Milan Piazza Duomo at sunset
Milan, Italy

Semester in Milan

New for Spring 2024!

Study Program Part-Time Internship

Tentative Dates

-

15 weeks

Costs

Credit

12 - 16 semester hours

18 - 24 quarter hours

Eligibility

Application Deadline

Apply Now

Request Information

Overview

Spend your semester living and learning in the fashion capital of the world, Milan! Designed for students from all academic backgrounds, the Semester in Milan program is the perfect chance to earn credits toward your degree while immersing yourself in Italian culture.  

When class is in session, you'll choose from a unique mix of flexible and diverse courses (in English or Italian) at CIEE Milan and CIEE's renowned partner institutions, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and Milano Fashion Institute (MFI). You may also enroll in courses with a local flavor, like language, cinema, music, or fashion and design.

Outside the classroom, you'll have every opportunity to participate actively in Milan’s local community. Immerse yourself in Italian culture with optional credit-bearing internships, volunteering opportunities, or language programs. Don't stop there; round out your study abroad adventure by participating in co-curricular and extracurricular activities and off-the-beaten-path trips organized by CIEE to appreciate Milan’s impressive cultural attractions and landmarks. 

Unique Experiences

\

Visit the Last Supper Painting

created by Leonardo da Vinci in the late 15th century

Shop the Designer Boutiques

that encompass Milan’s high-end fashion reputation

Go to a Calcio Game

Milan’s professional football (soccer) team

80 +

Museums and Galleries in the City

600

Years To Build the Duomo de Milano

200,000

Visitors Attend Fashion Week in Milan

Destination & Activities
  • sunset in milan aerial view
  • Milan canal at night

Your Destination

Say hello to Milan, the second-largest city in Italy and the country’s unofficial fashion capital. Home to some of Italy’s major fashion brands, a booming wine industry, the oldest shopping center in the world (the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II), and a thriving international student community, there is plenty to experience and explore in the cosmopolitan city of Milan.  

When you study abroad in Milan, you call the Lombardy region of northern Italy home. Here, you’ll have every opportunity to enjoy one of the city’s many study spaces (like University Biblioteca Statale di Milano, the largest academic library in Italy), shop in one of 200+ shops and boutiques, indulge in one of nearly 6,000 restaurants, and so much more while immersing yourself in the local culture. Make Milan your home away from home with CIEE!

CIEE wants all our students to feel welcomed, supported, and empowered to succeed while studying abroad. Local CIEE staff have provided details about conditions and cultural attitudes that students with specific identities might encounter in Milan. 

The Culture

milan santa maria interior

Excursions & Activities

  • Visit important cultural and historical landmarks in Tuscany, including Florence, Siena or Pisa 
  • Explore Lake Como, the most beautiful of the northern Italian lakes 
  • Take excursions to emblematic Italian towns like Bologna or Verona 
  • Hang out with local students to have an aperitivo or to watch a calcio game 
  • Give back to the community and volunteer with a local organization 
  • Participate in a cooking and/or wine-tasting session to complement gastronomy-based courses 
  • Go on guided visits to Milan’s iconic monuments, like the Duomo or Santa Maria delle Grazie 
  • Participate in guided visits to some of Milan’s museums and galleries like Pinacoteca di Brera or Museo del Novecento 
  • Partake in language exchange activities with local students to practice your Italian language skills 
Milan glass skyscrapers

Projects

A for-credit internship (in English or in Italian) allows students the opportunity to gain practical work experience in a local company within a variety of industry sectors. In addition to the on-site business experience, students participating in an internship program have a weekly classroom component, which provides academic support to their practical experience.  

Directed Independent Research is for qualified students who have demonstrated academic rigor and curiosity toward a particular research topic. Independent research is for credit, and topics will be approved by the CIEE Milan Director and home institution and must reflect a topic that is relevant to Italy.  

