Drexel in Italy: Sport Management in Rome at AUR

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Program Overview

The Drexel in Italy Fall Sport Management program is offered in partnership with the American University of Rome (AUR).  Through coursework, field trips and exploration of sport venues in Rome, students will learn about the Italian approach to sports while studying with European and American students in a university setting in Rome. This program is open to all majors with priority given to Sport Management students. Graduate students are also eligible to participate in this program. This is an amazing opportunity to add a strong understanding of European sports management to your credentials while studying in the historic and culturally rich city of Rome!

Rome constantly conjures up vivid reminders of its glorious past as the city that built the greatest Empire the world has ever known. With its sunny climate, stately umbrella pines, and an unparalleled wealth of history around every corner, Rome's beauty quickly overtakes all who enter its ancient walls. A walk or bus ride through even the most commonplace quarters of the city yields encounters with innumerable monuments, towering pillars, and major imperial buildings that still stand imposingly just as they have for 2,000 years! 

Sports play an important role in Italian life with football (soccer) being the most popular. Watching sporting events with locals whether in a sports arena or in a local bar will provide students with a firsthand experience of what is important about sports as a form of competition, leisure and source of national pride. It will also provide students with a shared interest with locals and a great conversation starter to work on developing Italian skills.

Overlooking the historical center, AUR is located on top of the Janiculum, Rome's highest hill. With its own garden of Roman pines it offers a spectacular view of Rome and the surrounding hills. The campus is near two city parks, Villa Sciarra and Villa Pamphili and historical landmarks. The area also hosts diplomatic residences and several international academies.

AUR's student body consists of approximately 500 full time undergraduates from 40 countries. Thus Drexel students will be in class with a very international mix of classmates. AUR has an urban campus and the compound is composed of 5 nearby buildings, which include an auditorium, spacious garden,  student services, computer lab, classrooms, laboratories and faculty offices. Evans' Hall, a liberty villa of 1920, is the site of the library, student lounges and a beautiful outside garden. Carini 23, a five story building of the '70s designed by a famous Italian Architect (Paolo Portoghesi) is the location of design studios, faculty offices, and the Batista Multimedia Laboratory, a state of the art lab for film production.

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Eligibility

• 3.0 minimum GPA
• Sophomore, Pre-Junior, Junior
• Open to all majors, but priority is given to Sport Management majors

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Academics

• SMT courses taught by Drexel faculty member
• Italian language course
• Choose one or two elective courses from a wide variety of departments, such as Business, Art History, Communications, Italian Studies, and International Relations.

Drexel Sport Management professor Dr. Larry Cohen s will teach the two SMT courses. Graduate students must enroll in the two SMT courses and an Italian language course.

• Students select 1 LUMSA_courses_from the approved list and 3 - 4 AUR courses.
• Students attend the regularly scheduled LUMSA classes until the end of AUR’s fall semester.
• Students fulfill the the required readings for the LUMSA course.
• Instead of the LUMSA final exam, students complete a research paper in Italian as well as writing a journal in Italian where they record their reflections upon their experience at LUMSA.
• An AUR faculty member will act as advisor for the research paper and grade the student’s work.
• The research paper and journal must be completed during AUR's final exam period.

Course Equivalencies
Students will need to have AUR courses approved as Drexel equivalents by the appropriate department for each course they plan to take abroad. For example, if you want to take a History course at AUR, its equivalent must be pre-approved by Drexel's History Department. AUR - Course Equivalents.xlsx

Grading
Students are taught and graded by Dr. Giddings for the SMT courses and by AUR faculty for all other courses. The goal is to take the equivalent of a full-time load at Drexel. Depending on the courses, students can expect to take 4-6 courses per semester. The amount of class content time and work-load required is broadly similar to universities in the US. Grades earned at AUR will be factored into your Drexel GPA. Review the Study Abroad Grading Scale.

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Program Calendar

The Sport Management term in Rome runs every 3 years and is next scheduled to run in Fall 2021.

AUR is a semester school. This program is only available during the fall. Students with fall/winter co-op will need a cycle change in order to participate. Due to the need for cycle and program changes, please begin planning at least 12 months in advance.

Fall Semester Dates and Itinerary

Program Start Date	End August
Program End Date	Mid December

Note: Drexel students will need to either leave their co-op job early OR arrange for early summer final exams.
 

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Housing

Students live in fully furnished apartments, two students per bedroom, with a TV, a computer, wireless internet and full furnished kitchens. There is no meal plan at AUR, thus students are responsible for their own meals, but Rome provides a huge variety of food options from your simple pizza to an involved six course meal. Students are encouraged to take advantage of local markets and the kitchens in the apartments to save money on meals.

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Visa

Students are required to obtain a visa for entry into Italy. This process may take 6-8 weeks so students should act early. For specific visa instructions, please refer to the Italian Embassy website.

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Cost and Financial Aid

Program Costs
Previous Program Fee: $6,450
Fall 2021 Program Fee: TBD

Included in Program Fee:	Not Included in Program Fee:
Apartment accommodation - fully furnished with AC, internet, cooking utensils, etc. Welcome & closing dinners Excursions to sports games, tours, and related activities Onsite staff during the length of the program On Call emergency assistance	Round trip airfare  Full-time Drexel tuition (Check with Drexel Central to better understand what your tuition and financial aid for this program)  Meals Books Personal Travel Visa Spending money Miscellaneous

Estimated Program Costs

Review the Estimated Study Abroad Costs page for a list of approximated program expenses.

Tuition & Financial Aid

This is a Drexel sponsored program, thus your Drexel tuition and financial aid remain the same during the term abroad. Students may also want to submit a revised budget to Drexel Central to see if additional funding may be available.

Students who receive Federal Work Study should consider applying for the Study Abroad Online Journalist work study position (only available to students after acceptance).

Scholarships
Those interested in seeking additional funding should review Scholarship & Funding Opportunities. Remember that scholarship deadlines may be much earlier than study abroad deadlines, so plan accordingly.

For more information on these and many other scholarship opportunities, visit our Scholarships page.

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More Information

• Review the archived info session on the program
• For more information on the program, please contact Dr. Larry Cohen