Berklee Invites Students to First-Year Study Abroad Program in Valencia, Spain

Berklee will offer entering undergraduate students the opportunity to begin their degree or diploma studies at its campus in Valencia, Spain, through the First-Year Abroad program starting in September of 2017.

December 13, 2016

Berklee will offer entering undergraduate students the opportunity to begin their degree or diploma studies at its campus in Valencia, Spain, through the First-Year Study Abroad program starting in September of 2017. The program marks another major milestone for Berklee, which this year created Boston Conservatory at Berklee after a merger and launched a five-year, dual degree program with Harvard.

Every year, Berklee College of Music welcomes more than 1,000 new undergraduate students to its campus in Boston to become part of a community of talented musicians, composers, producers, and future music industry professionals. With the First Year Abroad program, a group of entering students will be able to begin their academic journey in the vibrant, culturally rich Mediterranean city of Valencia, Spain, where they will benefit from an intimate academic setting and dedicated faculty with whom they’ll be able to connect in meaningful ways. The programs and services strongly emphasize the global music industry and international career paths, and immersion in one of Spain's most important musical regions.

“Students come to Berklee because they are passionate about music and creativity, and they seek expert guidance to help them realize their dreams of becoming artists and innovators,” said María Martínez Iturriaga, executive director of Berklee’s campus in Valencia. “Just as in their entering year at Berklee’s Boston campus, the First-Year Abroad program will develop their musicianship and engage them in a coherent liberal arts curriculum that will inform their thinking. At the same time, the First-Year Abroad program will provide a life-changing international experience to those who are especially curious about the world around them.”

Berklee’s First-Year Abroad program at the Valencia campus will offer students the same core curriculum taken by entering students on the Boston campus—with courses in arranging, ear training, harmony, composition, ensemble and private instruction, and music technology—as well as access to state-of-the-art recording studios, technology labs, and classrooms. Upon completion of their first-year studies in Valencia, students will transfer to the Boston campus to continue in their declared major.

Located in the iconic City of Arts and Sciences complex in Valencia, Spain, Berklee’s campus in Valencia is the first international campus established by Berklee. The magnificent campus features shared performance spaces with the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia. The campus has been designed specifically for music and is equipped with cutting-edge technology with the aim of providing a hub for launching careers across the globe for the most talented international students.