BU’s Padua programs take place in a lively town that’s home to one of the oldest universities in the world. The Padua Internship Program, offered only in fall semesters and designed for those with all levels of Italian language skills, provides students with the opportunity to develop their professional skills in one of Italy’s top economic and communications hubs. Classes are taught at the BU Padua Center, where students take elective courses in English or Italian and participate in an academic internship for credit.
Requirements & Considerations
- All students must enroll according to, and remain in compliance with, the Boston University Study Abroad Course Load Policy.
- No previous coursework in Italian is required
- Students wishing to take electives in Italian need to have completed 4th-semester Italian or the equivalent
- Some courses may carry prerequisites
- Admissions Requirements for all programs
Curriculum
Please note that a minimum enrollment is necessary for a BU Padua course to be offered for the semester, and availability is subject to change. All courses are taught by local faculty. Upon successful completion of the program, students earn 16 Boston University Credits.
Required Courses
Required Course List
Italian Language
Students with no prior knowledge of Italian are required to enroll in First-Semester Italian.
- CAS LI 111 First-Semester Italian (4 credits)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Individual in Community
- Begins with a Core Phase of 2-weeks with 2-hour session, 4 days a week. At the end of the Core Phase the course is scheduled with 2-hour sessions twice a week.
- Aims at presenting communicative functions and exposes students to real life situations and language (at work, in town, at university, etc.).
- Includes specific vocabulary sessions and some cultural aspects of Italy, so that students can better integrate and comprehend Italian language and culture. On-site activities are part of the course.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
Internship Phase
The internship phase of the program starts after the 2-week Core phase. During this time, students will participate in an internship either in English or Italian with local organizations in the greater Padua area for about 15 hours a week Monday-Friday and will be enrolled in an internship course. The internship course focuses on the main cultural, historical, political and economic issues related to the Italian job market. Thanks to an intercultural perspective, the main internship-related topics will be discussed on both national and local levels in comparison with the US work environment. Special attention will be given to the greater Padua area and the Veneto region that host the internship program and placements. Internship placements are determined with the assistance of the BU Padua Internship Coordinator.
Internship Course
Study Abroad will enroll students in a non-credit Hub co-curricular and in a four-credit internship course, which includes a classroom component. The four-credit course number will depend on the area of specialization in which the student completes his or her internship. Placements are contingent upon students' past experiences, language abilities, professional interests, and available opportunities in any given semester, so flexibility is essential. Upon successful completion of the internship experience, students will receive a Hub unit in the area Individual in Community from the co-curricular HUB SA 330.
- Non-credit Hub Co-curricular: HUB SA 330 Study Abroad Internship
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- Individual in Community
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- SHA HF 390 Field Placement in Hospitality Administration (4)
- Work in historic café, hotels, and hospitality services. Past internships have included Hotel Majestic Toscanelli, Hotel Tritone Thermae & SPA, Idea Food & Beverages Padova Convention and Visitors' Bureau, internationally renowned historic Caffè Pedrocchi.
Elective Courses
Students choose two or three courses from those offered at the BU Padua Center, taught in English or Italian.
Language Courses
- CAS LI 211 Third-Semester Italian (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Individual in Community
- Prerequisite: two semesters of college-level Italian, or placement exam results.
- Intended for students with a satisfactory background in elementary Italian who require extensive review of basic structures, verbs, and related essentials. Review, emphasis on composition skills, and conversation. Reading and discussion of short articles and stories.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
Courses Taught in English
- CAS AH 349 Between the Lily and the Lion: Art in Renaissance Padua (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Aesthetic Exploration
- Historical Consciousness
- Introduction to art history with regard to notable works of art and architecture of the Middle Ages and Renaissance in Padua, Venice and Florence. Exploration by on-site visits and experience of the cultural context in which works were created.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS HI 263 Modern Italian History (4)
- This course follows the history of Italy’s rapid transformation from agricultural economy to industrial and post-industrial country. Starting from Italy’s “liberal” period of 1870s through World War I, the course then introduces students to Fascism and the Mussolini era. From post-war republicanism, the course moves on to the 1970s, and traces the historical roots of current economic crises and issues. On-site classes are part of this course.
