Summer in Florence, housed at Florence University of the Arts (FUA), offers 3 summer school sessions, each 4 weeks long.
Session 1, which runs from late May through mid-June, starts with a week-long exploration of Rome and Tuscany, before beginning classes in Florence for three weeks. This program is Art and Language-focused. During this program, you may take both art courses being taught by visiting CISabroad faculty OR one CISabroad art course and one Italian language course (for an additional fee of $500) for a total of 6 credits.
Session 2 runs from late-June to mid-July and Session 3 runs from early-July to early-August. On either of these two programs, you will take a one-credit Cultural Introduction to Italy course that takes you around the beautiful region of Tuscany, before heading to Florence for three weeks. All courses offered at FUA, except for the Italian-language courses, are taught in English. Students will receive 4 credits for this program.
Students may also combine sessions to stay in Italy for a full seven weeks!
Please note: students who combine sessions will only participate in one Tuscany exploration week.
GPA Required: 2.8. If you find your GPA is lower than the requirement, do not despair! Use the "Contact An Advisor" button on this page or call us to let us know your situation. We'll do all we can to find the right program for you.
How to choose your courses
Now the fun part! As part of the application process you will be required to complete the CISabroad Course Selection Worksheet found in the CISabroad Application Page. The following instructions will guide you through the steps of choosing your courses.
Course load:
Session 1: 2 courses (6 US credits)
Session 2: 1 courses (4 US credits)
Session 3: 1 course (4 US credits)
Sessions 1 & 2: 3 courses (9 US credits)
Sessions 2 & 3: 2 courses (7 US credits)
You may combine the above summer sessions to study in Florence for up to 10 weeks! Please contact us for more details on this option.
Course approval: Although you will only take up to 2 classes per summer session, it is best to meet with your current academic advisor and obtain approval for 3–4 classes. Courses are generally approved if they fill major or elective requirements.
Course descriptions:
SESSION 1:
The courses offered in Session 1 are taught by visiting CISabroad faculty, who are experts in the field of Photography, Art, and Art History. They have been teaching summer programs in Florence for several years and know best how to incorporate the city’s fantastic art culture to make sure you get the most out of your Florence experience this summer. You may take both art courses being offered by the CISabroad faculty OR one CISabroad art course and one Italian language course at the local university.
For course descriptions and syllabi, please click here.
SESSION 2 or 3:
For Session 2 or 3, you will participate in the 1-credit LS SO CI 200 Cultural Introduction to Italy course and one additional course from the link below. The Cultural Introduction to Italy course will be a traveling academic tour of Tuscany for one full week prior to your arrival in Florence for your other 3 weeks of classes.
LS SO CI 200 Cultural Introduction to Italy
1 semester credit (45 lecture hours - field trips) The study of Italian culture helps the student to acquire a deep awareness of both the cultural unit and diversity of the people of Italy. This course is intended to provide students with an in-depth introduction to Italian culture and designed to explore the diversity of culture and history in Italy in order to broaden awareness and understanding of the role of cultural heritage on customs and life styles. Lectures will provide students with an organized, focused, and academic understanding of the rich history, art, architecture, and culture of Italy. The course provides additional enrichment through basic notions of Italian language and terminology along with assigned readings and a final reflective paper. On-site teaching is a significant part of this course and is aimed at providing the student with the incomparable experience of studying important sites of artistic architectural and socially relevance in order to underst and present-day Italy. Students are encouraged to truly observe the sites through active participation and to discuss their impressions and reactions. Journal project: Students will record and respond to different experiences by creating an original journal in which their thoughts and experiences are recorded and given an organized form.
For Session 2, please click HERE, to select your second FUA course.
For Session 3, please click HERE, to select your second FUA course.
How to read the Florence University of the Arts course catalog
Courses are numbered 100–299 for lower-division courses, 300–399 for upper-division courses, and 400–499 for introductory courses to graduate studies. As for the letters, in “LA HS MI 280,” for example, the first pair represents the college within the University (LA=Liberal Arts); the second, the department within the college (HS=History); and the third, the course within the department (MI=Modern Italy).