Virtual Campus
Virtual Campus

Our Model

BAU, College of Arts & Design of Barcelona, conducts its public service activity in the areas of teaching, research and knowledge transfer within its fields of expertise.

The mission of BAU is to be a driver of knowledge and innovation in the service of society with a clear international vocation. It is focused on attending to students and their comprehensive education to instil the values of individual creativity, professional rigour and social commitment. BAU is strongly committed and connected to the cultural, social and economic progress of the country.

 

Educational model

BAU and its teaching staff aim to train contemporary, critical, creative and open-minded designers who can understand social, cultural and economic developments and are committed to sustainable development that responds to the evolving needs of society.

The BAU educational model delivers sound humanistic, cultural, artistic, technical and methodological training distinguished by contemporary teaching which is closely linked to the real professional world from the perspective of the culture of the project.

BAU provides comprehensive training based on small class sizes, working in teams and personalised teaching, while promoting research activities among both the teaching staff and the students.

The BAU faculty employs high-quality and innovative pedagogic practices based on the applicability of the teachings to the development of projects, while teaching students to work rigorously and systematically to achieve the professionalisation of their creative processes.

BAU has a Tutorial Orientation and Action Plan - POAT - (catalan version) which specifies how BAU understands guidance, counseling and support for students in their initial professional development.

 

Multilingual education

BAU promotes multilingualism in the professional environment. This applies in particular to the mastery of English for professional applications as an essential language for competitiveness in the working world, practising the profession, and also for increasing the international prospects of our students.

 

Research activity

The BAU research department was founded with the goal of supporting and encouraging the curiosity of those of us who are convinced that design can contribute to creating a better world. It emerged from a belief in the growing importance of design research as a way of conceiving and making worlds, and includes:

  • The creation of the GREDITS research group (Design and Social Transformation Research Group), recognised as a consolidated group by the SGR.
  • The establishment of two Research Units recognised by the centre itself, these being ALTERATIONS and the Institute of Political Materialities.
  • The creation of the BAU Editions imprint, through which conference proceedings, books and teaching materials are edited and published.
  • The establishment of the scientific journal Inmaterial. Diseño, Arte y Sociedad.
  • The BAU Doctoral Unit with the (first) PhD in Design and Communication (in Spain).

With all of the above, BAU has armed itself with a robust mechanism designed to promote, encourage and consolidate research as one of the strategic pillars of the centre.

 

International prospects

BAU considers international exchange programmes and the mobility of students and teaching staff to be essential. In particular, to the aim of promoting the diversity of profiles and perspectives that is afforded by knowledge of the cultures and design learning methodologies of other countries, as well as for developing joint teaching, cooperation and research programmes.

The primary objectives of an exchange period are:

  • Learning new work methodologies and acquiring new skills.
  • Strengthening the use of other languages.
  • Enriching the student's record and CV to confer more value in the labour market.
  • Improving maturity, tolerance, confidence and initiative.
  • Discovering and sharing different ways of living in other cultures.

 

Employment

BAU delivers an applied approach to teaching while maintaining openness and permeability to the changing needs of society and taking an active stance. This guarantees our graduates complete and satisfactory professional integration through our department and the job placement service.

 

Teaching innovation

BAU's teaching innovation is based on several elements. On the one hand, the training of teachers expressed in different fields and formats, and on the other, the annual organization of the Design Teaching Conference and the Design Research Seminar, where are discussed issues related to social, environmental and politicians of the contemporary world and its implications for university teaching at BAU. The orientation in the tutorial action, the joint reflection and the support for teaching are understood as key elements for the improvement of teaching competences in all its dimensions, thus reinforcing the quality of teaching.

Innovation is also manifested in the intelligent and sustainable management of both physical and virtual spaces at BAU, as well as in the centre's strategy towards internationalization and links with leading institutions.

 

Social Commitment

BAU is a university centre with a strong European and international vocation and a commitment to economic and social development through its teaching, research and knowledge transfer activities. 

Likewise, to guarantee its mission and the proper functioning and development of all activities, the centre has its own commissions in different areas such as Studies, Pedagogy, Gender Equality and ICT in which the relevant issues of each area are regularly discussed in order to be aware, detect, generate and constantly implement contributions and improvements.

 

Code of Ethics

BAU considers University Social Responsibility (USR) to be an ethical dimension that the institution must pursue as an objective and must promote in its day-to-day activities, beyond its legal obligations. It entails responsible management of the impact of the institution's educational, research, employment and environmental activities and establishing a dialogue with society to improve academic activity and encourage sustainable human development.

At BAU, ethical behaviour rests on four fundamental values: respect, commitment, equality and responsibility towards people. Our Code of Ethics comprises ten general principles that are designed to make each person aware of the need for ethical behaviour and the responsibility that is expected of them as a member of the BAU community.

 

Institutional declaration

BAU, College of Arts & Design of Barcelona, has an Institutional Declaration to ensure a productive, safe and respectful work environment for everyone who is part, whether directly or indirectly, of the BAU community.

This Institutional Declaration includes the implementation of a Prevention and Action Protocol in the event of harassment as well as an Intellectual Property Management Protocol.

 

Corporate Social Responsibility

BAU's commitment to the environment and sustainability is bolstered by the installation of a heating system that is connected to Barcelona's urban hot and cold network. This network uses sources of waste energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, a recycling culture is promoted (Reuse, Reduce, Recycle) through a selective waste collection system and RRR points for recycled material.

Likewise, as a centre with a strong commitment to accessibility, BAU's spaces have been adapted for people with reduced mobility.