- Syllabus
- SHA HF 323/CAS SO 333 Italian Food Culture and Society: Foundations, Transitions and Representations (4)Effective
Fall '24- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Social Inquiry I
- Ethical Reasoning
- The Italian food industry from economic, cultural, and social perspectives. Special attention paid to producers, product quality and certification, and relationships to the land and regional cultures. How is the industry evolving to offer consumers up-to-date products while remaining anchored in Italian tradition? Taught through a combination of lectures, seminars by industry experts, case studies, and company visits.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS IR 334 European Politics and Policy Challenges: Italy and the United States (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Individual In Community
- Social Inquiry II
- Explores the birth of the European Union and the Europeanization concept. Through a comparative approach, students explore important topics for the EU, including migration, human rights and security policies, gender distribution in the political institutions, foreign and environmental policies.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CFA MH 340 Italian Music: From Renaissance to 20th Century Avant-Garde (4)Effective
Fall '23- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Aesthetic Exploration
- Historical Consciousness
- The course examines the history, evolution, and main aesthetic features of Italian music from the 16th century to the mid-20th century. Italy played a central role in the development of music, witnessing the birth of opera, the cantata, oratorio, sonata, concerto, and symphony, all of which were disseminated internationally, creating a cohesive, international musical style. The main aim of the course is to provide students with a comprehensive view on the making and developments of the main Italian music genres, from Renaissance to post-WWII Avant-gardes.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
Courses Taught in Italian
Please note: Some courses may carry language prerequisites as indicated in course syllabi.
- CAS HI 260 The Venetian Republic: Rise and Fall of a Global Power (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Historical Consciousness
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- Research and Information Literacy
- Founded around the 5th-6th century by former Roman fleeing the barbarian invasions, Venice has been for centuries one of the strongest and most powerful political entities. Venice was for centuries one of the most powerful political global powers until its fall in 1797.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS LI 308 Venetian Landscapes: A Contemporary Grand Tour (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Global Citizenship & Intercultural Literacy
- Oral and/or Signed Communication
- Prerequisite: CAS LI 212, fourth-semester college-level Italian, or the equivalent.
- The Veneto region, where Padua always played and still plays a lively cultural role, has inspired artists, musicians, writers throughout the centuries. Johann W. Goethe, Lord Byron and Henry James, among others, wrote beautiful memories of their Italian journeys and left us extraordinary depictions of cities like Padua, Venice and Verona, surrounded by hills, mountains, lagoons and rural landscapes. Following the path of these famous travelers, the course aims to offer students the opportunity to discover the Veneto region through literary and cultural experiences. By means of on-site lessons, readings and field trips, students are able to recognize the local identity that deepens its roots into the landscape (natural and human), culture (progress and tradition), language (Italian and dialect), history and society.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS LI 355 Italian Migrant Literature (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Aesthetic Exploration
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- Writing-Intensive Course
- Prerequisite: 4 semesters of college level Italian or the equivalent
- While at the end of the Nineteenth Century and the first half of the Twentieth Century, Italy was a country of emigration, recent history shows that it has become the country of destination for many people. This change concerns diverse aspects of life at various levels: social, anthropological, economic, but also linguistic and cultural. The course introduces students to different aspects of Italian migrant literature (e.g. history, style, topics) from its appearing in the late Eighties to today. Students will approach literary works written by authors with different intercultural backgrounds.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
Housing & Student Services
University Dormitory
The Collegio Don Mazza Residence is a private college and has 3 main residence halls in close proximity to each other.
- All students live in furnished double rooms with en suite bathroom
- Students will room with another student from the program or an Italian student
- Partial board included: 5 dinner meals a week (Monday-Friday)
- Communal coffee rooms and possibility to use communal kitchen for breakfast preparation
- Weekly cleaning service
- Wi-Fi, study halls with air conditioning, library, conference room, information center, music room, newspaper and TV room, gym for residents only.
- Irons and coin operated laundry facilities
- Housing locations are within 2 miles of BU Padua Center.
- Limited single rooms may be available, for an additional charge.
Program Dates
- Fall Semester: late August to mid December
Application Timeline
This program follows rolling admissions and may fill before the official deadline.
Fall Semester
- Applications Open December 15
- Applications Deadline March 15
This program is rolling admissions; applications are reviewed once all application materials are received, prior to all deadlines. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all required materials are received by the BU Study Abroad office. Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible as some programs and internship tracks have limited space and may fill up before the deadline. Submitting a complete application prior to the application deadline, does not guarantee acceptance. Students will be emailed an admissions decision within three weeks of a completed application.
Information for BU Students Awaiting an Admissions Decision and exceptions to the standard admission calendar for all students can be found here.
Cost & Financial Considerations
- 2024/2025 Tuition and Fees: $26,882
Cost includes tuition, housing, partial board, program related activities, administrative fee, overseas medical insurance, and emergency evacuation coverage. - Estimated program budget, including cost of living expenses.
- Grants and Scholarships available.
