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Study Abroad in Florence on Spring
semester ( February-May) 2009
Florence University of the Arts is
focused on creating an outstanding cultural environment where students will
be able to nurture their talents. Florence itself offers the best setting
for cultural immersion with its outstanding museums and architecture.
Our students learn to rise to the challenges of learning and studying
abroad in a world where human experience is increasingly in demand. The
University embraces curricular innovation and collaborative methods that
make the students' experience abroad unique.
FREE ENROLLMENT FEE, WELCOME DINNER
AND PICK UP (Florence Airport) to all our students! Please, specify in your
email that you want to enjoy our "Columbus Offer".
For all students who book before
October 12 2008!
Florence: cultural capital of
Italy
Florence,
located in the renowned region of Tuscany, is situated on the banks of the
Arno River, surrounded by hills of rolling Italian countryside. To study and
live in Florence is to walk the streets of Dante, Brunelleschi, Giotto, and
many more contributors to the arts and humanities. Here you will soak up
the culture and history of this great city, while learning Italian and
studying in buildings reflective of centuries past. Let us introduce you to
the sights, sounds, and art that will embrace you at every turn in the
flowering city of Florence! Established in the 9th century BC, Florence is
a city that welcomes visitors and scholars, artists and students to walk
her streets, relive past discoveries in the arts and sciences, and glimpse
the rich history that permeates every inch of the city. As a student with
API, you will experience Florence with others from around the world who
share your passion for learning.
The… assets
of Florence:
·
Internationally-oriented
environment
·
The purest
Italian language
·
Tuscan
cuisine
·
Great
museums (Uffizzi, the Accademia, the Bargello…)
·
Great
artworks (Michelangelo’s David, Botticelli’s Spring…)
·
Italian
fashion
·
45-minute train ride to the beach
·
< 120
minute train right from Rome, Sienna, Bologna, Pisa and Assisi
UP
Academic Programs:
All of our courses are taught in
English, with the exception of Italian language and those courses which
clearly indicate that they are taught in Italian. Our faculty is highly
qualified and dedicated. A high percentage of the faculty is of Italian
nationality, all with excellent proficiency in English. Most of our Studio
Art instructors are critically acclaimed professionals in their fields.
All of the courses aim at providing
students with the tools to expand their social, intercultural, and
professional horizons.
UP
Study
abroad semester/year and calendar
Students wishing to study abroad in
Florence can sign up for classes according to their own curriculum of
studies. Classes can be selected from the current schedule up to 15 credits
for a semester; Italian Language is mandatory. Semesters are 15 weeks long:
the Fall Semester starts in early September and ends in mid December. The
Spring Semester starts in early February and ends in mid May. Please
consult our current schedules and calendar for class selection. For
Colleges, Departments and Course Descriptions, consult the course
catalogue.
CALENDAR:
Wednesday
January28th - Students arrive
Friday
January 30th - Open House / Orientation
Monday
February 2nd - Classes start
Mon.-Fri.
March 16th - 20th Midterm exam week
Mon.-Fri
March 23th - 27th Spring Break
Monday March
30th Classes resume
Monday April
13th Easter Monday
Saturday
April 25th Liberation Day
Thursday May
1 Labor Day
Monday
-Friday May 11th -15th Final Exams
Friday May
15th Last day of class
Saturday May
16th Housing check-out
UP
Tuition Fee:
€ 5,300 for up to 15 credit hours of
solid academic courses comparable to your home college.
Student Service Fee: Semester 200 €
Application fee: 115 € (not
refundable)
Pick up from Florence Airport: 55 €
UP
The Premises
The seat of the University is located
in the historic Palazzo Doni, just a few steps from the splendid Piazza
Santa Croce in the quarter of Florence that takes its name from the
celebrated church. During the Renaissance period the Palazzo Doni housed
famous works of art: the most significant of these is Michelangelo's round
painting, the so called Tondo Doni, now in the Uffizi Gallery. The Great Renaissance
painter Raphael lived in the palace while painting the portraits of the
proprietor Agnolo Doni and Maddalena Strozzi; a marble plaque marking his
stay can be found in the archway connecting the courtyard to the street
thus sealing his presence and artistic spirit within the walls of the
present-day institution.
