
Business + Culture
Unique Experiences
DISCOVER
one of Europe’s most dynamic startup ecosystems.
EXPLORE
Barcelona’s “District 22@”, a hub for innovative companies.
LIVE
with a Spanish family and immerse yourself in local culture.
2,048
STARTUPS
12 M
VISITORS YEARLY
150
BUS LINES
Your Destination
Culture, sport, fashion, finance, media, and entertainment – Barcelona is brimming with it all. The largest city on the Mediterranean Sea, Barcelona is home to 1.6 million in the city proper and 4.5 million in the broader metro area. It is edged with a river on either side and backed by the Serra de Collserola mountains to the west.
Castilian Spanish and Catalan are the official languages. Both are regularly used in all aspects of life, and Catalan is not imposed. Taxi drivers, shopkeepers, professors, and host families all speak clear Castilian when Spanish speakers are present. Spanish is widely used at the university. Students don’t need to speak Catalan but learning a few words can open doors to making new friends.
CIEE Barcelona is conveniently located in a historical pedestrian passageway in the heart of the city. In it, students will find staff offices, classrooms and open-air terraces. It is close to the host universities and to the city’s main attractions.
CIEE wants all our students to feel welcomed, supported, and empowered to succeed while studying abroad. Local CIEE staff have provided details about conditions and cultural attitudes that students with specific identities might encounter in Barcelona.
The Culture

EXCURSIONS & ACTIVITIES
- One of our popular day trips takes you to Montserrat, a Benedictine monastery retreat high atop one of the most spectacular mountain ranges in Catalunya. Not only is its history of significant religious importance but the surrounding natural beauty is nothing short of breathtaking. There you can visit the monastery to see La Moreneta (the black Madonna), listen to the world-renowned Boys’ Choir (whose history dates back to the 14th century), and trek any of the numerous mountain trails where you’ll take in incredible countryside views and see the most unusual rock formations in all of Catalonia. Are you ready? Let’s go!
- Discover the Gràcia neighborhood, famous for its bohemian and artistic style and streets filled with color and culture.
- Visit the oldest preserved garden, reflecting both Neoclassical and Romantic styles – and try your luck in the park’s labyrinth maze!
- Eat like a local and try popular traditional dishes like churros, patatas bravas, tortilla de patata, tapas, and pinchos.
- See a flamenco show!
- Hike the Carretera de les Aigües for amazing views over the city.

INTERNSHIP
Complement your studies with an internship in English or Spanish. You might help a company like Naru Sport market its international products; work with a team on real estate and investment options; or help a firm such as Audiconsultores with finance and accounting. Internships include required weekly class sessions to support and enhance the internship experience with academic grounding. Students applying for an internship are required to submit additional materials during the course selection process.

VOLUNTEERING
Get to know the people of the city and their language as you give back. Here are some of the ways you might serve:
- Help children with homework after school
- Assist kids with special needs during school breaks
- Collect food for people in need
Program Blogs
The Ultimate Guide to Your Study Abroad Packing List (10 Essential Items!)
@cieestudyabroad Pack your bags! It’s almost time for your study abroad adventure #cieestudyabroad #studyabroad #internationalstudent #packing #packinglist #packingessentials #studyabroadtips #greenscreen love triangles - Happy Trees Packing your life into a... keep reading
Importance of Saving Money while Studying Abroad
By: Tawfiq Rawnak The Importance of Knowledgeable Spending Expenses are something that aren’t new when being abroad. In fact, many students actually tend to overspend when being in an abroad... keep reading
Why Study Abroad? Top 7 Benefits of Studying Abroad in 2025
@cieestudyabroad Just a few of the countless benefits of studying abroad! #cieestudyabroad #studyabroad #benefits #whystudyabroad #internationalstudent #culturalexchange Same Cycle Different Day - xJ-Will If the questions “why study abroad?” or... keep reading
HOUSING & MEALS
HOUSING
CIEE Barcelona offers diverse housing options to ensure you’re comfortable in your home away from home. From homestays to shared apartments, we strive for your accommodation preferences to be met. Additionally, all housing options are located in neighborhoods with convenient access to public transportation, shops, cafés, and eateries.
Standard Housing: Includes a single room at a homestay or a single room at a residence hall located within 50 minutes from CIEE Barcelona. Homestays feature a kitchen, living room, and bathroom shared with a host family. Residence Halls boast shared kitchens, common areas, and laundry facilities shared with other students.
