Study Abroad in Florence: Academics

This program is designed for students who wish to study art history, history, sociology, studio art, marketing or Italian language. Credit hours are in parentheses. Credits for each course are equal to American credits based on one credit for a minimum of 15 classroom hours plus home study. A minimum of 10 students must enroll for classes to be offered. Classes are taught Monday through Thursday with mandatory course-related field trips on Fridays and/or Saturdays.

Please note for all courses with field trips and for the fashion workshop students must pay a supplement of 25 euros per trip upon arrival in Italy.

Richmond Study Center

Located in the Palazzo Michelozzi, a 16th century palace between the Arno River and the Pitti Palace, the Richmond Study Center is a few minutes walk from the Ponte Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, the Uffizi Gallery, the Duomo and many of the great Florentine museums. Via Maggio is a famous street for antique shops in the historic center of town. The center occupies the piano nobile or first floor above ground level. With its elegant, gracious rooms, the center serves as a convenient, attractive, welcoming environment for students and teachers.

Classes in art history, history, marketing, sociology and Italian language are given in the study center. Studio art is held in a nearby studio. Students may use the 10 computers with Internet connection or use the wireless connection with their own laptop during office hours. Students can also use local providers for approximately 5 euros an hour.

The Richmond Study Center has a reading room with a selected library containing texts relevant to research paper topics. Students may also use the extensive collections available to them in Florence. The British Institute Library has more than 60,000 volumes—the largest English language library in continental Europe. Its comfortable reading room overlooks the Arno River. The Italian National Library at the Piazza dei Cavalleggeri also has an extensive collection.

Grades No AIFS participant is permitted to take a course without receiving a letter grade. Pass/Fail grade options are not available.

Transcripts are issued by the Richmond Registrar’s Office, Richmond, The American International University in London, Queen’s Road, Richmond, Surrey TW10 6JP. One official copy of the transcript will be mailed free of charge to the address specified on the application form. Additional official transcript copies may be obtained from the Richmond Registrar’s Office by using the Transcript Request Form on the Richmond website. This form should be printed, signed and mailed or faxed to the Registrar’s Office. There is a fee of approximately $10 per transcript, plus an additional fee if courier service is requested. Address, fax number and fee details are on the request form. An end-of-term grade report will also be sent to the home address on your application form.

Please visit www.richmond.ac.uk/content/academic-programs/registrar/request-a-transcript.aspx for more information about transcript requests.