Program Blogs

From CIEE

Milan Study Abroad: The Ultimate Guide

By College Study Abroad at CIEE

Milan , referred to as the fashion capital of the world, is a beautiful Italian city known for its multicultural vibe, design and retail innovations, and incredible museums and architecture... keep reading

From CIEE

6 Best Study Abroad Programs in Italy

By College Study Abroad at CIEE

If you’re looking for a study abroad program in an iconic country packed with art, history, architecture, culture, cuisine, and much more, consider a study abroad program in Italy... keep reading

From CIEE

Secret and quiet places to discover in Rome

By CIEE Rome at CIEE

By Milo Spotti - Student Life and HSSA Assistant In Rome there are thousands of things to see, hundreds of experiences to do, dozens of places to visit. I am... keep reading

Academics

Academics

Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore  
Affectionately known as Cattolica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore is an Italian private research university that was founded in 1921. Its main campus is located in Milan, with satellite campuses in Brescia, Piacenza, Cremona, and Rome. The university is organized into 12 faculties and seven postgraduate schools. In the renowned QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022, Cattolica’s ascendency placed the University in formidable company, with 16 disciplines ranked in the top 300 in the world, or higher. This program offers a range of courses in English at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore - International Curriculum Department, where students will learn alongside local and other international students. 

Milano Fashion Institute 
A non-profit inter-universities institute, Milano Fashion Institute (MFI) connects management, design, and communication to the fashion field. MFI was founded in 2007 by the most important Milanese universities (Politecnico di Milano, Università Bocconi, and Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), and institutions (Municipality of Milan, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana). MFI offers master’s programs exclusively, and select courses are open to CIEE undergraduate students. 

GPA

Milano Fashion Institute (MFI): Students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 

Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore: Students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 

Individual courses may have additional prerequisites; for CIEE courses, these are listed in the syllabi below. Students are responsible for having their own course approval conversations with their advisors.

Requirements

Students are required to take four to five courses total, for a total of 12-16 credits. These courses can be a combination of CIEE and host institution courses in English and/or Spanish. If a student enrolls at either local university, they must take a minimum of two courses there and cannot combine courses at both universities.  

Program Credit

Total credit: 12-16 U.S. semester/18-24 quarter credits

Course Credit

  • CIEE Courses: 3 U.S. semester/4.5 quarter credits; 45 contact hours  
    • CIEE Language Courses: 3 – 4 U.S. semester/4.5 – 6 quarter credits; 45 – 60 contact hours
  • CIEE Internship: 3 U.S. semester/4.5 quarter credits; 15 seminar hours, 100-120 internship placement hours 
  • CIEE Directed Independent Research: 3 U.S. semester/4.5 quarter credits; 15 seminar hours, 100-120 research hours 
  • FOM courses: 3 U.S. semester/4.5 quarter credits; 45 contact hours 
  • UAN courses: Typically 3 U.S. semester/4.5 quarter credits; 90-96 notional hours 

Individual courses may have additional prerequisites; for CIEE courses, these are listed in the syllabi below. Students are responsible for having their own course approval conversations with their advisors.

Academic Culture

CIEE courses are typically delivered in U.S. style, with carefully monitored attendance, regular assignments and exams, and participation all being important factors in grading. Local university classes can involve less guidance than U.S. students are accustomed to; syllabi can be less detailed and there can be fewer assessments.  

Class Format

CIEE courses are with CIEE students only. Classes are scheduled Monday through Thursday. Most courses combine lectures with local field trips and excursions to help students gain a better understanding of the local culture.  

Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore classes can be scheduled Monday through Friday. This host institution offers an “International Curriculum” in English with international students.  

Milano Fashion Institute courses (available in the spring semester only) can be scheduled Monday through Friday. Classes are all in English, and they are with Italian and other international students. Most courses combine lectures with local field trips and excursions to help students gain a better understanding of the local culture. 

Grading

For CIEE classes, Students should expect to have daily homework assignments and continuous assessments. Class attendance is mandatory, and absences affect final grades. 

At Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, students are typically graded on a midterm, a final exam, and class participation. Attendance to class is required, and absences affect final grades. 

At MFI, students should expect to have some homework assignments and continuous assessments. Attendance in class is mandatory, and absences affect final grades and how students are graded. 

Individual courses may have additional prerequisites; for CIEE courses, these are listed in the syllabi below. Students are responsible for having their own course approval conversations with their advisors.

Language of Instruction

English and/or Italian

Individual courses may have additional prerequisites; for CIEE courses, these are listed in the syllabi below. Students are responsible for having their own course approval conversations with their advisors.

