The SoA offers an annual Spring semester program based in Rome and Istanbul for our eligible fourth-year undergraduate students, a program sited in two of the most architecturally significant cities in the world:
ROME: Working from our studio in the historic center, students spend 3 months immersed within a city unprecedented in its architectural and urban history. Making use of this city as a vast in situ classroom, Rome’s historic center affords our students a densely layered urban laboratory. Simultaneously, the contemporary metropolis of Rome offers up myriad lessons concerning global forces shaping major metropolitan centers throughout the industrialized world. Living in this city – becoming attuned to its daily routines – students become enmeshed by the living culture of Rome, one in which design — in its myriad manifestations — enjoys a central significance and ubiquitous visibility.
ISTANBUL: Following their time in Rome, students spend 3 weeks exploring the dazzling urban tapestry that is Istanbul, a city straddling two continents and often referred to as the ‘Crossroads of the World’. While there, our students work in teams together with Turkish architecture students on a weeklong design workshop, with a focus on characteristic urbanistic and cultural topics specific to Istanbul. The program finishes up with a weeklong field trip visiting the ancient cities along Türkiye’s Aegean Coast.
Hear from our students!
Having the opportunity to participate in the Rome program has been an extraordinarily enriching experience. At the university, we learn to analyze site context with our projects, and being able to experience it firsthand in Rome’s historical environment has been eye-opening! You’re not just experiencing a new culture, but you are also constantly engaging with it not just in Rome, but all around Italy. Studying abroad is one of the best college experiences, and my advice to prospective students is to chase and seize these opportunities. The time you spend abroad is truly one-of-a-kind. The memories you make and experiences you have will go a long way with you in not just your academic journey but your personal as well.
– Sydney Ly
The most significant advantage of a study abroad program is the chance to experience a different culture firsthand. This program has allowed me access to unique academic resources and gained exposure to new teaching methods. The city’s architectural design challenges your existing knowledge and perception, offering opportunities to explore the unfamiliar and embrace novel experiences; winding paths, large plazas, and ancient ruins are all immersed into one city. Academics aside, I was able to venture into the city and learn from the people themselves. Being a native Spanish speaker, it was easier to understand the language and try to start a conversation. This led to countless hours in shops, markets, and even getting a personal barber in the three months spent there. – Heloys Gomez
Studying abroad allowed me to experience things I never could have imagined. Learning and observing the history, culture, and architecture of both countries has helped me grow as a student and future architect. Making Rome my ‘home’ for 3 months, studying the city’s architecture in person, and becoming fully immersed in the culture (including of course, the food), was life-changing, as was experiencing many other cities and small towns through class trips, and working on a project alongside fellow architecture students from a Turkish university (providing us with great guides of Istanbul and new friends). I look back on this semester as a time that I learned a lot, both in and out of the classroom and I realized the extensive possibilities of my role as an architect. – Megan Fowler
This program was a life-changing experience and a critical addition to my education. In addition to experiencing the culture and societies of those we visited, we learned about concepts of space, form, and architectural ornament from some of the best professors in the field! I wouldn’t trade the lessons and experiences I had with my classmates for anything, and would recommend others to take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity during their education. Invest in yourself and see what the world has to offer for you. – Allen Tucker
Being able to study abroad was quite literally the greatest experience of my life. I was the first to venture outside of the US in my family, and now that I’ve gotten a taste of it, I have to do it again. Italy is a place that you can’t experience in pictures. Being surrounded by all of that beauty and history is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life. The curriculum is great. There were walking tours that made learning history exciting, amazing food, and wonderful field trips. I even made sure to test out my Italian at every opportunity possible! If I could give any piece of advice, it would be this: do everything in your power to make sure that you go. – Briaunna Boyd
My study abroad experience was the best part of my time in college. Living in Rome, you truly experience and embrace a different lifestyle. The design workshop with Turkish universities during the trip was an unforgettable learning experience, as the students were all welcoming. These programs are amazing opportunities to learn about architecture and its close ties to culture, history, social engagement, and art. I certainly believe that this experience has helped us all grow as future architects, urban planners, designers, and people. I would go back in an instant! – Juliana Card
My time in Italy has inspired my work as an architecture student by encouraging me to consider the effects of my work more carefully on future generations. For example, Italy surrounds its visitors in architecture, having winding alleyways, ancient footpaths, expansive public piazzas, and other planning elements designed for the pedestrian which had me rethink the American model of designing for cars. This experience has allowed me to immerse myself in another culture, another language, another world. – Sydney Garceau
Living and studying in Italy definitely opened my mind to new possibilities. I honestly did not know what to expect, leaving America for the first time and living somewhere completely new, thousands of miles away from everything I know. But thanks to my support system of classmates and professors, the transition went smoothly and before I knew it it felt like I’d been living there for years. I am extremely grateful for not just the opportunity to visit another country, but to live there and participate in day-to-day life. – Christine Lauture
Studying and living in Rome and Istanbul was a truly excellent experience for me both as a scholar and as a person. As a lover of architecture and history, exploring the historic centers every day was a true joy. It was not simply the historic however that enchanted me, but living the palimpsest of the modern constructions and ways of life that truly made the experience more than worthwhile. It resets one’s brain in a cultural, linguistic and architectural sense that opens the door for far more creative designs and explorations of possibilities. I believe this an experience I will remember forever. – Al’mahn Wilson
financial aid & scholarships
Students who participate in approved programs abroad and who will receive the UNC Charlotte equivalent of full-time academic credit for the term of their experience abroad are eligible to put their financial aid towards their study abroad expenses. Additionally, students may be eligible to apply for scholarships specifically for study abroad through UNC Charlotte Education Abroad, other departments at UNC Charlotte, or through external organizations. See some of students’ most frequently asked questions below, and visit the Office of Education Abroad website for more details.
Can I wait to make my Rome/Istanbul payments until my aid or scholarship funds are disbursed in the spring?
You bet! You must just be sure you’ve filled out the “EA Balance Deferment Request” form in the study abroad portal with “yes” responses. This lets EA know not to expect your payments until January when spring term aid/scholarship funds will be disbursed. All payments can be deferred (or postponed) until January, besides the deposit that you’ve all already paid.
How do I apply scholarship/aid funds to Rome payments?
Annoyingly, your UNC Charlotte student account and our study abroad portal don’t really “communicate” – there’s no easy way to transfer funds between them. So, once your aid or scholarship funds are sent to your UNC Charlotte student account in the spring, you can withdraw those funds to your personal bank account on file. Then, make the study abroad payments via credit card in our portal, and “pay yourself back” using the funds you had already withdrawn. I know it’s complicated!
What is my UNC Charlotte student account?
This is the easiest one to answer, because it’s the same place you would normally pay your on-campus tuition at my.charlotte.edu –> “My Student Account” on the middle-left of the screen.
QUESTIONS?
Contact program director and Associate Professor Jeff Balmer.
WANT TO SEE MORE?
For additional info, please visit our Instagram, @rsoa_roma!