The students therefore operate and
cultivate their experiences in a suggestive and pervasive frame of
influence dating back to an illustrious past. Upon entering the two palaces
that house the university, students find themselves immersed in a modern,
minimalist interior in which carefully preserved vestiges of the past
manifest themselves in a harmonious environment dedicated to the
advancement of artistic disciplines. One has the possibility of learning
the latest technological procedures of a given media such as video in a
lecture hall graced by original Renaissance wooden ceiling beams and other
such architectural gems that abound in the interiors and exteriors of both
the Palazzo Doni and Palazzo Guicciardini-Strozzi, located just across the
street.
The interior workspaces of the
University are extremely well outfitted whether for laboratorial and
hands-on or theoretic courses. The three Media Labs are used for courses in
Digital Photography, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Fashion &
Accessory Design, and Videoproduction. The Painting Room in Palazzo Doni,
dedicated to Raphael, is a vast and well equipped space, illuminated by
numerous windows that give a prominent view overlooking the Biblioteca
Nazionale. The study spaces dedicated to the students are very comfortable
and include a spacious library with reading room, stations for online
research, and an open computer lab composed of twenty workstations
featuring internet access. In addition, there is an Art Lab for Ceramics
and other disciplines such as Mixed Media and Sculpture, a technologically
advanced Dark Room for classic photography, and Jewelry laboratories.
These same areas are utilized as
gallery space for occasions such as student exhibitions and temporary
events that unfold in an exterior panorama equally rich in historical
context. The heart of Palazzo Strozzi, the outdoor courtyard around which
the edifice is structured, has virtually unchanged since original construction
and lends a breathing openness to the palazzo thanks to large windows
facing towards the courtyard. The rear garden courtyard flanking the Arno
side of Palazzo Guiccardini provides an elegant outdoor component to the
above-mentioned events with its trellised, plant-adorned walls and
expansive views of the Oltrarno district of Florence.
The University offers the possibility
of studying while living immersed in a culturally advanced atmosphere that
has rendered Florence one of the most famous art centers in the world. Our
students have the advantage of exercising the continuous evolution of
artistic practice and theory supported by two architectural bastions that
keep alive Florentine tradition, culture, and the unforgettable moment in
human history we call the Renaissance.
UP
Admissions
STUDENT VISAS
Non EU students applying for semester,
one-year, or 2-year programs are required to obtain a student visa.
Students must apply for their visa at the Italian Consulate having jurisdiction
over their place of residence or current school. In order to assure a
timely processing of visas, the student (or their parents on their behalf)
should go to the Consulate as early as possible but no sooner than three
months prior to the start of the program.
We strongly recommend that students DO
NOT wait until the holiday period (Thanksgiving/Christmas/Hanukkah/Easter
and so on). Not only can the wait be lengthy, it also makes the turnaround time
for visa issuance longer than usual. The visa will not be issued the same
day.
Most nationalities can be granted
their visa in 48 hours; for
some nationalities however a three-week period is required for processing.
The University will provide the necessary letter of acceptance for the
student in order to complete the visa application process. The letter of
acceptance will be issued only when full tuition is paid and your visa will
be issued only for the length of time you are enrolled at the Florence
University of the Arts.
For more information about the Italian
Consulate in your jurisdiction please check the Italian Consulate web page:
COUNSELING AND ADVISING
The University offers counseling
services to all students through its full time advisors; a Japanese
speaking counselor is also available. Advisors are available to offer
assistance with personal and culture shock issues, which otherwise could
affect the students' experience abroad.
The advisors also organize and take
part in a calendar of activities, both cultural and food-related, planned
in advance for each term.
ORIENTATION
At the beginning of each term students
participate in an orientation session which covers the city, the school and
its policies, and a profile of Italian culture. Students are encouraged by
our advisors and coordinators to discover for themselves the many different
aspects of our city and region. Orientation also includes the entrance exam
for Italian language, which determines each student's appropriate language
level.