Courses

Course Information

Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

International Curriculum courses (all courses listed are 6 ECTS/3 U.S. credits, and typically run in both the fall and spring semesters, unless otherwise specified):   

Business and Economics:  

  • Strategic Management & Entrepreneurship: the Italian Perspective  
  • Entrepreneurship Lab: Creating a New Business  
  • Green Management & Sustainability  
  • Entrepreneurial Finance  
  • Business, Government and the Global Economy (spring only)  
  • Business, Government and the Global Economy (fall only)  
  • The Economics of the European integration  
  • The Globalization of Finance: Managing Returns and Risks  
  • Business Ethics  
  • Leadership Coaching: Bringing Potential to the Stage of Work  
  • The Human Side of Business  
  • Diversity at Work: Working Better by Working Together  

International Relations:  

  • The European Union in the World: Crisis or Transformation? 
  • International Relations and the Middle East: A Comparative European Perspective 

Italian Culture: Literature, Theater, Cinema, Music, Philosophy, and History:  

  • Methods of Illusion: la Mise-en-scéne from Drama to Fiction and Visual Arts 
  • Writers & Paintings, Words and Colours: Italy and the Arts (spring only) 
  • Creative Italian Storytelling: from Literature to Cinema to other Forms of Fiction 
  • Drama: "The Word to the Action" in the Italian Commedia dell'Arte 
  • The Discovery of Italy through its Culinary Traditions 
  • A Mafia Story: Its Representation in Literature, Cinema and Television 
  • The Female Character in Italian Contemporary Literature and Culture (fall only) 
  • Italy, a Country to Savor 
  • The Italian Foods of the Future 

Fashion and Design:  

  • Fashion Images and the City of Milan. A Sociological Perspective on Modern Italian Fashion 
  • What is Design? The Fundamentals of an Italian Industry (spring only) 
  • The Fashion Market: Structure, Players and Success Factors 
  • Luxury Business Insights 
  • A Fashion Brand: from Line Creation to Market Placement. A case study 
  • Managing Sustainability in Fashion and Luxury 
  • Fashion and Gender: an Ever-changing Relationship (spring only) 
  • Made in Italy: Shaping Italian Lifestyle through Fashion and Food (fall only) 

Media and Communications:  

  • Federico Fellini and Contemporary Italian Cinema 
  • Digital Journalism and Digital Media in Italy 
  • Publishing, Publicity and Cultural Journalism 
  • "Green is the New Black": Asset and Appeal of the Value "Environment" in Global Business Communication (fall only) 
  • Television, Advertising, Music: The Italian Approach to the Media 
  • From Strategy to Effective Presentations - Methodologies to Write and Present Convincing and Engaging Communications 
  • "Luxury for Sustainability": How Values Meet and Cross in Corporate and Brand Communication (spring only) 
  • Personal Marketing Performance skills at work 
  • What Makes Us Global? Cultural Interconnectedness Effective Management 
  • A Sensorial Journey Towards Intercultural Competences  

Sociology, Psychology, and Law: 

  • Are Individuals the Same in the East and West? Cultural Differences in Social Psychological Processes - spring only 
  • Discovering the Mystery of the Ordinary Life. Social Psychology in Action (fall only) 
  • Roman Law and Common Law. Two Jurisprudential Traditions in Comparison (spring only) 
  • Human Strengths and Well-being (spring only)  

Milano Fashion Institute (MFI)

Spring only
MFI courses are master’s degree courses (they will be transcripted as undergraduate courses at CIEE). They bear a varied number of credits based on contact hours. Credits listed below are U.S. semester credits:   

  • Fashion Business Models (1 credit; 20 contact hours)  
  • Fashion Research Methods & Trends (2 credits; 30 contact hours)  
  • Italian Fashion System (1 credit; 20 contact hours)  
  • Fashion Marketing & Brand Management (2 credits; 30 contact hours)  
  • Brand & Lifestyle Management: Brand Development Process: Lifestyle management (1 credit; 20 contact hours)  
  • Brand & Business Management: Fashion Business Management (1 credit; 20 contact hours)  
  • Brand & Business Management: Fashion Branding Strategies (1 credit; 18 contact hours)  
  • Brand & Communication Management: Brand & Communication Strategies (1.5 credits; 26 contact hours)  
  • Product Sustainability Management: CSR Communication (2 credits; 28 contact hours)  

