Computer Science in Siena. Italy has a long history in the applied sciences, thanks to scientists and engineers such as Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo Galilei, and Guglielmo Marconi. In fact, the first mainframe computer systems were developed by the Italian company Olivetti. Studying STEM in Italy will be an enriching part of your college experience.
CET Siena Study Abroad
CET Siena: At-A-Glance
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Fall
- Arrival: 08/30/2023
- Departure: 12/16/2023
- Recommended Credits: 12-17
- Fee: $20,390
- Application Deadline: May 1
SPRING
- Arrival: 01/17/2024
- Departure: 05/04/2024
- Recommended Credits: 12-17
- Fee: $20,390
- Application Deadline: October 1
Fall
- Arrival: 08/30/2023
- Departure: 12/16/2023
- Recommended Credits: 12-17
- Fee: $20,390
- Application Deadline: May 1
SPring
- Arrival: 01/17/2024
- Departure: 05/04/2024
- Recommended Credits: 12-17
- Fee: $20,390
- Application Deadline: October 1
CET Siena study abroad students are looking for a meaningful Italian immersion experience plus courses that help them stay on track at home. Take Italian language courses paired with computer science, politics, Italian studies, or art history courses taught in English. Your courses help you build the intellectual foundation for understanding, engaging with, and appreciating Italian culture.
Academics in Siena
Semester
Snapshot
- Pre-requisites: None
- Italian language classes for all levels
- Customize your experience with elective options
- Computer Science electives
- Out-of-class learning and assignments
- School of Record: University of Virginia
Curriculum & Syllabi
You take one or two semesters’ worth of Italian, and three or four electives to meet the total 12 to 17 recommended credits.
- Option one: 1 semester’s worth of Italian Language + 3 or 4 electives
- Option two: 2 semesters’ worth of Italian language + 2 or 3 electives
You take one or two of these language courses depending on your curriculum choice.
- ITAL1010 Elementary Italian 1 (4 credits)
- ITAL1020 Elementary Italian 2 (4 credits)
- ITAL2010 Intermediate Italian 1 (3 credits)
- ITAL2020 Intermediate Italian 2 (3 credits)
- ITAL3040 Advanced Italian (3 credits)
- ITAL 3050 Advanced Italian 4 (3 credits)
Depending on your curriculum choice, choose two to four 3-credit electives for a total of 15 to 17 recommended credits (including your language course):
ART HISTORY
- ARTH2054 Roman Art and Archaeology
- ARTH3525 Topics in Renaissance History: Sienese Art and Architecture
COMPUTER SCIENCE
- CS3120 Discrete Mathematics and Theory 2
CS3130 Computer Systems and Organization 2
CS4414 Operating Systems
CS4710 Artificial Intelligence - CS4750 Database Systems
GLOBAL STUDIES
- GSGS2310/ANTH2541 Intercultural Communication: Italy in Sienese and Sicilian Contexts
- GS3100 Critical Conceptions of the Global
ITALIAN STUDIES
- ITTR2710 Italian Cultural History
- ITTR3107/MDST3107 Evolution of Media in Italy: From Unification to the Present
- ITTR3670 Contemporary Italian Cinema: From Canon to the Fringe
- ITTR/WGS 3680 Foodscapes in Women’s Writing, Culture and Society
POLITICAL SCIENCE & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Enhance your learning in Siena
Tailor your learning. Whether your focus is banking, computer science, politics, or cinema, you won’t fall behind in Siena. With courses vetted by the University of Virginia, your electives are rigorous, engaging, and rewarding.
Take as much Italian as you like. You have options for Italian language learning. Want more credits? Choose 2 semester’s worth of Italian over 15 weeks. But if that’s not for you, take 1 semester’s worth of Italian in 8 weeks.
Housing and Meals
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- Apartment or homestay
- Off-campus housing
- Live with an Italian student or a local host family
- 2-6 people/apartment; 1-4 students/homestay
- 2-3 people/apartment room; 1-2 students/homestay room
- Fully-equipped kitchen, living room, shared bathroom per 2-4 students, washing machine access
- Internet access, bedroom and bathroom linens, basic furnishing, kitchenware
Living Like a Local
Live with an Italian family. Choose to live in a homestay for a completely immersive experience. Host families are selected by CET and are all within the historic city center. They love learning about your culture, and more importantly, they love sharing theirs with you.
Live with a local student. If you opt for an apartment, you share your unit with other CET students and one local roommate. Roommates are local university students selected by CET. Learn more about living with a local roommate.
