First Year Abroad
Berklee’s First Year Abroad program lets you spend your first two semesters studying on our campus in Valencia, Spain.
- Experience a culturally diverse setting in a city known for its rich history and its musical traditions.
- Interact with people of various backgrounds and perspectives.
- Expand your way of thinking, and learn to analyze problems on a global scale.
- Join the close-knit community of first year students studying in Valencia.
The process to apply to Berklee’s undergraduate program is the same, regardless if you want to do your first year in Boston or Valencia.
All applicants to the undergraduate program go through the standard application process. To be considered for the First Year Abroad program, simply indicate “yes” to the relevant question within the application, along with an additional personal statement about your interest in the program.
Your interest in the program will not impact whether or not you are admitted to Berklee. Please note that you must be over 18 years of age when the program begins. If you are accepted to the college, we will inform you in your admissions decision as to whether or not you are able to participate in the First Year Abroad program.
In addition to the first-year learning mastered by all Berklee students, students who complete the First Year Abroad program will:
- articulate their identity in a global context;
- evaluate the connections between their own personal decision-making and various local and global issues;
- evaluate and apply diverse perspectives to complex subjects in the face of multiple and even conflicting positions (i.e., cultural, disciplinary, and ethical);
- apply a deep understanding of multiple worldviews and experiences;
- explain and connect two or more cultures historically or in contemporary contexts;
- apply musical, cultural, and historical knowledge from Spain; and
- address complex global problems using interdisciplinary perspectives independently or with others.
Students in this program will take all required Berklee core courses for first-year students, with added culturally focused curricular content and cocurricular activities. Subject areas include: