Sustainability & Food Systems: Study and Intern in Italy
Experience the Real Italy: The Umbra Institute is located in Perugia, a big college town in a medium-sized Italian city. Join 30,000 Italian and 3,000 other foreign students in a beautiful hill-top town. Perugia is a welcoming city where you can become a temporary citizen; it’s also perfectly placed to let you explore the rest of Italy and Europe.
Earn credit while abroad: RIC’s agreement with The Umbra Institute in Perugia means that you can study abroad and still make progress towards your degree. The Umbra Institute offers courses in a wide variety of disciplines that RIC students can use for major credit. This is especially true for Environmental Studies students, who can take courses in the the Institute’s Center for Food & Sustainability Studies (see the course equivalencies on the brochure here).
Study something else? RIC students can choose another specialized program, like Umbra’s Multicultural Psychology Program (for which they can also get electives within the Pscyhology major) or Direct Enrollment Options (chances to study at an Italian university, in Italian). Alternatively, they can build their own semester, selecting courses from a variety of disciplines as part of the General Studies Program. Click to view all course options.
Intern abroad: The Institute also offers 1 or 3-credit internships in May through June. Help the University of Perugia expand its urban gardening outreach program, work with a tour company to offer more food-related tours, or help a small winery with online marketing.
Live like an Italian: Learn to appreciate the Italian lifestyle. Umbra provides students with shared apartments within a 5-minute walk of the Institute, allowing for innumerable opportunities to enjoy mid-day siestas, eat a panino on the fountain steps, and walk the city center like a native. Apartments are furnished with full kitchens so that you can try to duplicate your favorite new Italian dish. WiFi is provided both within the Institute and in each student apartment.
To ask questions about program options, fill out the form below.
Student Profiles
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Here you can see the main square in Perugia. The beautiful fountain and the entrance of Umbra Institute.
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