Websites of interest
The university
UPC's syllabuses are designed so as to address the educational needs of society. By adapting them to the changes taking place at the University and in society, they are submitted to a continuous process of revision and improvement. The syllabuses are divided into curricular areas and the first of these areas corresponds to the selection phase.
The selection phase is designed to evaluate students' ability to make satisfactory progress in the subjects they choose and to finish them in the length of time foreseen; for this reason, it includes both basic course materials and technological subjects specific to the qualification. Not all of the qualifications establish the selection phase at the same point during the course. There are one- and two-semester selection phases. Students must pass the selection phase in no longer than double the amount of time allotted to it: if the selection phase is one semester long, then the student must obtain a pass grade in a maximum of two semesters' time. This time limit does not apply to people who wish to work whilst undertaking their studies. In this case, they can request to take the selection phase under special conditions.
The school
The Civil Engineering School of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia is the only center that teaches civil engineering in Catalunia. Our main objective is to train highly qualified professionals in civil engineering, geological and environmental, with a solid scientific background and strong management skills. Students of the School of Civil Engineering are able to take on complex challenges and adapt to a business environment and constantly changing social, contributing to sustainable development. In the field of civil engineering, the school is one of the most prestigious European centers based on the quality of teaching and research excellence of a high level.
The city
The origins of the city of Barcelona, which have been defined thanks to archaeological remains and literary and cartographic sources, date from the 1st century A.D., when the Romans established a small colony around the Taber mount. Its whole past is projected into its present.
The Barcelona of the 21st century is a city shaped by the '92 Olympics, a city transformed for and by the need to do justice to that great international event. The Barcelona we see around us now, the Barcelona we enjoy today, is a new Barcelona, Mediterranean in keeping with its traditions, with its face to the sea and its arms open to other cultures and peoples, giving and receiving, happy to make and to share its riches.
The Barcelona of the 21st century is an European capital of astonishing cultural energy and a passion for progress, a city whose day-to-day life brings together every imaginable facet of the most diverse activities: these are the potential that has fashioned the city's present and give it the impetus to move forward into the future.
Barcelona Information and Tourism Centre
Plaza Catalunya, 17 (metro)
Telephone: 34 906 301 282
La Rambla, 58
Telephone: 34 933 179 829
Estación ferroviaria de Sants
Telephone: 34 906 301 282
Barcelona's area of influence extends to a network of cities surrounding Barcelona and includes the city itself. This extensive metropolitan area is currently home to three million residents.
The future of this urban system is a topic currently being considered by experts at UPC, who are investigating sustainable development proposals. An increasing number of people are moving to different municipalities in Barcelona's area of influence to live, work or study. This is true for 45% of Catalonia's population.
Some of UPC's major campuses and schools are situated in cities located within Barcelona's area of influence:Terrassa, Sant Cugat, Castelldefels and Vilanova i la Geltrú.
All these have good transport links with the city of Barcelona. Travelling to Barcelona from Terrassa, Castelldefels, Sant Cugat and Vilanova takes only 30 minutes by metro or train and is permanently guaranteed. The Manresa campus is located a bit further away. None the less, 26 trains per day connect Manresa to Barcelona in only 70 minutes.
Although they are near Barcelona, these cities each have their own personality and have much to offer.
ClimateBarcelona enjoys a Mediterranean climate, in which extreme temperatures are rare. The Universities of Barcelona have an agreement with Barcelona Housing Service for Students, a specialist organisation in youth accommodation, for the purpose of finding accommodation.
Students are advised to contact Barcelona Housing Service for Students either via Internet, e-mail or fax in order to determine the most suitable type of accommodation available (shared flat, rented apartment or university residence hall), well in advance of their moving to Barcelona.
The staff at Barcelona Housing Service for Students will inform you of the different costs involved in each option. If you do this, you will be able to go straight to your chosen place of residence upon arrival in Barcelona.
More detailed information on Barcelona can be found at the following internet address: www.bcn.es
Other useful information
The Reception Office provides information and practical orientation to foreign students. All students, when they arrive at UPC, should go straight to the Reception Office in order to start the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) registration process.
Reception Office staff will inform foreign students about the registration process, language courses, medical insurance and the different services offered by the University. They will also show them how to get to the school where they will be studying.
Oficina de Mobilitat Internacional de Barcelona
(International Mobility Office)
C/Jordi Girona, 1-3, mòdul A4
08034 Barcelona
Campus Nord
Tel:+34-93 401 69 37
Fax:+34-93 401 74 02
oficina.mobilitat.internacional@upc.edu