Why
At Brandeis Midyear in Florence, you start your college career off with engaging academic content and activities that help you connect with the local community and your peers. Take electives that check required classes off your list or try something new and uniquely Italian.
CET Responds to COVID-19
CET is continuously monitoring the impacts of COVID-19 in Italy and around the world. At this time, the Brandeis Midyear program in Italy will operate with modified dates as listed above. We are realistic about the challenges of offering programs in these terms, though, and we will we will inform affected students of any changes to the program’s status. For more on CET’s response to COVID-19, please visit our News & Alerts page.
Semester
Snapshot
- Recommended Credits: 15
- Italian language classes for all levels
- Engaging classes with excellent professors
- Out-of-class learning and assignments
Curriculum & Syllabi
You take a writing seminar, one Italian language course, and three electives to meet a total of 15 recommended credits.
You take this 3-credit course taught exclusively for Brandeis Midyear at Florence students. This course will fulfill Brandeis’ University Writing Seminar (UWS) requirement for first-year students.
You are placed into one of these 3-credit courses, according to a placement test or previous coursework you have completed.
- FL/LANG 100 Beginning Italian Language
This course will transfer to Brandeis as ITAL 10a. - FL/LANG 150 Advanced Beginning Italian
This course will transfer to Brandeis as ITAL 20b. - FL/LANG 200 Intermediate Italian
This course will transfer to Brandeis as ITAL 30a. - FL/LANG 250 Intermediate High Italian
This course will transfer to Brandeis as ITAL 105a.
Choose three 3-credit electives to meet a total of 15 recommended credits. These courses fulfill core curriculum requirements at Brandeis according to the following categories.
Humanities (Hum)
Creative arts (CA)
- FL/ARTH 250 Passion, Power and Pestilence: Art in Italy 1500-1650
- FL/ARTH 258 Renaissance Art and Architecture
- FL/ARTH 262 Medieval Art and Architecture
- FL/ARTS 266 Florence Sketchbook
Social Science (SS)
- FL/HIST 372 Money & Banking: A Historical Perspective
- FL/ITLS 245 Food and Culture in Italy
- FL/ITLS 273 History of Modern Italy
- FL/ITLS 274 The Medici: History and Legend of an Italian Dynasty
- FL/POLI 324 The European Political Economy
- FL/POLI 375 Italian and European Politics
- FL/POLI 377 International Energy Policy: Oil, Gas, & Green Technologies
Learning Around Florence
Work That's Rewarding
"Immersion has been rewarding, albeit challenging at times, but it has resulted in exactly the cultural experience I sought out when I decided to study abroad in Italy: an understanding of a new culture only furthered by the practice of their language."
Brandeis University | Fall 2018
& Meals
- Apartment or homestay
- Off-campus housing
- Live with Brandeis peers or a local family
- 2-8 people/apartment; 1-2 students/homestay
- 1-2 people/apartment room; 1-2/homestay room
- Kitchen, common room, shared bathroom per 2-4 students, in-unit washer
- Wifi access, linens, basic furnishing, kitchenware, regular cleaning service for common areas
Living in the historical city center, apartments might be different from what you’re used to in the US—buildings are simple, older, and vary in shape and layout. But the location can’t be beat… everything you need is within walking distance and your commute to class is beautiful. You can also opt to live in a homestay and live like a true Florentine. You’ll be in the downtown area, but away from the tourist-heavy centro storico. You have your own bedroom and share common spaces (and best of all, mealtimes) with your family.
Connect Locally
Eating in Florence
Have your fill of some of the most famous cuisine in the world. You’ll love the pastas, the sauces, the hors-d’oeuvres. On a budget? Try ribollita soup, made with bread, kale, cannellini beans, and vegetables. Feeling adventurous? Grab a tripe sandwich topped with salsa verde from a street vendor…a Florentine classic. And don’t forget the gelato after dinner.
