Pompeu Fabra University

Our new exchange program with Pompeu Fabra University Faculty of Law in Barcelona will begin in 2011 and promises to be one of our most popular programs. UConn Law students may attend Pompeu Fabra University and exchange students from Pompeu Fabra may attend UConn Law School.

 

We hope that you will gain two perspectives as a result of your study; the insider's view of what it means to be educated in a civil law system and the comparative view, a deeper understanding of our own legal system gained from studying and comparing it to another system and by explaining it to those around you. 

 

The program is designed for students matriculating at the University of Connecticut Law School. First and second year day division students are eligible to apply to study abroad during their second or third year. Evening division students and four-year day students are eligible to apply in their second or third year to study abroad during their third or fourth year.

 

 

The application process for all programs takes place once a year in late January and decisions are made in March for the following academic year. Application forms are available at the Study Abroad Fair and online. Selection criteria include grades, faculty recommendations, essay and interview.

 

 

Pompeu Fabra University offers courses taught in Spanish, Catalan and English. You will be taking law courses with students from Spain, other Western European countries, and the United States. Thus at Pompeu Fabra, one's classmates are as likely to be from Italy, The Netherlands, Germany or Peru as from Madrid.
 

Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the Barcelona exchange is that our students participate directly in a Spanish law school. The Pompeu Fabra courses are neither especially designed for nor run by Americans. This means that the Connecticut students have not only the opportunity to take some interesting international and foreign law subjects, but also are, for a time, students in a foreign law school. It has always been our belief at Connecticut that this foreign learning experience is of considerable benefit to those who are thinking of doing some of their legal practice in the areas of international and foreign law.
 

The First Trimester at Pompeu Fabra runs from September to December. Students are expected to take part in an orientation program before the start of classes. Second Trimester begins in early January and ends in March. Third Trimester begins in April and ends in June.

UConn students take a minimum of four courses carrying a minimum of 20 European Community Course Transfer System (ECTS) credits as listed on the Pompeu Fabra Law Courses class schedule.  Of the 20 required ECTS, students are encouraged to take master level courses in the Legal Sciences (MLL) program.  A complete list of law courses offered is available on Pompeu Fabra University's website at http://www.upf.edu/masterdret/es/programa/

The list of courses slightly changes from year to year.

Students must confirm their programs of instruction with Blanche Capilos at the end of the first week of classes.  It is the students' responsibility to see that their selected courses of study meet the minimum aggregate ECTS required.

 

 

Students must take a minimum of four courses (equaling 30 ECTS) for which they will receive nine study abroad credits and take a three-credit SRP with a Connecticut faculty member. Thus students receive 12 credits for a semester at UPF.  A minimum of 12 credits is required to earn full residence credit for the semester and to be eligible for financial aid. Twelve is the maximum number of credits allowed for a semester abroad.
 

UPF grades students on a scale of 1 to 10, with 5 being the lowest passing grade. No credit is given for a failed course. Students also get a qualitative grade, as follows: 

 No presentado:            the exam has not been taken

 

Individual courses and grades are not listed on UConn transcripts, rather a notation is made that the student studied at UPF for the semester and the total credits awarded is listed. The U.S. – Spanish equivalency is as follows:

 

 

 

Most students' accommodations will be arranged with assistance from the International Office at Pompeu Fabra University.  The School of Law plays no role in arranging for housing. The link to student residences, accommodation services, hostels and hotels is:

http://www.upf.edu/international/living/accommodation.html#1

 

 

 

Connecticut has negotiated an exchange agreement with the Pompeu Fabra University which provides that students will pay their home institution for tuition. Thus, Connecticut students taking courses in Barcelona will receive a regular fee bill from the Business Office here, charging them for twelve credits. A Law School Study Abroad fee of $475 is charged to help defray the administrative expense of the program. All other fees except parking are paid by the student as well.  In addition to the cost for instruction, students participating in the Barcelona exchange should take into account the cost of travel to Spain, the visa and FBI checks, as well as the cost for accommodation.

Depending on the student's situation there may also be lost income if the student needs to give up a full or part-time job in Hartford. Students on financial aid should consult our Financial Aid Office as usual to see what special arrangements need to be made. Study in Barcelona should not affect financial aid status. For Financial Aid purposes, 12 credits in our semester-abroad programs is considered to be full-time study.

 

 

Students with non-European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA), or the Schengen Area nationalities must obtain a student visa from the nearest Spanish embassy or consulate before leaving the US.  Contact information for the New York Embassy is:

      Consulate General of Spain en Nueva York
      150 East 58th Street, 30 th & 31st Floors
      New York, NY 10155
      Tel. (212) 355-4080/81/82/85/90
      Fax: (212) 644-3751
      E-mail: cog.nuevayork@maec.es

      Página Web:http://www.maec.es/Consulados/NuevaYork/es/Home/

 

To apply for your student visa, students will need , among other documents, an acceptance letter from the UPF.  In order to do this, students must first complete and submit the exchange/study abroad student registration form that is found at:

http://campusglobal.upf.edu/AtlasIAS/SVEntradaFormulariEstrangers

Then you will receive or can request an acceptance letter from the OMA office (oma@upf.edu; oma.poblenou@upf.edu)

 

Important: A tourist visa does not allow you to study in Spain.  Furthermore, the student visa is valid only at the university to which the student has been admitted and for the period of studies stated on the admission letter (i.e., a 90-day student visa or a 180-day student visa).  Thus, if a student decides to study at a different Spanish educational institution and already has a student visa, they must contact the Spanish Embassy/Consulate to check what must be done before leaving the US.

