Switzerland: Lugano Semester

Program Overview

Franklin College is located on a hillside immediately above Lugano, the principal city of Switzerland's southernmost, Italian-speaking canton of Ticino. The city is situated on Lake Lugano, one of the famous resort lakes linking Italy and Switzerland. The Lake Lugano region, known as the 'Swiss Riviera', offers scenic beauty unparalleled in Europe, a Mediterranean climate, and a decidedly Italian atmosphere.

Lugano is a sophisticated, medium-sized city which boasts an elegant downtown area of shops, hotels, restaurants, churches, and other buildings of diverse architectural styles. The city of Lugano is clean and safe, attracting visitors from around the world, many of them for internationally renowned events such as the Spring Concerts, the Wine Harvest Festival and the International Jazz festivals.

A main European rail line connects Lugano with Italy via Milan, fifty miles away, and to the north with the principal Swiss cities of Zurich and Basel, from which northern Europe is easily accessible. For all these reasons, Lugano attracts visitors from every part of the continent, making it a modestly-sized but cosmopolitan area where French, German, and English are heard in addition to the local Italian.

A liberal arts college with an international faculty and student body, Franklin College offers small classes with an emphasis on student/teacher interaction. The college, located in a villa typical of the area, is a short walk from the downtown center. Facilities include a library, student center, art studios, and an auditorium. Students have access to e-mail and internet services.

Academic Profile

Franklin College in Lugano

Franklin College is located in Lugano, a major financial, cultural, and medical center situated on Lake Lugano, which is noted for its scenic beauty and Mediterranean climate. Students experience a tri-lingual city, where Italian, German, and French are spoken with equal frequency, which has a great diversity of cultural activities and a variety of sports facilities and activities. A liberal arts college with an international faculty and student body, Franklin College offers small classes with an emphasis on student/teacher interaction. Located on a hillside above the city, the college is a short walk from the downtown center. Facilities include a library, student center, art studios, and an auditorium; in the new computer lab, students have access to e-mail and internet services.

Course Offerings

Franklin College offers a full range of undergraduate courses, with all instruction in English. Foreign language instruction in French, German, and Italian is also available. Courses are international in perspective and cross-cultural in content, and include such listings as Global Strategic Management, Economic Transition in Eastern Europe, Diplomatic History of Modern Europe, International Law, International Design, and National and Ethnic Conflict in Europe. Franklin College is regionally accredited in the United States through the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, and offers an MBA program as well as undergraduate degrees. There is a required week Academic Travel program led by Franklin faculty (in as many as six locations around the world), which is considered an extension of course work. Students typically earn 12-15 credits per semester. A 2.5 GPA is required, as well as transcripts and letters of recommendation, for admission into the program, which is open to students at freshman through senior standing.

Academic Highlights

Franklin College is an accredited US institution and as such, offers all coursework in English. Classes are available in the following academic areas: Art History, Business (Accounting, Finance, Management, Marketing, Organizational Behavior), Communication, Creative Writing, Economics, Foreign Languages (French, German, Italian, Spanish), History, Information Systems, Literature, Mathematics, Music, Natural Sciences, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Studio Art. Students typically take 12-15 semester credits per term.

Study at Franklin College also includes a two-week Academic Travel program. Travel is led by faculty members and is fully related to the academic expertise of the individual professor and to his or her particular knowledge or experience of a given country or area. Academic Travel at Franklin College is a credit-bearing degree requirement of the College, and the two weeks of travel each semester represent an extension of class work. For this reason all students, including semester and year-abroad students, are required to participate in the Academic Travel Program. The CCIS program fee includes the cost of an Academic Travel program in Europe; programs outside Europe are also available at an additional cost. Recent programs include: Origins of Western Civilization (Greece), Primarily Modern European Art (London), Listening to Morocco, Music between Tradition & Modernity (Morocco), and Western Civilization/Modern Italy (Sicily).

Activities and Opportunities

Student Life

Students will have a single or double room in a furnished apartment within easy walking distance of the campus. The apartment buildings are staffed by trained student assistants. Apartments have kitchen facilities available, or students may eat at campus dining facilities, which are under the direction of a professional master chef. The student activities fee covers participation in a variety of extracurricular events on campus. The Lugano area offers excellent hiking and skiing opportunities, and there are intramural sports available on campus as well as access to a local health club. Students may join a number of clubs, including some professional associations like the International Marketing Club. The diverse student body is drawn from more than 50 different nationalities, and many of them participate in community activities as well as those offered on campus.

Lugano, Switzerland Semester Program Details

Duration

Fall: August 19, 2008 - December 12, 2008
Spring: January 8, 2009 - May 10, 2009

Application Deadline(s)

Fall:December 1 (priority deadline), April 1
Spring:October 1 (priority deadline)

Eligibility Requirements

A 2.5 gpa is required, as well as transcripts and two letters of recommendation. The program is open to students with sophomore through senior standing.

Costs

2007-2008 academic year: $16,425

Costs Included

Instructional costs abroad, housing, 2-week Academic Travel program in Europe, fees, study abroad health insurance. Roundtrip airfare from New York is included for students who apply by the priority deadlines listed above.

Costs Not Included

Airfare (for late applicants), meals ($1150), refundable housing damage deposit ($260), Swiss health insurance (mandatory), personal costs, books, CWU fee ($50). Students who participate in an Academic Travel program outside of Europe will pay a program supplement.

All costs, fees, and dates are subject to change without notification. Please contact the appropriate individual to verify all costs, fees, and dates for this program.

Submit Application Materials To:

Kate McCarthy

Interim Director, Study Abroad & Exchange Programs
Central Washington University
400 E. University Way
Ellensburg, WA 98926-7408
(509) 963-3612
(509) 963-1558 (fax)
goabroad@cwu.edu
CWU Study Abroad Site

How do I apply?

Start the CCIS Study Abroad application process by downloading and printing the following forms. These PDF documents are viewed using Adobe's Acrobat Reader plug-in, which is available free. If you don't have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer, click here.

CCIS APPLICATION PACKAGE AND INSTRUCTIONS