Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Course Pre-Registration Form
Academic Structure
Please make sure to read this form in its entirety. This program accommodates students with beginning, intermediate, and advanced-level Spanish language ability. All students will complete 180 contact hours (12 U.S. semester credits), consisting of courses taught mostly in English and a few in Spanish. An additional elective may be added for an extra fee, for a total of 15 semester credits. UAB’s language courses align with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) levels.
UAB Level U.S. equivalent*
| UAB Level | U,S, Equivalent* | Level Description |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | Spanish 101 | Complete beginner with no prior formal instruction in Spanish |
| A2 | Spanish 102 | High Beginner / 1 previous semester of Spanish or equivalent |
| B1.1 | Spanish 201 | Low Intermediate / 2 previous semesters of Spanish or equivalent |
| B1.2 | Spanish 202 | High Intermediate / 3 previous semesters of Spanish or equivalent |
| B2.1 | Spanish 301 | Advanced / 4 previous semesters of Spanish or equivalent |
| B2.2 | Spanish 302+ | High Advanced / at least 5 semesters of Spanish or equivalent |
| C1 | 400 Level and Above | Superior / students who have studied Spanish for many years or who are native speakers are most likely to place into this level |
All students must take an online placement exam that is administered by the University Autònoma of Barcelona. You will be emailed the instructions for this exam, along with the deadline to complete it, once UAB is ready to accept submissions. Each student will be placed into a Spanish level according to their score on this exam. Past language history does not factor into a student’s placement. API cannot guarantee that a student will place into a specific level that is needed to earn credit at their home institution. Students should understand which Spanish level they need to test into in order to receive credit
at their home institution.
*Because there is no standard measurement for U.S. language courses, your language level may not match up exactly to UAB’s levels. If it has been some time since your last Spanish class or if you did not score highly in past courses, you could place lower than you expect on UAB’s test. If you must place into a certain level to earn credit at your home institution, it is recommended that you brush up on your Spanish in advance and take the placement test very seriously.
Option 1: Spanish Language and Electives (for students at any level of Spanish)
Students testing in the A1, A2, B1 or B2.1 levels (the equivalent to the beginning and low intermediate levels, according to the European Common Framework) are strongly encouraged to complete a minimum of 3 credit hours of Spanish. Alternately, students at any of these three lower levels may choose to complete a 6-credit Spanish course. Students testing into the B2.2 level or higher are not required to complete any Spanish language courses, though it is still recommended. Students at the B2.2 level or higher who elect to complete Spanish will complete the equivalent of 90 hours of language study. Students selecting this track will complete two electives in English if they complete a 6-credit hour Spanish course and three electives in English if they complete a 3-credit hour Spanish course. Students at the C1 level or higher who elect to complete a Spanish language course will complete the equivalent of 90 hours of language study (equivalent to 6 U.S. semester credits). No 3-credit hour Spanish options are currently available at the more advanced levels of Spanish.
Students selecting ‘Option 1’ will complete two electives in English if they complete a 6-credit hour Spanish course and three electives in English if they complete a 3-credit hour Spanish course.
NOTE: If you are currently a student at Bentley University, please note that Spanish language is a REQUIRED course. You cannot opt out.
**Exception** UNH students who have above the beginner Spanish are allowed to switch from Spanish into Introduction to Catalan. This has been approved by their home university. If a student from another university does not get credit for Spanish, they can submit a letter or email from their home university academic advisor and we can make an exception for them to take all electives.
Option 2: Electives only
Students who decide not to take a Spanish language course will select four elective courses in English.
SUMMARY OF ENROLLMENT OPTIONS
| Enrollment Type | Spanish Language | Electives | Total Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Option 1a | 45 hours/3 credits | 3 | 12 |
| Option 1b | 90 hours/6 credits | 2 | 12 |
| Option 2 | None | 4 | 12 |
Any student may choose to add an extra elective course (so as to complete a total of 15 U.S. semester credits) for an additional fee.
CAMPUS LAYOUT
Courses at UAB are offered at the Sant Pau campus only. The Sant Pau campus is located in the Eixample/Camp de l’Arpa neighborhood of Barcelona. Here students study in a fabulous, renovated UNESCO World Heritage building. The Sant Pau campus is a 20-25 minute metro ride from Plaça de Catalunya. During the semester, classes are taught throughout the day, Monday through Thursday.
ENROLLMENT
Students will be enrolled in the order that they are accepted into the program. Students who complete their applications by the priority deadline for the program will have the best chance of getting into their preferred electives. Students accepted after the priority deadline will be registered for classes after enrollment at UAB has already opened. Classes can fill up quickly and API is not able to request exceptions on your behalf.
You will be sent an enrollment confirmation document, which will list your courses and Spanish level, about a month prior to your program start date. Course changes can only be made online during the add/drop period. Add/drop instructions will also be sent via email by UAB.
CHOOSING YOUR COURSES
Minimum enrollment is required for each course to be offered.
Since receiving credit at your home institution depends on its own requirements and regulations, you must obtain pre-approval from your home institution for all courses that you would like to take in Barcelona in advance, as well as some alternate choices to account for full classes or conflicting schedules. If you have not met with your advisor to obtain pre-approval for your courses, do so immediately. Do not list courses unless you have pre-approval from your home university.
You must follow these steps:
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Review the course list and request any syllabi you may need (for course pre-approval) from your API Program Coordinator/Manager. You should be sure to have at least EIGHT electives pre-approved so that you have enough options to account for potential schedule conflicts (location and/or time), over enrollment, etc.
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Visit your academic and/or study abroad advisors and review your course options with them. Be sure to take along the syllabi you have requested and/or the course descriptions from API’s website or catalog. Note: Some institutions in the U.S. may require you to complete language courses regardless of your level, even though API only requires language study at the lower levels of Spanish.
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Select and fill in 8 elective options on this form in order of preference. API will pre-register you for courses at UAB. Classes fill up quickly, so you must obtain approval for classes from your home institution before filling out this form, since you may not be able to make changes once it is submitted.
Although you will indicate your course preferences on your course form, courses are never guaranteed. Courses are subject to change for reasons beyond API’s control (time conflicts, schedule changes, possible cancellations, etc.)
*It is not possible to be placed into a closed course, even if it is one that you really need for your degree program. The only way to maximize your chances of getting into a course is by completing your application by the priority deadline.