Select Housing: Includes a double room at a shared apartment located within 30 minutes from CIEE Barcelona. Apartments boast shared kitchens, common areas, and laundry facilities shared with other students. Select housing requires an additional fee.
Select Plus Housing: Includes a single room at a residence hall located within 30 minutes from CIEE Barcelona. Residence halls boast shared kitchens, common areas, and laundry facilities shared with other students. Select Plus housing requires an additional fee.
A note: The default criterion to assign housing is first-come, first-served; however, other factors may also be considered. Final placements are communicated to all students 3 weeks before arrival.
MEALS
Homestays: Students have breakfast and dinner with their host families, and they are responsible for lunch. Students do not typically have access to use the kitchen at the host family home.
Residence Halls and Shared Apartments: Meals are not included.
Academics
CIEE’s Business + Culture program invites business students to improve their Spanish language skills and earn credits toward their degree with courses at CIEE Barcelona and Universitat Pompeu Fabra’s Escola Superior de Comerç Internacional (School of International Studies, or ESCI) or the Universitat de Vic – Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic). Beginning in Spring 2024, students will also have the option to take courses at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB).
Students in this program in fall of 2023 are required to take one Spanish language course tailored to their skill level. Beginning in spring 2024, the Spanish language course will no longer be required, though highly recommended by CIEE.
Escola Superior de Comerc Internacional (ESCI) offers bachelor’s degrees in business and marketing, as well as an International Business Program (IBP) for international students. ESCI hosts 500 students and is located 15 minutes from CIEE by bus or metro.
Universitat de Vic – Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic) is an independent state-supported institution committed to the economic and social development of the region. The university offers a Business, Design, and Innovation program for international students on their Barcelona campus (at BAU Design College), just 15 minutes from CIEE by bus or metro.
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) is a public University with an enrollment of more than 40,000 students. It was founded in 1968 under the principles of autonomy, participation, and social commitment. Today, it is the second highest-ranking Spanish University according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
Arizona State University: Enhance your international academic coursework with optional online courses that best align with your degree requirements and interests. ASU offers thousands of online courses in asynchronous sessions that fit within the CIEE academic calendar, so you can study abroad with CIEE while continuing to meet all your academic goals.
Course Information
- Students who choose to take courses at a host institution are only allowed to take courses at one host institution [either ESCI, UVic, or UAB (starting spring 2024)].
- Students who choose to take all their courses at CIEE are responsible for confirming with their home schools that this is an approved option.
- Courses at CIEE and at ESCI are offered in both Spanish and English. Courses at UVic and UAB are only offered in English.
- At ESCI, students can take local courses and/or courses for international students in ESCI’s International Business Program (ESCI IBP).
- At UVic, all courses are for international students only.
- Students with four or five semesters of college-level Spanish are encouraged to take two courses in Spanish.
- Students with six or more semesters of college-level Spanish are encouraged to take all their classes in Spanish.
Academic Projects
Business, Economics, Management, and Marketing
Communication, Journalism, and Media
History, Philosophy, Religion
Languages and Cultural Studies
Social Sciences
Visual and Performing Arts
Agriculture
Natural Resources, Conservation, and the Environment
Psychology
Academic Projects
Business, Economics, Management, and Marketing
Communication, Journalism, and Media
Engineering and Engineering Technologies
History, Philosophy, Religion
Languages and Cultural Studies
Literature, Linguistics, and Writing
Social Sciences
Visual and Performing Arts
Agriculture
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services
Natural Resources, Conservation, and the Environment
Psychology
The following is a sample list of courses; not all are available every year.
THE ESCOLA SUPERIOR DE COMERÇ INTERNACIONAL (SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, or ESCI) BUSINESS COURSES
ESCI courses in English (3 U.S. credits)
- Culture and Business in Europe
- (Prerequisite: Business Organization)
- Culture and Business in America
- (Prerequisite: Business Organization)
- Culture and Business in Middle East and Africa
- (Prerequisite: Business Organization)
- Industrial and Services Marketing
- (Prerequisite: previous marketing knowledge recommended)
- International Product Management
- (Prerequisite: previous coursework in marketing, market research, and strategic marketing knowledge recommended)
- International Project Management
- (Prerequisite: Business Organization / Finance)
- International Strategic Management
- (Prerequisite: Business Organization/Marketing)
- International Marketing
- (Prerequisite: Marketing / Business Organization)
- International Expansion
- (Prerequisite: Business Organization)
- International Team Management
- (Prerequisite: Business Organization)
- Market Research Analytics
- (Prerequisite: Business marketing, Market Research, Statistics)
- People Management
- (Prerequisite: Business Organization.)
