Academics

Academic Program

At NYU in Florence, you will attend NYU's Liberal Studies Freshmen in Florence Program, taking classes and seminars with a small community of highly talented and diverse students. On completion of the first year of study in Florence, students will continue enrollment as sophomores at our New York City campus.

Liberal Studies offers two programs: a two-year program that provides students with a foundation for further study at the other NYU undergraduate schools, and a four-year program leading to the Global Liberal Studies Bachelor of Arts degree. Both programs share a core curriculum, a rigorous two-year course of study in the global liberal arts in a small class setting that facilitates students' participation. Both programs encourage students to begin their study at one freshman year campuses in Paris, Florence, or London.

In Florence, approximately 300 upperclassmen will be at the center with you, studying the history of Europe and its extraordinary cultural legacy of art, literature and philosophy at the NYU center in Florence.

All students take intensive Italian at the beginner, intermediate, or advanced level in both semesters of study

Sophomore Year in New York

Students who have completed the Liberal Studies Freshmen in Florence Program will begin their sophomore year at NYU’s campus in Greenwich Village. They will join their classmates in New York and will have successfully met all of the same academic requirements.

On arrival, students will continue to be part of a community of outstanding undergraduates. The difference? They will make their home in New York City, in residence halls near Washington Square, the heart of NYU in New York. Liberal Studies sophomores continue the academic work begun in Italy. A tailor-made orientation will welcome them to New York and encourage their acclimation to their new academic home.

For more details about how the sophomore year will look, students can visit the Liberal Studies or Global Liberal Studies websites. 

NYU Florence offers an exceptional academic program for undergraduate students throughout the academic year. Most content courses are taught in English, while some courses are offered in Italian to students proficient in the language. One way to become familiar with the Italian culture is to study the language. Students are required to take an Italian language course that matches their skill level. Approximately 375 undergraduates per semester study Italy's history and its extraordinary art, literature, philosophy, and architecture, along with the political, cultural, economic, and social issues that play a role in shaping Europe's future. Courses in business, film, photography, psychology, music (in spring semesters), and studio art are offered and will make use of the unique resources only available in Italy. Whenever possible the courses use Florence, Tuscany and often other parts fo Italy to ground your learning in the actual context in which it takes place. Classes are held at the La Pietra estate and at downtown locations. For students with advanced Italian language skills, courses can be taken at the University of Florence.