Full Semester
The Molise Italian Studies Full Semester is not a traditional study abroad program. You will gain valuable experience within your field of study and give back to your host community through meaningful participation in the lives of its citizens. The foundation of this exchange is Community-Based Global Learning , including Italian language immersion , host families, Global Intercultural Citizenship education, and customized internships. Upon completion of the program, you will receive a Certificate of Intercultural Citizenship, the Global Competence Certificate, and a transcript from Northern Arizona University detailing your studies and service. Our program is open to gap year students, college students, and unaffiliated lifelong learners. Explore our Full Semester Program below.
Front-load Intercultural Citizenship concepts and skills vital to a successful semester abroad, then implement your Intercultural Citizenship skills through a homestay, internship placement, and community-focused project. Consolidate at home through career preparation and re-integration support.
- Pre-departure support & preparation
- MIS 304 – Global Competency, Health and Identity (*3 credits)
- 4-hour virtual pre-departure workshop
- Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI®) & debrief
- Global Competence Certificate program
- Being Well Abroad Mental Health program
- CulturaGo culture-specific modules
- Customized internship placement (*6 credits)
- Intensive Italian course through University of Molise (*3 credits)
- Community-Focused Project in Molise
- Implementation of Intercultural Citizenship course (*3 credits)
- Intercultural communication and teamwork
- Conflict management
- Cultural awareness & Italian culture
- Social justice concepts
- Mindfulness
- 24-hour on-site support, 4 local outings, & 4-day trip to Rome
- Career preparation & re-integration support
- Collaborative Action Project at home
*A total of 15 US credits are available through our school of record, Northern Arizona University.
- In order to ensure success in your homestay and internship, your Italian proficiency must be at least CEFR level B1 (this can usually be reached through two semesters of college-level Italian). If you have only one semester of Italian and/or have not achieved B1 proficiency, you may consider enrolling in an MIS Online Academic Italian course.
- During the first three weeks of your time on-site, you will enroll in an intensive 45-hour Italian language course at the University of Molise in Campobasso–customized for our program and tailored to your individual needs and level of experience–to ensure communicative competence in your homestay and service placement.
- To ensure continued progress, you will meet weekly with a conversation group or partner for the duration of your stay, and you will live and work in an immersive, yet supportive, environment, providing you the chance to develop your language skills quickly and effectively.
- CILS certification of Italian as a foreign language may be available.
- You will live with an extensively pre-screened local host family, chosen specifically for you based on your housing preferences.
- Your host family will provide friendly support and a home away from home.
- You will enjoy daily authentic Italian breakfasts and home-cooked family dinners.
- You will benefit from informal & immersive Italian conversation.
“Intercultural competence is the ability to communicate and act appropriately and effectively across cultural differences.”–Tara Harvey , True North Intercultural
As the keystone of our program, designed around the Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI®) and Global Competence Certificate, you will complete a comprehensive pair of Intercultural Citizenship classes. In small and personal cohorts, you will be guided by expert and caring instructors who are IDI® Qualified Administrators and GCC Qualified Facilitators, extensively trained in facilitating intercultural competence.- You will first establish the
foundations of Intercultural Citizenship by front-loading concepts and skills vital to a successful semester abroad. Through self-reflective assignments designed to facilitate actionable change towards growth as an interculturally competent professional, you will develop cultural awareness and adaptability, strategies to manage communication and conflict, tools and knowledge for advancing social justice, and specific insights about Italy & Molise.
- You will first establish the
- You will continue to develop your Intercultural Citizenship on-site while
implementing your expanding skill set in your homestay and internship placements. You will also, in collaboration with local stakeholders, make a substantive contribution to the preservation and promotion of Molise’s cultural heritage by completing a community-focused project that addresses a complex question, problem or challenge in Molise. Through a series of virtual re-entry sessions you will consolidate your experience abroad and apply your Intercultural Citizenship skills–not only to advance your professional career, but also to implement positive, effective, and sustainable change towards a more just and equitable society.
