categories:
Public University summer courses, Business University summer courses and Language courses
Public University summer programs
The UB or Universitat de Barcelona offers els Juliols – a two week program of courses in the first half of July. Their main offering for foreign students are intensive language courses in the summer months.
Barcelona International Summer School at UPF
The UAB or the Autonomous University of Barcelona is located some distance from the city, but if you are happy to commute by train, it is worth checking the program they offer.
The UPC or Polytechnic also offers a good program more focused to the tech sector.
The Barcelona School of Economics runs a Summer School program that attracts students from around Europe and beyond. In 2022 there were 590 students from a total of 77 countries, with an average age of 36.
Business Universities
The city of Barcelona is home to several leading business schools. Esade and IESE are consistently in the list of top ranking Universities in the world. Other private Universities like EADA and EAE provide further choice across different programs.
Whilst the main focus is on the full-time MBA and Masters level programs, there are also shorter executive programs and a limited offering of courses in summer. Esade, for example, has an International Summer Program targeted at young people from 18 to 26.
EADA offers two short-format summer programs, one focused on leadership and the other on Sustainability.
Language classes
If you are living in Barcelona, but working in a foreign language environment, you may find that your Spanish never seems to improve. One way to address this is to sign up for a short intensive program. These are often run in the summer months. The University of Barcelona offers summer language courses. There are many private language schools, but it is a good idea to try and find an environment that works for you.