Program Dates
Approx. January 8th - April 30th, 2014 *
Application Fee
$125
Base Program Fee
$11,950
The Program Fee includes tuition and program expenses. Click on Program Fee for details.
International airfare and personal expenses are not included in the Program Fee and are the responsiblity of the participant.
Eligibility
This program is open to all undergraduate students who have earned 45 semester credit hours (i.e., at least second semester sophomore standing) by January of next year, including undergraduate students who do not attend George Mason University.
Placement and credits earned are based on your proficiency and previous language study.
Credits
Students must enroll in 15 undergraduate credits. All students will take an Italian Language (3 or 6 credits) and the Director's class. Other course options are listed to the right. This program is for "resident" credit (counts the same way a class would if taken at the Fairfax campus), and not "transfer" credit!
Housing
Apartments or homestays
See different options and costs under the Program Details section.
Excursions
A 300 euro stipend will be available for student excursions in conjunction with the Centro Fiorenza. In the past, students have toured Rome, Chianti, the Carnival in Venice, the "Best of Tuscany," Verona, and Cinque Terre, to name a few of the most popular options.
Application Deadline
October 4, 2013
For your convenience, you can refer to the following documents to help you plan for your semester in Florence:
- Estimated Cost of Attendance (coming soon)
Contact
Erin Mateu via email or by calling 703.993.3864 or toll free at 866.468.1243. The toll free number does not accept calls from the 703 or 571 area code.
The Academic Director

Professor Martin Sherwin
Department of History and Art History
Martin J. Sherwin is University Professor of History at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Before moving to GMU in 2007 he was the Walter S. Dickson Professor of English and American History at Tufts University for 27 years. His recent book, American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer (with Kai Bird) won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for biography, the National Book Critics Circle Award for biography and the English Speaking Union Book Award. It was a Washington Post and Boston Globe Best Seller.
Click here to read more...
While in Florence, Dr. Sherwin will offer a History 393 course entitled, "World War II in Memory & Myth: The Axis and the Allies in Italy," which will be cross-listed with History 499 for eligible History majors.
This is an interdiciplinary course combining history, fim, and literature. The course flyer is available in PDF form below (just click on the image to download):
The perfect introduction to Italian art, culture, history and language, this spring semester study abroad program in Florence is sure to please.
Led by George Mason University Professor Martin Sherwin, this study abroad program is open to any undergraduate student who has earned 45 semester credit hours (sophomore, junior or senior standing) by January 2014, including non-Mason undergraduate students.
It was during the Middle Ages and Renaissance Era that Florence became the cultural hub of Europe, where artists like Leonardo DaVinci and Michelangelo, architects like Brunelleschi, and writers like Dante flourished. The evidence of their achievements is still present throughout Florence in palaces, squares, churches, monuments, and museums.
These days, Florence is an active commercial center for business, banking, fashion, and the production of leather goods. The innumerable artistic treasures and natural beauty of the Tuscan countryside attracts students from all over the world who come to Florence as their place for an unforgettable study abroad experience. This unique city will be yours to absorb, explore, taste, marvel, and enjoy for an entire semester! Excursions are also included in the program's fee!
Host Institution: Centro Fiorenza
Participants are based at the Centro Fiorenza, founded in 1982 and located right in the center of Florence in a prestigious seventeenth century palace called Palazzo Guicciardini. The former palace overlooks Florence's beautiful Arno River and the famous Ponte Vecchio (captured in the image below). The Italian language instruction (3 credits of beginning, intermediate or advanced Italian) that participants will receive from the Centro Fiorenza's staff is top notch. Classes typically meet four days a week, allowing students ample opportunity to travel throughout Italy and Europe on the weekends and during Spring Break in March.
Academic Host: CAPA International
The course options for 2014 have been revised following our new partnership with CAPA International and we are happy to offer a wide selection of course options. While abroad, each student takes one Italian Language course at the Centro Fiorenza and the Academic Director's course (3 credits) also at the Centro Fiorenza, as well as 9 other credits with CAPA to equal 15 credits total.
Nota Bene
Students studying beginning Italian language will also have the option of taking a 6 credit beginning Italian language course at Centro, the Academic Director's course (3 credits) and then six credits with CAPA.
Mason resident credits are listed in parenthesis below, next to the CAPA course once Mason academic units have approved them.
| Subject | Course |
|---|---|
| Art (drawing, painting, scultpure) | Beginning Drawing Beginning Watercolor Beginning Figurative Sculpture Beginning Oil Painting |
| Art History | Renaissance Art History (ARTH 399) History of Italian Art from Antiquity to Baroque (ARTH 399) History of Italian Art from the Renaissance to the 20th Century (ARTH 303) |
| Economics / Politics | Impact of Globalization on European Markets Political Economic History of Europe |
| Communication | Introduction to Photo Journalism (NCLC 399) |
| Film and Video Studies | Contemporary Italy on the Screen |
| English and Literature | Contemporary Italian Literature Self Memory and Expression Medieval and Renaissance Litterature Writing Florence |
| History / Sociology and Anthropology | Undertstanding Modern Italy: Anthropology of Contemporary Italian Society Analyzing andExploring the Global City |
| Psychology | Cross Cultural Psychology (PSYC 379) |
Check out this great video, made by particpants on the Spring 2010 semester program with George Mason professor of English, Dr. Paul Rogers, which is sure to inspire your own Italian adventures!!
Dates: Approx. January 8th - April 30th, 2014*
You should plan to leave the United States by January 7th in order to arrive in Florence for the first day of the program. You can schedule your return to the United States from Florence for the last day of the program or choose to travel independently.
Do not purchase international airfare until you are advised by your Program Officer.
Base Program Fee: $11,950
The Center for Gobal Education Program Fee includes:
- Tuition
- Housing double occupancy self-catering accommodations in student apartments
- Stipend for Cultural field trips and Local excursions
- Pre-departure orientation
- Arrival Orientation at Centro Fiorenza
- Emergency medical insurance, including medical evacuation and repatriation
- Administrative fees at Centro Fiorenza, CAPA International and at George Mason University
The Program Fee for a single room in a shared apartment rather than a double-occupancy room is $13,110.
The Program Fee for a homestay* in an Italian home with a shared room is $13,980.
The Program Fee for a homestay* in an Italian home with a single room is $15,140.
*Homestays inclulde breakfast and dinner.
Mason students may use financial aid to cover a program's cost. Discuss this with your financial aid counselor early in your study abroad planning process. If you are not a George Mason University student, check with your study abroad office or office of financial aid to learn more about how to cover the cost of your study abroad.
How to Apply
Consult the How to Apply section for detailed instructions. Start by completing the online application. Pay the $125 application fee.
Follow the Application Checklist that you can download here.
Note that all supplemental documents are required by the application deadline. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Contact the Program Officer for further application forms and instructions specific to your program.
*CGE reserves the right to make changes to a program in light of currency fluctuations, changing security and safety conditions, or any other unforeseen circumstances.
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