- You will continue to develop your Intercultural Citizenship on-site while
“Given the grave global challenges facing humans in the 21st century, learning how to live together becomes an imperative. The growth of violent extremism, the mounting migration and displacement crises, and the rise of divisive political populism have underscored the need of expanding, consolidating, and intensifying dialogue among peoples with different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, contributing thus to counter hate speeches and to foster a culture of peace.” Darla Deardorff , UNESCO Manual for Developing Intercultural Competencies: Story Circles, 2020
- You will gain valuable career experience and give back to the local community through your customized internship placement.
- Your placement will be in a mutually agreed upon town and business according to your course of study.
- You will work approximately 30 hours per week.
- Some of the almost boundless fields of study with internship opportunities include:
- Agriculture
- Apprenticeships in leathercrafting, cobbling, or knifemaking
- Archaeology
- Art, Art History, and/or Restoration
- Business, Marketing, and Advertising
- Communication
- Counseling & Social Services
- Culinary Arts
- Education
- Engineering (almost any specialty, including applied engineering at Agnone’s bell foundry)
- Environmental Conservation
- History
- Hospitality & Tourism
- Italian Studies & Language
- Law
- Library Science
- Medicine (including Homeopathy)
- Music & Music History
- Outdoor Adventures
- Photography
- Religion
- Sociology
- Veterinary & Animal Science
- Writing
- We will welcome you at the airport and provide transportation to Campobasso.
- Through our International Ambassador program, a local student or resident will serve as your guide as you adjust to the culture and environment of Molise, and will be a point of contact throughout your stay.
- Our orientation will introduce you to our program, your host family, your service placement, and Molise.
- We will take you on a guided exploration of Campobasso and the surrounding area.
- Our program includes a 4-day guided excursion to Rome, multiple Molise-based cultural, historical, and outdoor excursion opportunities, and other group activities customized around interest and regional happenings.
- Excursion opportunities include visits to artisan workshops, food tastings, archaeological sites, and outdoor adventures.
Cost & Included
Dates
Discounts/Scholarships
Unpaid Internships
Financial Aid
Outside Funding
Alumni Ambassadors
Cost & Included
Full Program fees ($12,800) include:
- Program tuition and U.S. academic credit (15 total credits through our school of record, Northern Arizona University)
- Intensive Italian Language Course through the University of Molise (3 credits)
- Two Intercultural Citizenship courses (6 credits) & all textbooks
- Customized internship placement (6 credits)
- Community-Focused Project
- Participation in Difr Live: The Human Story, Unshelved
- Comprehensive study abroad health insurance through CISI
- Accommodation with carefully selected local host family (& accommodation in Campobasso during the orientation and intensive Italian course)
- Daily breakfast & dinner
- Airport pickup and transportation upon arrival
- Orientation to program, region and placements
- International Ambassador program
- On-site advisors dedicated to providing personal and academic mentoring
- Guided 4-day excursion to Rome
- Four Molise-based tours/experiences
- Other group activities based on interest and regional happenings
- 24-hour on-site emergency support
- Farewell event with all participants
- Molise IS Certificate of Intercultural Citizenship and AFS Global Competence Certificate upon completion
- Transcript detailing your studies and service
- Pre-departure and Re-entry services, including assistance with financial aid, travel documents, insurance and credit transfer, as well as a virtual digital storytelling event
- Molise IS Ambassador Program for alumni
Program fees do not include:
- Cost of round trip airfare
- Fees for passport, visa, permit to stay, etc.
- Personal travel expenses and any additional meals, snacks or drinks
Remember, if you and a friend each enroll in our full semester program, you BOTH receive $500 off the program fee! Bring more than one friend and receive $500 off the program fee for EACH friend (up to the full program cost)!
Please note, since each program is individually customized and depends in part on exchange rates, costs are subject to change.
Dates
Spring 2025 Cohort:
- January 13- May 16, 2025 (On-Site: February 7-May 5, 2025)
Fall 2025 Cohort:
- August 11- December 12, 2025 (On-Site: September 5-December 1, 2025)
Spring 2026 Cohort:
- January 12- May 15, 2026 (On-Site: February 6-May 4, 2026)
Discounts/Scholarships
- Bring a Friend!
