Study at ISI Florence
Established in 2001, ISI Florence is a study abroad program rooted in the liberal arts tradition and internationally recognized for the high caliber of its faculty and wide range of student services. ISI Florence is committed to providing students with a safe and rewarding educational experience of exceptional quality both in and out of the classroom, and is supported by endless opportunities for cultural immersion and exchange. True to its extraordinary setting in the cradle of the Renaissance, ISI Florence aims to inspire students to strive for learning which will make their semester abroad a life-changing experience.
Finally, ISI Florence also functions as a consortium for public universities. To date, the ISI Florence consortium includes the following American and Australian universities: PSU, UConn, UVA, UMD, and University of Melbourne. Consortium membership provides a number of significant assets, including the possibility of drafting curricula with partner institutions so as to best serve the students’ academic needs while abroad.
With several thousand years of civilization woven into its legendary urban texture, Florence embodies all that the Renaissance sought to bring back to life. Bordered by its famous countryside of pine- and cypress-dotted hills, lush vineyards, and olive groves, the Florence of today is an innovative European cultural center, as well as a university city. While living in Florence, students will have the opportunity to walk the same medieval streets as Dante, look upon the great works of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, and stand within the massive halls that housed Medici businesses, all built on top of Roman and Etruscan ruins. Iconic Via Tornabuoni offers insights into Florence’s thriving love of fashion in the shadow of Brunelleschi’s great dome, Santa Maria del Fiore. Surrounded by statuesque relics of the Renaissance and the push of progress, Florence offers both depth of ancient character and a melding of past, present, and future.
Academic Programs: Semester and Year-long
The Institute offers courses in a wide range of subjects, including: architecture and interior design, studio arts and art history, history and political science, Italian language and literature, international business and interdisciplinary studies in the humanities. Courses are designed to integrate the local resources and immerse students into the Florentine environment through on-site learning. A variety of co-curricular activities such as field trips, museum visits, academic tours, and artistic performances complement the rich cultural offerings.
General Studies Program
The Institute offers a General Studies Program, which is widely recognized for its diversity and excellence. This program encourages students to mix and match courses from various disciplines taught at Umbra in order to best compliment their personal and degree goals. Courses are taught in English and the majority include field trips as part of the curriculum.
Advanced Landscape Architecture and Interior Design Programs
The history of design embraces different views—old versus new, traditional versus the creative vision of the architect. The ISI Florence Architecture courses take students on a semester-long journey straight into the heart of this ongoing dialogue. Through a combination of theoretical exploration and experiential learning, students strike a balance between creation and conservation, aesthetic beauty and technical excellence. The program examines architecture through the lens of both national and international perspectives.
Fine Arts & Art History
ISI Florence's unique relationship with a renowned local fine arts academy allows studio arts students the opportunity to combine a course in fine arts not normally available to study abroad students with the other ISI classes in history, culture, and art history. Some of the offerings are Renaissance painting techniques, printmaking, and serigraphy. See the Course Offerings page (below) for the full range of topics available.
Curricular Concentrations
In addition to the concentrations above, students may design a program centered on a particular field of interest by creating a thematic study plan in academic areas such as history, studio art, and more. If interested in this option, students can consult their advisors at their home institutions to develop the customized curricular concentration that best fits their needs and interests. The complete list of the courses that would be appropriate to each concentration can be found on our website.
Academic Programs: Summer Program
The Summer Program consists of a variety of elective courses (3 credits each) taken from our General Studies Program. While students are not required to take Italian language, they will spend an intensive 6-week period exploring the other classes available to them, all of which are recognized for their highly qualified professors and academic contents. These courses are available in various subject areas.
Community Engagement and Volunteering Opportunities
As part of our initiative to help students gain valuable cross-cultural experience in an international environment, we promote many opportunities for community engagement, including credit-bearing internships, volunteer work, and service-learning activities. These projects give students invaluable hands-on understanding and extraordinary out-of-classroom exposure to the culture, language, and people of Italy.
The Internship and Practicum Courses are ideal for students who would like to give back to the local community, broaden their intercultural awareness and see different social contexts from a more comparative, global standpoint.
Also, the numerous volunteering options available at ISI Florence are a rewarding way of integrating with the city and, at the same time, improving one’s Italian language skills through cultural dialogue and hands-on experience.
Student Services
The student services team at ISI Florence provides all students with a strong support system from the moment of arrival to the day of departure. Staff members are on hand to offer information and assistance so that students can make the most of their time abroad. Health and safety are of the utmost importance to us. Students are coached in personal safety, and the student services staff is available 24/7 to address illnesses, injuries, and any other needs that require special attention.
Living Accommodations
Students share apartments with other program participants. All apartments are located in the historical center of Florence and within walking distance of ISI Florence facilities. The apartments come with a fully equipped kitchen, communal living space, and wireless Internet connection.
ISI Florence Highlights
- State-of-the-art centrally located facilities
- Expert and dedicated international faculty and staff
- Pre-departure and arrival assistance
- Comprehensive orientation program
- Informative student handbook and APP (For Apple & Android OS)
- Fully-equipped student apartments in historic center
- Extra- and co-curricular field trips and volunteering
- Practical Italian language courses and workshops
- Wi-Fi access in apartments and at the Institute
- Emergency hotline available 24/7
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