Language Requirement: None
Academic Standing by Program Start: Junior or Above
Location: Europe, Spain
GPA: 3.0

Urban Design in Barcelona

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Dates & Deadlines
Applications for Spring Quarter close on 11/15/2026

Program Overview

Take urban design beyond the classroom and into the vibrant streets of Barcelona! The Urban Design in Barcelona program immerses you in one of the world’s most inspiring architectural cities where you’ll explore how inclusive design, social equity, public health, and environmental sustainability can shape more livable communities. You’ll earn 16 quarter credits while building your design skills, tackling real-world urban design projects, and learning through direct engagement with architecture agencies and local experts in psychology, film production and sociology. This is a rigorous 11-week program led by UO faculty leader, Philip Speranza, and local instructors.  

See student work from previous years!

Scholarship Opportunity:  Applicants to this program have the option to apply for a program-specific scholarship. Award recipients are chosen based on academic merit, financial need, and overall quality of their essay. Individual awards range from $500 - $1,000. To be considered, the Scholarship Essay must be completed by the program application deadline. Please refer to the Scholarship Essay instructions in the program application or speak with your GEO coordinator for more details.

The 2027 budget will be shared soon!

Dates and Deadlines

Term Year Deadline Arrival Date Departure Date
Spring Quarter 2027 11/15/2026 04/01/2027 06/17/2027

This program has a rolling admission application process: GEO staff and the program's faculty leader will review complete applications in the order that they are submitted. An interview with the program's faculty leader is required. A sample of media material is required at the time of the interview. Please contact faculty leader, Philip Speranza, if you have questions on the interview process.

Acceptance will be based on a holistic review of your application. This includes a review of your GPA, transcripts (including courses taken and in-progress), any additional requirements or prerequisites (see section "Additional Requirements"), and the application short statement (essay).

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Hear from Our Students

Seeing the Sagrada Familia completed as I finish up my semester in Barcelona

A student standing in front of castle and a lake
Wow, what a journey! The last week of the program I was really pushing it trying to see and do everything I could in Barcelona. It dawned on me how little time we had left here, and I was sad to… read more

Enjoying the Journey

Kunal smiling by a courtyard with lion statues in Spain
In general, my time abroad has been going well. I'm realizing it's my first time living in a big city, and the culture has motivated me and inspired my work. It was a bit of an adventure getting here… read more

Stepping into Barcelona

Kunal posing in front of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain
Hello! My name is Kunal Mehta; I am a first-year master's student in Architecture at the University of Oregon. I am neurodivergent and enjoy seeing the patterns in life, through my work I am able to… read more

Discount for Pell Recipients

To expand access to study abroad, GEO is offering a $500 discount for this program to UO students who currently have the Pell Grant as part of their federal financial aid (FAFSA).

Academic Details

You will enroll in four upper-division architecture courses related to urban design and taught by Professor Philip Speranza.

  • Advanced Technology and Barcelona Data (UO ARCH 410/510)
  • Barcelona Urban Design Studio (UO ARCH 4/584)
  • Contemporary Urban Design in Barcelona Seminar (UO ARCH 410/510)
  • Media for Design Development (UO ARCH 423/523)

For more course information, click on View All Courses.
For UO students majoring in architecture, interior architecture, and landscape architecture, these courses may be used for professional elective requirements. Students from allied fields may be able to request major credit from their major departments.

Course Equivalencies

UO students: please refer to the UO Course Equivalency Process and the UO Office of the Registrar Course Equivalency Database.

Non-UO students: Actual credit awarded is determined by the relevant department at your university in consultation with the study abroad office. Check with your study abroad advisor for more information.

Additional Requirements

  • Experience with media-based design software.
  • All classes will be in English, but a working knowledge of Spanish is recommended.
  • This is a design intensive program for Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Landscape Architecture students.
  • You must be eligible for University of Oregon 4/584 (intermediate level) studio sequences.
  • Graduate students are required to have a GPA of 3.0 or above.
  • A sample of media material is required at the time of the interview.

Faculty and Staff

Philip Speranza is an architect, urban designer, and associate professor in the Department of Architecture at the University of Oregon. Philip’s research explores the use of geospatial design methods to understand small-scale social and environmental phenomena in urban design. He received his Master of Architecture from Columbia University and Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Virginia. Philip Speranza developed the Urban Design in Barcelona program and has successfully run it for over a decade. 

Housing Description

Students will be housed in a student residence within the city of Barcelona.