 

Academic Projects

Course
Language
Semester Credit

Business, Economics, Management, and Marketing

Course
Language
Semester Credit

Social Sciences

Course
Language
Semester Credit

Agriculture

Course
Language
Semester Credit

Languages and Cultural Studies

Course
Language
Semester Credit

Visual and Performing Arts

Course
Language
Semester Credit

Natural Resources, Conservation, and the Environment

Course
Language
Semester Credit

Note: This course listing is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a contract between CIEE and any applicant, student, institution, or other party. The courses, as described, may be subject to change as a result of ongoing curricular revisions, assignment of lecturers and teaching staff, and program development. Courses may be canceled due to insufficient enrollment.
"(GI)" denotes courses that originated at CIEE's Global Institutes and that are offered at multiple CIEE sites.

Scholarships

Scholarships & Grants

CIEE offers scholarships and grants annually to help students like you make your study abroad dream a reality.

Students who apply to this program are eligible for the following scholarships and grants:

  • Ping Scholarships for Academic Excellence
  • CIEE Gilman Go Global Grant
  • MSI Grant
  • Trailblazer Grant

To be considered, submit the CIEE Scholarships & Grants application within your CIEE program application.

Learn more about scholarships

Dates & Fees

Dates & Fees

You get more for every dollar when you study abroad with CIEE, because our high-quality programs include everything from excursions to insurance. There are no hidden charges, and no disappointing surprises when you arrive.

Program

Application Due

Start Date

End Date

Fees & Housing

Program Spring 2024 15 weeks Start Date * End Date * Fees & Housing $20,950

*Dates for this program are provided as tentative dates. Please consult with your study abroad advisor to confirm dates before purchasing your flights.

To help you budget, keep in mind that students are responsible for the cost of international airfare, local transportation, books and supplies, visas, and personal expenses. In addition, your college or university may charge additional fees for study abroad, or may require you to receive a transcript via CIEE's School of Record, which carries an additional fee of $500.

Program Fees

CIEE offers the most student support of any provider in its program fee, including an airport greeting, full-time leadership and support, orientation, cultural activities, local excursions, pre-departure advising, and CIEE iNext travel protection with benefits.

Participation Confirmation = $300

Educational Costs = $14,456*

Housing = $6,000**

Insurance = $194

Total Fees = $20,950

Estimated Costs

Students are responsible and manage costs related to travel, meals, books, and personal expenses. Below are estimates for consideration.

Meals not included in program fee = $1,088

International Airfare = $1,250††

Local Transportation = $240

Books & Supplies = $150

Visa Fees = $60†††

Potential travel to consulate for visa = $500††††

Personal expenses = $250†††††

Total Costs = $3,538

Optional Upgrades

CIEE accommodation options are detailed in the Housing section. Based on availability, Select or Select Plus Housing can be chosen during the application process for an additional fee:

Select Housing Fee = $750^

Select Housing Plus Fee = $1,500^^

Financial Aid

CIEE offers the most grants and scholarships of any study abroad organization, including $8 million/year in travel grants, merit-based scholarships, institutional and MSI grants, and Gilman Go Global Grants.

See Scholarships

*direct cost of education charged uniformly to all students

**includes two meals per day for homestay students; No meals included for students who select apartments or residence halls.

For groceries if you plan on making your own meals, budget more money if you plan on eating out regularly.

††round-trip based on U.S. East Coast departure

†††Full-semester students only. To be paid at Italian consulate in US

††††If no consulate in your home area

†††††$100 emergency fund + cell phone expense + toiletries

^first-come, first serve, based on availability

^^first-come, first serve, based on availability

What's Included

Tuition

Housing

Pre-departure Advising

Advising before you depart to set goals and answer questions

Optional on-site airport meet-and-greet

Orientation

Introduction to your program plus practical information about living in your host city

On-site Staff

Full-time program leadership and support in your city

Cultural and/or Co-curricular Activities

Excursions and/or Study Tours

Travel Protection

CIEE iNext travel protection

24/7 emergency on-site support

Request Info