Universidad Politécnica de Cataluna

About

The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) · BarcelonaTech is a leading public university in Spain, renowned for its specialization in engineering, architecture, and science. It is best known academically for its strong research output and close ties with industry, particularly in areas like Civil Engineering, Computer Science, and Telecommunications. For international students, UPC offers a vibrant multicultural environment with a significant number of English-taught master's and PhD programs, extensive exchange opportunities, and a dedicated International Relations Office that provides comprehensive support from admission to integration. A distinctive characteristic is its strong commitment to innovation and sustainability, often leading cutting-edge projects in smart cities and renewable energies.

Background

The Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Catalan: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, pronounced [uniβəɾsiˈtat puliˈtɛŋnikə ðə kətəˈluɲə], Spanish: Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña, UPC), currently referred to as BarcelonaTech, is one of the largest polytechnic universities in Spain. The majority of its Engineering Schools and Research facilities are consistently ranked as leading academic institutions in their fields in Europe. It was established in 1971 as a result of different higher technical schools founded in the 18th century merging together. Those schools include Industrial Engineers of Barcelona (ETSEIB) and Terrassa (ETSEIAT), the Higher Technical School of Architecture of Barcelona (ETSAB) and some research institutes. As of 2025 it has 18 schools in Catalonia located in the cities of Barcelona, Castelldefels, Manresa, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Terrassa, and Vilanova i la Geltrú. As of the academic year 2024–25, the UPC has over 30,000 students and over 3,000 teaching and research staff, 67 undergraduate programs, 96 graduate...

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