Rome, Italy
IFSA Summer in Rome
Program Overview
EXPLORE THE IMPACT OF TOURISM OR MIGRATION AMIDST WORLD TREASURES
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. Take a class along with an eight-week internship with IFSA Summer Internships in Rome.
This is an exclusive IFSA-Designed Program. Learn more about these affordable programs here.
Details at a Glance
Application deadline
Minimum GPA
2.00
Credit load
3–6
Housing
Apartment/Flat
Instruction language
English
Language prerequisites
None
Visa required?
Not in most cases. Learn More.
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)
Australia Outbound Program
Students enrolled at select Australia universities are invited to participate in Session 2 of this program. The program is open to students of all year levels and all fields. Students will earn 45 contact hours credit; the equivalent of one subject.
Please see the Australia Outbound term below in the Dates and Fees section for program fees and expected expenses in Australian dollars. For more information on the Australia Outbound program, please reach out to us at australiaoutbound@ifsa-butler.org.
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. Students attending select Australia universities are also eligible.
- You must have completed at least one (1) full-time semester of study at your home institution before the beginning of the term.
Recommendation Letter
Not required.
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 classes 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 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.
- 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/FlatMeals
Self-CateringDetails
Rome students typically live in fully-furnished apartments shared by four to six students in Rome’s historic center, Prati, or Trastevere neighborhoods. Apartments vary but are generally in updated historic buildings in neighborhoods with plenty of local charm, an easy 30- to 45-minute commute from the IFSA Program Center, either on foot or using public transit.
Your apartment mates could include other study abroad students, as well as students from Italy or other countries, and could be mixed gender. Most apartments have two or more bathrooms. Bedrooms are typically shared by two IFSA, same gender students. In a few cases, depending on the specific apartment layout, triple rooms are possible. Students are responsible for meals.
Sample housing
Take a look at Via Cola di Rienzo 285 to see what your Rome home might be like:
- Location: The Prati district, close to Rome’s historic city center.
- Commute: A six-minute walk to the IFSA Program Center.
- Living space: Apartments for four to six students in older, historic buildings. Students share bedrooms with two, same gender students per room. Bedrooms include single beds and storage. All residents share the living space, kitchen, eating area, and bathroom(s). Sometimes two students share one desk. Complete bedding and towels provided. Kitchens are equipped with oven, refrigerator, and basic dishes and kitchenware.
- Meals: No meal plan. Students prepare or purchase meals, and often tell us cooking together is a fun, social part of the day. Plus, we’ll share pro grocery shopping tips when you arrive.
- Other details: Wi-Fi included. Laundry washing machine and drying rack. Vacuum cleaner. Iron and ironing board. Fans. Air conditioning is common but not guaranteed. Weekly cleaning service of shared spaces is often included.
- Nearby: Cafes, markets, shopping, public transportation. Vatican City. Castel Sant’Angelo. Tiber River. Piazza del Popolo. Villa Borghese. Spanish Steps. Piazza Navona and the Fountain of the Four Rivers.
Dates and Fees
Get Started
Eleni Katsarelas
Enrollment Counselor
