Language Requirement: None
Academic Standing by Program Start: Junior or above
Location: Europe, Italy
GPA: 2.5

Program Overview

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Sustainable Goal: Sustainable Cities and Communities
Gain a valuable perspective on Italy’s contribution to architectural, urban, and landscape design through the ages. The program begins in Rome with a two-week study tour that includes Siena, Florence and Bologna before taking up residence for eight weeks in Vicenza, where the focus will be on the design studio. Traveling and then living in an Italian town will give you a rich cultural experience, enhanced by coursework that will contribute to your academic progress toward your degree.

This is a competitive admission program. All eligible applicants will be interviewed by the faculty directors prior to an acceptance decision being made. Early applications are encouraged.

Program Scholarship: Applicants to this program have the option to apply for a program-specific scholarship. Award recipients are chosen based on academic merit, financial need, and overall quality of their essay. Individual awards range from $200 - $1,000. To be considered, the Scholarship Essay must be completed by November 15th. Please refer to the Scholarship Essay instructions in the program application or speak with your GEO advisor for more details.

Dates and Deadlines

TermYearDeadlineArrival DateDeparture Date
Spring Quarter202511/15/202404/13/202507/02/2025

This is a competitive admission program. All eligible applicants will be interviewed by the faculty directors prior to an acceptance decision being made. Early applications are encouraged.

This program is less than 90 days. Students with a US passport will be traveling to Italy under the Schengen Visa waiver program and do not require a travel visa for this program, and GEO is unable to assist U.S. citizens in obtaining a visa. If you are not a U.S. Citizen: Notify your GEO Advisor. Students who are not U.S. citizens should contact the Italian consulate in their country of residence about visa requirements, no matter the duration of the program of study.

Discount for Pell Recipients

To expand access to study abroad, GEO is offering a $500 discount for this program to UO students who currently have the Pell Grant as part of their federal financial aid (FAFSA).

Academic Details

Classes for the first two weeks will be fieldwork intensive and focus on the subject area courses. Classes at the Vicenza site will focus on studio and integrate the content of subject area courses with the studio project. Excursions are an integral and required component of the academic experience of the Vicenza program.

For specific program information, please see the flyer at the following link: Vicenza 2022 Flyer.

Actual credit awarded is determined by the relevant department at your university in consultation with the study abroad office. Check with your study abroad advisor for more information.

Course Equivalencies

UO students: please refer to the UO Course Equivalency Process and the UO Office of the Registrar Course Equivalency Database.

Non-UO students: Actual credit awarded is determined by the relevant department at your university in consultation with the study abroad office. Check with your study abroad advisor for more information.

Additional Requirements

  • All classes will be in English, but a working knowledge of Italian is recommended. 
  • This is a design intensive program for Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Landscape Architecture students. 
  • You must be eligible for University of Oregon 4/584 (intermediate level) studio sequences. 
  • Graduate students are required to have a GPA of 3.0 or above

 

Faculty and Staff

Jim Givens is a professor of architecture at the University of Oregon and has maintained an active design practice since 1989. James places great emphasis on a design process that is closely tied to the site and to the reality of the building as it is being built. His current research investigates six houses for the depth of feeling and beauty that they possess.

Benjamin Waechter, FAIA, is an architect with over 25 years of experience on projects across the US.  He is the founder of Waechter Architecture which was established in 2008 and is known for its design clarity and innovative Mass Timber design.  Along with Oregon and Washington, WA is currently working on projects in Detroit Michigan, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sequoia National Park.

Waechter’s work and design ethos is increasingly felt across our region and nationwide:  Architectural Record selected WA as a 2016 World Design Vanguards (1 of the 10 in the world).  In 2019, the Architectural League of New York recognized the firm with its Emerging Voices Award (1 of the 8 in North America).  In 2022, Waechter Architecture received the prestigious AIA Northwest & Pacific Region Firm Award.  Other national awards include the Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Award, Architects Newspaper Best of Design Award and Wood Works National Design Award.  Ben Waechter was elevated to Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 2022.  Ben is a native Oregonian and a graduate of the University of Oregon’s School of Architecture and Allied Arts.  He is also an alum of the school's Italy study abroad program.  This study abroad program led him to working for the Renzo Piano Building Workshop in Genoa, Italy.  Ben is a big advocate for study abroad in general and also feels that Italy is the quintessential and important place for architects to experience and live for some period of time in their life.  

Housing Description

Live in an apartment, shared with other students on the program. Multi-room apartments will have two to four persons in a bedroom and access to full baths. The apartments have space for personal storage, a kitchenette and dining area, and washing machines with drying areas. Some students may be placed in a hotel instead of an apartment, depending on availability.

The apartments and hotel are located in the historic center within easy walking distance of the studio facilities and are close to markets, neighborhood stores, pizzerias and other restaurants. While in Vicenza, you will receive coupons and meal vouchers for weekday breakfasts and dinners. The breakfast coupons can be used at two different cafés, and the dinner vouchers are for a self-service restaurant of high quality in the center of town, where many working Vicentini eat regularly. You are responsible for other meals. Details about housing arrangements will be announced as they become available.