- Market Research I
- (Prerequisite: Fundamentals of Marketing / Introductory Statistics)
- Public Relations and Consumer Relations Management
- (Prerequisite: Marketing)
- Pricing Policies
- (Prerequisite: Intermediate Microeconomics required)
ESCI courses in Spanish (3 U.S. credits)
- Auditoria
- (Prerequisite: Contabilidad de Costes)
- Compras Internacionales
- (Prerequisite: Organización de Empresas)
- Contabilidad de Costes
- (Prerequisite: prior knowledge of accounting required)
- Cultura & Negocios en Asia
- (Prerequisite: Organización de Empresas)
- Direccion de Ventas
- (Prerequisite: Organización de Empresas/Marketing)
- Economia y Globalización
- (Prerequisite: Macroeconomía/ Economía Internacional)
- Gestion de la Sostenibilidad
- (Prerequisite: Organización de Empresas)
- Innovación y Emprendimiento
- (Prerequisite: Organización de Empresas)
- Logística Internacional
- (Prerequisite: Gestión de Operaciones / Distribución Comercial)
- Marketing Digital Internacional
- (Prerequisite: Marketing)
- Negociación Internacional
- (Prerequisite: Organización de Empresas)
- Retail Internacional
- (Prerequisite: Marketing)
- Técnicas de Previsión
ESCI International Business Program Courses in English (4 U.S. credits)
- Applied Marketing Research in the Digital Era
- (Prerequisite: Introduction to Marketing)
- Consumer Behavior
- (Prerequisite: Introduction to Marketing)
- Corporate Finance
- (Prerequisite: Accounting)
- Cross Cultural Management and Intercultural Communication
- (Prerequisite: Business Organization)
- Doing Business in Europe
- (Prerequisite: Business Organization)
- Economic Global Order
- (Prerequisite: Introductory Economics)
- Financial Risk Management
- (Prerequisite: Corporate Finance)
- International Management
- (Prerequisite: Business Organization)
- International Economics
- (Prerequisite: Introductory Micro and Macro Economics)
- New Trends in International Marketing
- (Prerequisite: Introduction to Marketing)
- Strategic Brand Management
- (Prerequisite: Marketing Management)
- Strategic Consumer Insight
- (Prerequisite: Introduction to Marketing)
UNIVERSITAT DE VIC – UNIVERSITAT CENTRAL DE CATALUNYA (UVIC) BUSINESS, DESIGN, AND INNOVATION COURSES
Spring 2024: Students taking courses at UVic may need to remain onsite until April 19, 2024 due to an extended course schedule.
Syllabi for the courses listed below can be found on the UVic website under the ‘Programme’ tab.
UVic courses in English (3 credits)
- Brand Design
- Design Thinking
- Digital Business
- Global Marketing
- Marketing and Fashion
- Leadership, Business, and Society
- Luxury Marketing
- Psychology of Communication and Publicity
- Retail Management
- Start-up Creation
AVAILABLE SPRING 2024
UNIVERSITAT AUTÒNOMA DE BARCELONA (UAB)
Course offerings may vary from semester to semester. Courses are taught in English and are 3 U.S. credits.
Syllabi for the courses listed below can be found online.
UAB courses in English
- The Seven Wonders of Spain: Spanish Architecture History
- Communication and Gender
- Mediterranean Culture and History
CIEE proudly partners with ASU to deliver asynchronous, online coursework that aligns with your degree requirements from anywhere you study abroad.
CIEE and ASU offer courses online per program eligibility, at no additional charge. Be sure to review online courses with your home school advisor.
Check the CIEE Program Dates and ASU start dates below to maximize course options within your program!
Search ASU Online Courses BROWSE FAQs for more INFO


Note: This course listing is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a contract between CIEE and any applicant, student, institution, or other party. The courses, as described, may be subject to change as a result of ongoing curricular revisions, assignment of lecturers and teaching staff, and program development. Courses may be canceled due to insufficient enrollment.
"(GI)" denotes courses that originated at CIEE's Global Institutes and that are offered at multiple CIEE sites.
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