CEA Barcelona - FBA Program

Courses taught at the CEA CAPA Barcelona Center have been designed in conjunction with, and approved by, the University of New Haven (UNH). Professors at the CEA CAPA Barcelona Center carefully evaluate students’ work and progress throughout their academic session. When calculating final grades, instructors consider written and oral exercises, homework assignments, attendance, classroom participation, and exam performance. CEA CAPA offers small class sizes: the maximum class size is 15 students for language courses and 25 students for electives. Small class sizes mean more personalized attention from your instructors.

Pre-approved course offerings for Business Elective credit for Summer 2027 are listed below. Keep in mind that each class requires a minimum number of students to run. Classes in the May session meet daily, Monday – Friday. Classes in other summer sessions meet daily, Monday-Thursday. Active learning components required by your courses may be scheduled for Fridays.

To study abroad through Kenan-Flagler, you must take at least one business course while you are abroad, so if you choose to take a course that is not approved for business credit, you must take a second course for business credit. Please note that FBAs are permitted to enroll in and transfer a maximum of 2 business courses (6 credits). 

Your session combination options for summer 2027 are:

• May Session only:
  • Creating Your Start-Up (3 BUSI elective credits)
• Session 1:
  • International Business (3 BUSI elective credits)
• Session 2:
  • International Business (3 BUSI elective credits)

Please note, it is possible to combine Session 1 & 2, or take multiple courses in Session 1 or 2, but you would need to select a non-business class in these sessions (a Spanish language class, or another discipline’s class). Taking multiple courses per session costs more.

Other business courses (such as International Finance, etc.,) are not approved for FBAs for Summer 2027. Courses taken at Barcelona SAE will transfer back to UNC Pass (Barcelona SAE grade of C and above)/Fail (Barcelona SAE grade of C- and below). Pass grades do not affect your UNC GPA. Fail grades transfer back to UNC as Fs, which will affect your UNC GPA. Though transfer credit for this program is Pass/Fail, future employers and graduate schools will also look at your Barcelona SAE transcript, so grades are important. Courses taken abroad are not inherently easier than those on campus nor designed to guarantee a passing grade. In many cases, they may be more intensive due to condensed timelines, unfamiliar academic systems, or differing teaching styles – for example, the final grade may be reflective of only a cumulative exam at the end of the course (homework, presentations, papers are not factored in). We encourage you to carefully consider the academic expectations and rigor of your chosen program and plan accordingly to ensure your success. 

View the ‘Credit Hour Conversions’ accordion on the ‘Academics Procedures‘ page for more information on credit hour conversion from Barcelona SAE to UNC. 

To ensure that your course selections transfer back to UNC, you are required to submit an official course transfer request to the Course Request Database once you matriculate to the Undergraduate Business Program. This applies to all courses for academic credit, including pre-approved courses. Our team will provide instructions and a link to the Course Request Database for enrolled students in the program.

This program also fulfills the High-Impact Experience requirement of the Ideas In Action curriculum.

Housing in Barcelona is very competitive, and participants will be placed based on availability in a homestay (includes breakfast and dinner), student residence hall, or shared apartment. CEA CAPA makes every effort to provide you with your preferred form of housing, but due to space limitations, we cannot guarantee that you will get your first choice.

Housing options are spread throughout the city of Barcelona. Every neighborhood is easily accessible by public transport, and the city is very walkable. The typical commute in Barcelona is around 45 minutes using public Transportation from your housing to your school.

Homestay is another affordable way to find housing accommodations while abroad. Below is more information about the experience of the homestay:

“My host mom was amazing. She truly made me feel like I had a home here in Barcelona. She was always excited to hear about my day, provide me with food I liked, give recommendations for activities around Barcelona, and is just the sweetest and most caring person. She made my adjustment to study abroad so easy and enjoyable.” – Chloe Long

For more information on housing accommodations visit the Barcelona SAE housing webpage.

Funding your global program

The Undergraduate Business Program offers both merit and financial-need-based scholarships to support our students who wish to study abroad.

• If you are applying for a Kenan-Flagler Global Programs Scholarship, please note that average merit scholarship amounts for this program range between $500-$1000.
• If you are applying for a financial-need scholarship, the specific scholarship amount will be determined by supplemental UNC Office of Scholarships and Student Aid information.

Study abroad scholarship applications are embedded in the global program application and award amounts will be communicated with program decisions.

Please visit the Scholarships and Financial Aid page to learn more.

Do you have a valid passport? If yes, check your passport’s expiration date to ensure that your passport is valid at least 6 months after your program’s scheduled end date. If not, you’ll need to submit a passport renewal application.

Do you need to apply for a passport (first time or renew)? If yes, we recommend that you get started on your passport application right away as you’ll need time to collect documents like your birth certificate to include as part of your application. For complete instructions click here.

Will I need immigration documents? Spain is a party to the Schengen Agreement. This means that U.S. citizens may enter Spain for up to 90 days without a visa. If you are accepted into this program, you will not be required to acquire a visa as your program is approximately 75 days in length. Please set up an appointment with your Global Programs Advisor to discuss.