Brown University - Office of International Programs

Brown in Italy - Academics

The exchange program between Brown and the University of Bologna provides an opportunity for undergraduates to study at the oldest university in Europe. Students on the Brown program may also take visual art classes at the Accademia di Belle Arti.

 

The program begins with a one-month (September or January-February) orientation program in Bologna. Program participants are required to take two non-credit intensive Brown-taught courses in Italian language and either Contemporary History and Culture or Literature during this time. Throughout the orientation period, a series of guided excursions are organized in conjunction with the academic activities. These include guided tours of Bologna and neighboring cities of interest – among them Ravenna, Mantova, Verona, and Parma. This aspect of the program is designed to familiarize students with Italy and Italian culture. Students are expected to participate to meet the program requirements.

From October to May, students attend intensive semester courses (some year-long courses are available) at the University of Bologna. Students can choose courses from any combination of the eighteen facoltà (schools) which are in turn subdivided into different departments:

  • Agriculture
  • Architecture
  • Artistic Conservation
  • Economics and Business
  • Educational Sciences
  • Engineering
  • Foreign Languages and Literature
  • Industrial Chemistry
  • Law
  • Letters and Philosophy
    (which includes History, Art History, Classics, Italian, Modern Languages and Literature)
  • Mathematics, Physics, and Natural Sciences
  • Medicine
  • Motor Sciences
  • Pharmacology
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Statistical Sciences
  • Veterinary Medicine

Brown program participants may also take one studio and visual arts course at the Accademia di Belle Arti (Academy of Fine Arts), if they can provide a portfolio of their previous work. Students must take six 60 credit hour courses or the equivalent from the regular university in order to maintain full academic status in the program.

Students can enroll for the fall or spring semester program which will include the two courses during orientation and three 60 credit hour courses or the equivalent. Students have access to the full range of academic offerings at the University of Bologna.

Course Requirements and Structure

Students are required to complete the two orientation courses and the appropriate number of courses at the University of Bologna or the Accademia delle Belle Arti, including the corresponding exams. The course structure is very different from that of US institutions. Most courses are divided into two parts – an institutional part, which requires individual reading and general background preparation on the subject, and the monographic part, which is covered by the professor in class. There is rarely any immediate accountability such as quizzes, written assignments or midterms. The final exams are usually public oral presentations before a small committee of three professors. Thus, students in Bologna are expected to be much more academically independent and have to pace themselves to complete the necessary reading for final exams.

Academic Calendar (Approximate dates)

Academic Year: August 28- June 5

Fall Semester Option: August 28-December 18

  • Orientation: August 28-September 28
  • Winter Break: December 19-January 8

Spring Semester Option: January 8-June 5

  • Orientation: January 8-February 8
  • Spring Break: March 20-24

Credit

You will receive a Brown transcript listing S (Satisfactory) for the courses you have successfully completed with the equivalent grade of C- or better. The normal course load for year-long students is 360 credit hours, most often six 60 hour courses for which you will receive 8 Brown credits (the equivalent of 32 semester credit hours).

For participants in the fall or spring semester programs, 180 credit hours, most often three 60 hour courses are required in order to earn 4 Brown credits (16 semester credit hours).

Successful completion of all orientation courses (language and culture) is a pre-requisite for enrollment in and accreditation of courses taken at the University of Bologna.

For more information on course load requirements based on on the University of Bologna's credit system, download the info sheet: Course Load Requirements for Brown in Bologna(PDF)

Updated: October 1, 2008