- Are you hoping to share your transformational experience with a friend? If you and a friend each enroll in our Full Semester program, you BOTH receive $500 off the program fee! Bring more than one friend and receive $500 off the program fee for EACH friend (up to the full program cost)!
- HBCU Study Abroad 4711 Program Discount
Because Molise Italian Studies is an antiracist organization committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion, students at HBCUs receive a discount by enrolling in the program with Study Abroad 4711! For more information and to sign up, please visit the Study Abroad 4711 website.
- NAU Jacks in Molise
- Because both Molise Italian Studies and Northern Arizona University (our school of record) are dedicated to providing equitable access to excellence both on campus and abroad, NAU Lumberjack Scholars are guaranteed a $3,800 scholarship towards the Full Semester program fee! This means enjoying a semester in Italy (including 15 credits, a customized internship and homestay, unforgettable Molise excursions, and a 4-day trip to Rome) for not much more than your average cost of living in Flagstaff.
- Molise Italian Studies also offers discounts to veterans and active military, members of the same family, and MIS alumni. Please inquire during the application process for specific information and eligibility.
Unpaid Internships
Applicants with demonstrated financial need may be eligible for a partial tuition refund through work as an unpaid intern with Molise Italian Studies. If you are interested in such a position, please indicate this on your application.
Financial Aid
If you currently receive federal, state, or institutional financial aid, you may be able to use some or all of your aid toward the cost of your program. This includes scholarships, grants and personal loans. You must confirm with your home institution that the financial aid you currently receive is applicable towards your participation with Molise Italian Studies, though a consortium agreement may be required.
Participants planning to use financial aid have two options for payment of program fees:
- Pay in full for the Molise Italian Studies program and reimburse oneself when financial aid is disbursed. These participants follow the regular payment schedule.
- Defer payment of the Molise Italian Studies program fee balance (i.e. the amount that aid will cover) until financial aid is disbursed. Only the amount covered by financial aid may be deferred. Participants wishing to defer payment must complete and return the Molise Italian Studies Financial Aid Verification form and any required home school paperwork by the deadline.
Participants may not defer the confirmation or security deposits. All participants are responsible for paying any program fee amount not covered by financial aid by the regular due dates, and are bound by our cancellation and withdrawal policy.
See the Federal Student Aid site and NAFSA’s Financial Aid for Study Abroad: An Undergraduate Student’s Resource for the best information.
Outside Funding
We encourage prospective participants to research and apply for scholarships or other funding sources. The following are some recommendations:
- Adventures in Education (scholarship search)
- Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship (U.S. Department of State Program enabling students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad)
- Gilman-McCain Scholarship (U.S. Department of State program for child dependents of active duty service members to study or intern abroad)
- Fastweb (scholarship search)
- Fund for Education Abroad (for promising students with financial need who wish to study abroad)
- Go Abroad (scholarship search)
- Go Overseas Scholarships
- Going Study Abroad Scholarship
- Hostelling International Explore the World Scholarship (for aspiring global travelers who want to give back while they experience another culture)
- International Education Financial Aid (scholarship search)
- National Italian American Foundation (for Italian American students)
- Rainbow Scholarship (for deserving LGBTQ+ students interested in education abroad programs)
- Tillman Foundation Scholarship (for military veterans and spouses)
- UNCF (scholarships for minority group members)
- UNICO Scholarships (for U.S. citizens of Italian descent)
Alumni Ambassadors
We encourage program alumni to apply to become Molise IS Alumni Ambassadors.
- You will share your experience and promote our program on your home campus.
- You will gain leadership skills, experience, and professional contacts in the field of international education.
- You will participate in study abroad fairs, host events, and contribute to our blog and social media presence.
- Molise IS will provide references and letters of recomomendation.
To enroll, please fill out and submit the online enrollment form below. Then complete and submit (by email or mail) the Enrollment Packet & Official Waiver/Release. Prior to enrollment confirmation, applicants will participate in a short video chat interview with program staff.
See health & safety, travel, and other Full Semester policy information here.
Questions? Want to chat? Email at in**@mo******************.com OR call or WhatsApp at 1-888-422-9922.