 

Additional information is located at:  http://www.upf.edu/international/living/formalities.html

  

For more information concerning entry requirements for Spain, contact the Embassy of Spain at 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037, telephone (202) 452-0100 or (202) 728-2340, or the nearest Spanish Consulate in Boston, or New York.  Information for the Spanish Embassy and consulates can be found at the Embassy of Spain’s website.  Additional information can be found on the Spanish government website or obtained from the Tourist Office of Spain which has offices in several U.S. cities. 

 

 

Barcelona is the capital and the most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, after Madrid, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area 39 sq mi. The urban area of Barcelona extends beyond the administrative city and is the sixth-most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris, London, Ruhr area, Madrid and Milan. About 5 million people live in the Barcelona metropolitan area. It is also Europe's largest metropolis on the Mediterranean coast.
 

Barcelona is recognized as a Global City due to its importance in finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts, international trade, education and tourism. It is in addition the most popular tourist destination in Spain (receiving over 5 million tourists every year). Barcelona is the 15th most livable city in the World according to lifestyle magazine Monocle. Transportation to and from includes Barcelona international airport, an extensive motorway network and is a hub of high-speed rail, particularly that which will link France with Spain and later Portugal..

Founded as a Roman city, Barcelona became the capital of the Counts of Barcelona. After merging with the Kingdom of Aragon, it became one of the most important cities of the Crown of Aragon. Besieged several times during its history, Barcelona is today an important cultural centre and has a rich cultural heritage. Particularly renowned are architectural works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner that have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city is well known in recent times for the 1992 Summer Olympics.
 

As the capital of Catalonia, Barcelona houses the seat of the Catalan government, known as the Generalitat de Catalunya; of particular note are the executive branch, the parliament, and the Supreme Court of Catalonia. The city is also the capital of the Province of Barcelona and the Barcelonès comarca (shire). Barcelona was always the stronghold of Catalan separatism and was the center of the Catalan Revolt (1640–52) against Philip IV of Spain.
 

The resistance of Barcelona to Franco's coup d'état was to have lasting effects after the defeat of the Republican government. The autonomous institutions of Catalonia were abolished and the use of the Catalan language in public life was suppressed. Barcelona remained the second largest city in Spain, at the heart of a region which was relatively industrialized and prosperous, despite the devastation of the civil war. The result was a large-scale immigration from poorer regions of Spain (particularly Andalucia, Murcia and Galicia), which in turn led to rapid urbanization.
 

Pompeu Fabra University (Catalan: Universitat Pompeu Fabra) is a public university widely considered to be one of the best public universities in Spain and in Europe, and was ranked 1st in scientific productivity in Spain in 2009. Founded in 1990, it is named after the Catalan grammarian Pompeu Fabra. The University offers 19 undergraduate degrees, 37 official masters and 9 PhD programs as well as around 60 UPF masters.

 

Foreign study at Pompeu Fabra University will not be canceled by the Connecticut due to lack of enrollment. Should Pompeu Favra University decide to cancel the program, Connecticut students will then register for regular classes at the School of Law. In the event that cancellation occurs after the pre-registration period for the semester in question, every effort will be made to accommodate student preferences in registering for classes. No promise can be made that all desired classes will be available.

 

Pompeu Fabra University's website is quite extensive.  You may visit it at 

           International Office website:  http://www.upf.edu/international/

           School of Law (Bachelor courses:  http://www.upf.edu/fdret/en/

           Law Department (Master courses):  http://www.upf.edu/dret/es/

 

Information about the Faculty of Law's facilities courses and additional information about study abroad in Barcelona is on the  university website. There is a Barcelona binder on reserve in the library.  Blanche Capilos can answer many of your questions or direct you to helpful resources.

 

If you are an individual with a disability that requires accommodation in order to participate, please consult Dr. Jane Thierfeld Brown, Dean's Office, 570-5130.  Professors Angel Oquendo and Wilf and Dean Paul have visited Pompeu Fabra and would be glad to discuss this study abroad opportunity with you.

 

 

Meritxell Cama

Mobility and Reception Office
Ramon Trias Fargas, 25-27

08005 Barcelona
Tel: 34 93 542 24 11
Fax: 34 93 542 28 60
oma@upf.edu

 

Meritxell Cama, Mobility and Reception Office
Ramon Trias Fargas, 25-27
08005 Barcelona
Tel: 34 93 542 24 11
Fax: 34 93 542 28 60
oma@upf.edu

 

Professor Josep Capdeferro, Mobility Coordinator

School of Law

Ramon Trias Fargas, 25-27
08005 Barcelona
josep.capdeferro@upf.edu

 

 

Eleni Alevizos

Scott Robson

 

 

 

Blanche Capilos, Deputy Director
International Legal Programs
blanche.capilos@law.uconn.edu
570-5172
Hosmer 145

 

Professor Angel Oquendo
angel.oquendo@law.uconn.edu
570-5283
Chase 312

 

Professor Mark Janis
Director of Student and Faculty Exchanges
mark.janis@law.uconn.edu
570-5265
HS 283

 

Eleni Alevizos
Scott Robson