Language learning activities

UB Catalan courses

Although they are open to the general public, the Catalan language courses delivered by the UB Language Services are especially addressed to university students. Most classes are taught face-to-face, and the courses can be studied in different UB faculties. The courses are offered in three blocks, corresponding to the three periods of the academic year: first semester courses, which begin between August and December, second semester courses, held between January and May, and summer courses.

The general language courses are offered at five levels of difficulty, grouped in lower levels and higher levels and ranging from the beginner’s course Basic 1, which helps new learners of Catalan who come from outside Catalonia to acquire their first language comprehension and speaking skills, to the advanced course Nivell superior (C2). The Language Services also offers Catalan language courses for specific purposes.

Students can be awarded free-choice credits for doing some of these courses, and the language certificates issued by the Language Services are also equivalent to the official certificates awarded by the Catalan Government.

First introduced in 1978 by the UB rector, these courses have played a vital role in the recovery of Catalan in the university and also, in more recent times, in the incorporation of the exchange student in the university classroom and lecture hall. At present, about 2,000 students enrol each year in the Language Services Catalan courses.