study abroad in Rome with IFSA
Rome
, Italy

IFSA Summer in Rome

Program Overview

See what defines the Mediterranean lifestyle as you explore Italy’s capital city, brimming with culinary treats, unforgettable museums, and haunting ruins. With treasures that attract throngs of visitors, Rome is an ideal place to explore eco-friendly, culturally sensitive practices with an eye toward preservation and sustainability. Rome is also the perfect setting to understand and consider the challenges many European countries are grappling with as refugees flow in.

This flexible program includes options for one or two four-week sessions, with the opportunity to add an eight-week internship with IFSA Summer Internships in Rome.

Details at a Glance

Application deadline

Summer: April 1

Minimum GPA

2.00

Credit load

3 - 6

Housing

Apartment/Flat

Instruction language

English

Prerequisites

None

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Academics

During your IFSA Summer in Rome, customize your study abroad experience by taking a class during the four-week Session 1 or take a class during the four-week Session 2. You can also extend your studies by enrolling in both Session 1 and Session 2.

SESSION 1 CLASS

Forced Migration, Refugees, and Change 

More than 60 million people are displaced by war, violence, and environmental destruction today. This class analyzes the ways that governments, NGOs, citizens, and researchers seek to solve problems associated with forced migration. Using ethnographic approaches, students will investigate the sociological and political forces behind the current increase of refugees and forced migrants currently impacting Europe. This class aims to provide a theoretical and empirical understanding of the phenomenon that can be employed as a guide for action. (3 U.S. semester credit hours)

SESSION 2 CLASS

Sustainable Tourism 

In the past few decades, the global tourism industry has been increasingly criticized for its disruptive impact on local communities and the environment, while a growing trend of sustainable tourism has begun promoting more responsible, eco-friendly approaches that can help preserve nature, customs, and lifestyles. This class explores how local cultures can better absorb short- and long-term tourism, the benefits of eco-tourism on natural habitats and landscapes. Through a series of field visits and meetings with experts, students will learn how a more sustainable approach to tourism can help make tourist destinations better places to live in and to visit. (3 U.S. semester credit hours)

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Eligibility

  • You must be at least 18 years of age. Students under 18 may be accepted on a case-by-case basis.
  • You must be currently attending or recently graduated from a U.S. or Canadian community college, technical college, two-year college, four-year college, or four-year university.
  • You must have completed at least one (1) semester of study at your home institution before the beginning of the term.

Recommendation Letter
Not required.

Visa Requirement
Not required for U.S. or Canadian citizens. A visa may be required if you are a citizen of another country.

TRANSCRIPT
Upon completion of your program, IFSA will send an official Butler University transcript to your home university with your coursework converted to the U.S. semester credit hour system. You will also have access to an unofficial transcript in your IFSA Student Portal. The transcript reflects courses taken, credits attempted, and grades earned during your term abroad. This service is included in your study abroad program at no additional cost. See our Transcripts page for more information.

Excursions

Activities and excursions are designed to pull you into the communities you visit and encourage cultural connections of every kind. There’s no extra fee to participate in these optional outings—everything is included in your program fee.

Below are examples from previous terms; outings may be different for your program. We’ll make every effort to run them all, but sometimes things we can’t our control, such as local regulations and health protocols, get in the way. As result, we cannot guarantee activities and excursions.

Activities

  • Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatino Hill Tour: Offered during orientation, this activity allows you to visit some of the most iconic monuments in world history and to explore the very heart of the eternal city.
  • Eataly and Mercato di Testaccio Visit: Eataly is a premium food market for Italian products and restaurant hall associated with the Slow Food Movement. After the visit, you will continue to the Testaccio neighborhood market and experience the Roman street food tradition.
  • Clean Up the World with Legambiente: Raise awareness on environmental issues and sustainability by volunteering with Legambiente, a historical Italian association focused on protecting the environment and landscape. You will participate in a day of activities in the community garden of the Garbatella neighborhood.
  • FAO Headquarters Visit: Learn about sustainability across agriculture, forestry, and fisheries through a guided tour of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security.
  • Riserva della Cascina Winery Visit: Riserva della Cascina is a family-run, organic winery in the outskirts of Rome, immersed in the archaeological park of the old Roman way “via Appia.” Explanation of sustainable practices will be followed by a tasting.
Excursions
  • Orvieto Day Trip: Orvieto is a medieval hill-top town with a stunning gothic cathedral and an underground series of caves dug by the Etruscan civilization.
  • Parco dell’Uccellina Day Trip: Day trip to the protected area of Parco dell’Uccellina, a regional forested park along the Mediterranean coast with opportunities to hike, rent bikes, or enjoy relaxing on the beach.
  • Tarquinia Day Trip: Tarquinia is a small town on the coast of Lazio that is home to a UNESCO World Heritage site of Etruscan tombs, paintings, and artifacts.
  • Castelli Romani Day Trip: Enjoy a day visit to the hilly area known for its papal palace-turned-museum, lush nature preserves and lakes, and wine and olive oil production.

Housing and Meals

Housing

Apartment/Flat

Meals

Self-Catering

Details

You will live in centrally located, fully furnished flats in Rome. You will share a bedroom and bathroom. Apartments include a common dining area and kitchen with a microwave, refrigerator, oven, and stovetop. There is no meal plan. You will purchase your meals or cook for yourself.

Dates and Fees

Term

Term begins

Term ends

Program costs

Application deadline

Summer 2023 - Session 1

May 29, 2023

June 23, 2023

$5,595

Passed

Summer 2023 - Session 2

June 26, 2023

July 21, 2023

$5,595

Passed

Summer 2023 - Sessions 1 & 2

May 29, 2023

July 21, 2023

$8,350

Passed

Term

Summer 2023 - Session 1

Term begins

May 29, 2023

Term ends

June 23, 2023

Program costs

$5,595

Application deadline

Passed

Term

Summer 2023 - Session 2

Term begins

June 26, 2023

Term ends

July 21, 2023

Program costs

$5,595

Application deadline

Passed

Term

Summer 2023 - Sessions 1 & 2

Term begins

May 29, 2023

Term ends

July 21, 2023

Program costs

$8,350

Application deadline

Passed

Get Started

Brittany Brooks

Brittany Brooks

Admissions Counselor

Eleni Katsarelas

Eleni Katsarelas

Prearrival Counselor

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