Study Abroad | Florence

This program is designed for students who wish to study multiple courses from a broad range of subjects focusing on Italian life and culture including Italian language, art history, drawing, entrepreneurship, fashion, history, marketing, painting, photography and sociology. All courses carry a recommended 3 credits and students generally take 2 courses for a total of 6 credits. All courses are taught in English apart from Italian language.

You can combine the Liberal Arts and Business summer program with May Term programs in Florence as below.

Students who take both the May Term and Session 1 Liberal Arts and Business programs can earn up to 9 credits over 7 weeks.

Students who take the Wine Marketing Program in May and Liberal Arts and Business Session 1 program can earn up to 9 credits over 7 weeks.

Students taking the Soccer Program in May and Liberal Arts and Business Session 1 programs can earn up to 9 credits over 7 weeks.

Students taking both the optional Rome and Venice excursions can take an Italian Art: Selected Topics course for an additional 1- credit.

The Study + Internship program combines practical work experience in a foreign country with structured preparation and reflection opportunities. The course consists of 15 contact hours of seminars and workshops plus 120 hours of supervised unpaid work placement (3 credits). Alongside the internship seminars and work placements, students are required to enroll in the hybrid course SOCI 360 – Italian Culture and Traditions (3 credits) to complement their preparation.

Students taking both the Rome and Venice excursions can earn an additional credit when they register for Italian Art: Selected Topics.

The Program offers a guaranteed internship in your desired career field, award-winning professional development program, résumé, cover letter, and interview prep, on-site orientations, full-time local staff and 24/7 support, LinkedIn profile coaching, and post-program career development toolkit. Students will engage in work experience with organizations in business, hospitality, tourism management, fashion, art, marketing and event planning. The experience is designed to be relevant to the student’s academic pursuits, personal development, and professional preparation.

The internship provides students with the opportunity to gain experience in workplace settings and to translate classroom learning into practice. It is a substantive career development experience with the intent being for the student to be exposed to business ideas and concepts while being mentored. Doing analysis, contributing to decisions, and communicating meaningful ideas should form the bulk of the work, although some low skill work (for example, data entry and making phone calls) can be a part of the assignment. At the end of the internship experience, students will be able to reflect on their personal and professional growth and begin seeing themselves on their career path.

While every internship is different, AIFS has adopted the internship definition recommended by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE.) The criteria are as follows:

• The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
• The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
• The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
• There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.
• There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience. The experienced supervisor will provide routine feedback.
• There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals. Students are expected
• to dress and behave professionally throughout their internship assignment and adhere to the agreed-upon internship standards and requirements as described by GE and the host organizations.

Internship locations: internships can be arranged in a wide range of relevant areas including fashion companies, artisans’ workshops, design brands, galleries, museums, hotel chains and tour operators.