Life in
- Known locally as: Firenze
- Population: 382,258
- Local Currency: Euro
- Famous for: Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, world-class art museums, birthplace of the Renaissance, international city
There’s so much to see and do in Florence, from climbing the Duomo to chatting with locals over a cappuccino. But the rest of Italy and all of Europe are at your doorstep, too. Each Friday morning, head to a new destination—check out the art scene in Berlin, find the best baguette in Paris, explore the Italian coast, from Cinque Terre to Amalfi. The Italian train system couldn’t be easier, and the airport is just 30 minutes away. Buon viaggio!
Activities & Excursions
Around Florence
Travel to Rome & Tivoli
Let us check must-see Rome off of your travel checklist! You’ll take a three-day trip with us to Rome and Tivoli, a summer retreat for ancient Romans. In Rome, tour the Vatican, see the Sistine Chapel, explore the Roman Forum. In Tivoli, take a guided tour of UNESCO World Heritage Site Hadrian’s Villa and explore the charming town center. We handle the logistics, and we make sure there’s plenty of free time built in…for exploring, tasting, or simply finding a quiet corner to sit and enjoy the beauty.
"Walking by the world famous Duomo on the way to my Italian class every week and then learning about it in my Renaissance Art and Architecture class is just too cool.
Brandeis University | Fall 2017
On-site Staff
Emiliana Caldarelli
Director of Italy Programs
Katie Palumbo
Program Director
Jackie Pollis
Assistant Program Director
Anna DiBiase
Assistant Director for Academic Affairs
Giada Borlotti
Student Life and Services Coordinator
Shauna Kavanagh
Administrative Coordinator
Program
Fall 2020
|
$19,990 $19,170
Fall 2020: $19,170
Of the total program fee, $15,890 goes to tuition and fees, and $3,280 goes to housing and other student life fees.
All of your classes and program-related learning are included with your tuition.
We’ll take you on a three-day excursion to Rome & Tivoli. We take care of the transportation, hotel, entrance fees to must-see sites, and some meals.
We arrange for you to live in an apartment, right in the historic city center. Your program fees go toward rent, furnishing, and other management costs.
If you opt for a homestay, there is an additional fee to help cover the costs of an extra member in the household. This fee includes daily breakfasts and dinners at your home.
From pre-departure to orientation, from on site to re-entry, CET provides you with the support you need every step of the way.
You’re provided with a comprehensive insurance plan through GeoBlue that includes medical evacuation coverage.
The activities and excursions that we arrange are included in your program fee. All you need to do is remember to bring your camera!
Your textbooks and course supplies are covered and waiting for you on site.
At the end of the term, your grade report is sent directly to Brandeis University.
Estimated
Out-of-Pocket
Costs
-
Homestay fee:
$2,900$2,320 - Round-trip Airfare: $1,100 - $1,600
-
Meals (apartment):
$2,400 - $2,800$1,900-$2,300 -
Meals (homestay):
$1,200 - $1,400$900-$1,200 -
Personal Expenses:
$2,000 - $3,000$1,600-$2,600
- Open to Brandeis Midyear students
- GPA: 3.0 or higher preferred, but admissions decisions are made on a case-by-case basis; lower GPAs still encouraged to apply
- Open to all levels of Italian language speakers
Complete the application through your online CET account. This is a brief form that asks for basic information and has a few short answer questions about why you want to study abroad.
Use the link in your online account to send a recommendation request to one of your previous teachers.
This is an online form that your study abroad office completes to let us know you meet the requirements for the program. To send the electronic form request, simply enter the name and email address of your study abroad advisor in the designated fields of your online account.
Your study abroad advisor for the Brandeis Midyear in Florence program is Ari Massefski, [email protected].
Your online CET account has specific instructions for submitting an official transcript.
Fall deadline:
June 8th
Price Subject to Change:
CET reserves the right to increase quoted charges at any time without prior notification, based on increased instruction costs, exchange rate fluctuation or other cost increases beyond CET’s control.