Eating in Siena. If you live in a homestay, you eat breakfasts and dinners with your host family. For other meals, or if you stay in an apartment, grab groceries at the weekly market and cook for yourself or take your pick of Siena’s many restaurants and cafés offering some of the best dishes in Italy. Learn more about accommodating your dietary needs in Siena.
Life in Siena
- Known locally as: Siena
- Population: 53,772
- Local Currency: Euro
- Famous for: Strong sense of community and history, thriving university scene, less spoken English, medieval brick architecture, Palio horse races, Piazza del Campo
It’s no wonder Siena is a crowd favorite—with its beautiful cityscape, impressive food scene, and close-knit community feel, it’s hard not to love this Tuscan city. Enjoy deeper cultural immersion as you converse with friendly locals in Italian and discover the profound connection residents have to the city and their contrada (districts with origins dating back to medieval times). Bump into your neighbors at the open-air market. Stroll down winding brick alleyways to your favorite cafe.
Experience Italy with CET
Around the City. Visit the duomo (cathedral). Take a CET-sponsored Italian cooking class. Follow a local guide on a polaroid tour of the city. For a lowkey weekend, head past the city walls for a run in the countryside. And there’s even more to see on your own.
A Weekend Away. Get ready for a 3-day excursion to the Emilia Romagna region. Visit FICO Eataly World and immerse yourself in Italian food in Bologna. Spend the day taking in beautiful Byzantine mosaics in Ravenna. Visit an Acetaia and understand the art of making balsamic vinegar. Check out the Ferrari Museum before returning home to Siena.
Volunteer in Siena. Consider giving back to the community that is hosting you. Teach English at a local school, help out at a youth home for migrants and refugees, or even volunteer at the local cat shelter. We work with you to find experiences that match with your interests and goals.
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Student Resources
On-site Staff
Emiliana Caldarelli
Director of Italy Programs
Victoria Van Luit
Siena Program Director
Melissa Rossi
Academic Coordinator
Matilde Santini
Siena Program Coordinator
Program Fees
Fall/Spring
$20,390
What's Included
All of your classes and program-related learning are included with your tuition.
If you choose to live with a local roommate in an apartment, your housing is covered. If you opt for a homestay, there is an additional fee to help cover the costs of an extra member in the household.
From pre-departure to orientation, from on site to re-entry, CET provides you with the support you need every step of the way.
The activities and excursions that we arrange are included in your program fee. All you need to do is remember to bring your camera!
You’re provided with a comprehensive insurance plan through GeoBlue that even includes medical evacuation coverage.
We guide you step-by-step through the visa process. You do the legwork, but we’ll make sure you have the documents & information you need, when you need it.
Your textbooks and course supplies are covered and waiting for you on site.
You’ll receive an official transcript issued by UVA at the end of the term.
More on finances
Program Fee Breakdown. Of the total program fee, $16,290 goes to tuition and fees, and $4,100 goes to housing and other student life fees.
Local Cost of Living. Siena attracts fewer tourists than cities like Florence and Rome, resulting in a slightly more affordable cost of living. Some things might be cheaper (e.g. groceries, coffee, bus tickets), but other things can be much more expensive (e.g. utilities, taxi rides).
Estimated out-of-pocket expenses:
- Homestay Fee: $2,900
- Round-trip Airfare: $1,100 - $1,600
- Meals (apartment): $2,400 - $2,800
- Meals (homestay): $1,200 - $1,400
- Personal Expenses: $1,200 - $1,600 (excludes personal travel)
- Visa Application Fee: $50
additional resources
How to Apply
- • Pre-requisites: None. Open to students of any Italian level, including absolute beginners
- • Must be 18 or older at the time of program participation.
- • Open to students from any US college or university
- • GPA: 3.0 or higher preferred, but admissions decisions are made on a case-by-case basis; lower GPAs still encouraged to apply
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.
Upload a scan of your passport to your online CET account. This should be a single scan that includes the signed signature page and the photo/personal details page. Don’t have a passport yet? Let us know and we can help advise you.
Use the link in your online account to send a recommendation request to one of your previous instructors.
This is an online form that your study abroad office completes to let us know you meet the requirements to study abroad. 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 online CET account has specific instructions for submitting an official transcript.
Have a question? Get in touch!
Karen "K" Olivas
Student Services Coordinator
202.349.7321
[email protected]
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.