Established as the Polytechnic University of Barcelona in 1971, the Polytechnic University of Catalonia is the one of the top technical universities in Spain. In 1984, it changed its name to its current title to reflect its broader presence within the region.
The biggest engineering institution in Catalonia, UPC has performed particularly outstandingly in architecture, engineering and technology rankings but also offers courses in computer science, physics and regional planning, among other subjects.
UPC spans several Catalan cities, including Castelldefels, Igualada, Manresa, Terrassa and Vilanova I la Geltrú, but the majority of its buildings are in Barcelona. Catalonia’s capital, and the second most populous city in Spain, Barcelona is one of the most visited cities in Europe, adorned with Gaudi-inspired architecture and full of cultural and culinary delights. It has endless parks, hills and its own beach, plus lots of history and nightlife.
UPC’s North and South Barcelona campuses are located in the city’s Les Corts district, slightly north east of the Nou Camp, the biggest football stadium in Europe and home to Barcelona FC. These include the School of Architecture, the Barcelona School of Industrial Engineering, the Barcelona School of Informatics and the School of Mathematics and Statistics.
UPC’s oldest school is the Barcelona School of Nautical Studies, located near the city’s port.
The university’s official languages are Catalan and Spanish, with more than half of undergraduate courses taught in the former. But UPC also runs a number of courses in English and offers joint degrees with universities abroad, attracting especially high numbers of international students on postgraduate courses.
Programmes available in English include civil engineering, informatics engineering, health sciences and technology, applied sciences, industrial design and manufacturing and telecommunications engineering.