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Accomodation
GENERAL INFORMATION
Morini & Rossi SAS and Florence
University of the Arts offer Housing Assistance Services with the sole
intention of facilitating the students’ study abroad experience, but we do not
own or lease apartments: we rather make easier for students to find (and
enjoy) the most satisfactory housing option during their stay in Florence.
Students are not obliged to secure housing with Florence University of the
Arts, and are free to make their own private accommodation plans, without
the School’s Assistance.
All apartments are located within the
city centre, except for homestay accommodation in families, that can be
outside the centre. Florence is a relatively small and safe city, where the
best way to move around is walking: therefore apartments are hardly farther
than 30 minutes walking or 15 minutes by bus from the School.
Although they’re very different from
each other, all apartments give the opportunity to enjoy a pleasant stay a
few steps from major attractions of Florence. All apartments are
non-smoking, completely furnished and equipped with bed linens, bath
towels, basic pots and pans, television set and washing machine. Some may
have air conditioning and wireless internet available at extra charge.
The rent period begins the day before
the program starting date and ends the day after the last day of class. The
check-in time is only from 10 am to 7 pm on check-in day, while the check-
out time must be no later than 12 (noon) on check-out day. In case of
delays or other unforeseen problems, students must contact as soon as
possible the Housing coordinator, in order to update them on the new
arrival schedule. Arriving late at night or at a time other than scheduled
without having informed the housing coordinator may imply staying at a
hotel for the first night.
Students will be responsible for any
damages to their apartment or its furnishing. A security deposit
(alternatively, a credit card swipe), is requested to each student at the
check-in. This 100% refundable deposit is requested by the housing provider
to be guaranteed against damages or some other failure of the tenant, and
it corresponds approximately to 30% of the total housing cost.
Rent payment is due prior to receiving
the housing assignment and must be done by sending a check payable to
Morini & Rossi or Florence University of the Arts, bank wire transfer,
money order or credit card.
Please note:
We will make reservations for students
who request housing up to the registration deadline. Apartments will be
assigned on a first reservation basis depending on availability. According
to their request, students will be assigned a single, double or triple
bedroom in a fully furnished apartment that will be shared with other
students. If a student’s housing request cannot be honoured, the student
will be informed and assigned according to availability.
Students will not be able to choose
their apartment or change roommates. Any rooming preference must be
specified on the housing request form.
Students are not allowed to check into
their apartments before the check-in date or to check out of their
apartments after check-out date.
Costs of apartments:
>> SEMESTER Session Rent -
student shared apartments
Includes utilities and final cleaning
(see note below).
• Double-occupancy room - Euro 2,200.
• Single-occupancy room limited
availability, (first-come, first-served) Euro 2,850.
Please note:
Housing costs include:
> Housing application fee
> Semester rent, with fixed check-in
and check-out dates as specified above
> Repairs not caused by tenant
negligence or carelessness.
> € 50 per month for utilities
(water, gas, electricity) and a final cleaning fee.
Housing costs do not include:
> Meals
> Damage caused by misuse,
negligence, and carelessness.
> Extra cleanings upon request
> Refundable security deposit
Students leaving their apartments
dirty will be charged. Excessive use of gas/electricity and/or required
extra cleaning will result in additional charges.
Costs of Homestay:
Single room: Half Board Euro 35-40 a
day
Bed & Breakfast Euro 25-30 a day
Double rooms: Available at a slightly
lower rate, only upon request depending on availability.
UP
What we offer:
• Carefully selected living
accommodations in clean, pleasant city center lodgings
• Personal cell phone assignment prior
to departure and pick-up upon arrival and Internet access at the school’s
Internet center
• US Academic credit
• Academic Programs taught in
English
• Orientation: three day (semester
programs) or two day (Summer programs) in-depth orientation, Welcome
Reception and events
• 24 hour emergency support line
• Weekly cultural activities
• Program inclusive excursions
• Farewell evening: reception and dinner with all
students
• Optional excursions offered at an additional cost for
each program site
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