During a semester in Siena, SAI students expand their worldview and experience one of Europe’s most unique cultures. SIS students take a combination of elective courses, as well as participate in service learning, for a total of 12 - 15 US credits Students can explore Siena’s rich heritage and modern challenges through courses spanning migration, sustainability, healthcare, science and medieval history, blending hands-on learning with cultural immersion. All students live with local host families and enjoy a series of excursions and activities each term.
Application open until: October 15, 2025
Application Requirements
Complete online application
Personal statement (300-500 words)
Transcript
Passport scan (photo & signature page)
Italian privacy consent form
Highlights
- No student visa required
- Engage with the local community through service learning
- Diverse and innovative learning opportunities
Program Dates
Mid January – Early May 2026
Eligibility Requirements
Age: 18+
Academic Year: Freshman (1st year) or above
Cumulative GPA:* 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale)
* contact SAI if you don’t meet requirements
Art & Design | Contemporary Art
Communication & Graphic Design | Visual Design
Design | Interior Design
Design | Product Design
Fashion Design, Marketing, Styling, Forecasting | Fashion Marketing
Fashion Design, Marketing, Styling, Forecasting | Trend Forecasting
Fashion Marketing and Management
Fashion | Accessories Design
Fashion | Culture
Fashion | Fashion Styling
Fashion | Textile Design
History | History of Italian Design
The Illustration course aims to stimulate and improve the student’s graphic representation skills through progressive exercises and in-depth studies aimed at learning new methodologies and developing a personal style in drawing. The course aims to lead students to identify their own graphic style and to develop their own visual language in the field of drawing.The course aims to lead students to identify their own graphic style and to develop their own visual language in drawing through exercises and discussions in the class.
Art history as an interdisciplinary study of 20th century artistic production (visual arts, cinema, television and new technologies). The course focuses on a historical-anthropological approach with the examination of numerous materials (images and documentaries). Through the study of artists and movements, cultural trends and fashions, the teaching illustrates the transition from modernity to contemporaneity.
Course Overview
-theoretical and practical classroom lessons
-use of tutorials, videos or other in-depth multimedia material
-active involvement of students in the classroom through discussions and presentations
The relationships between consumers and brands are increasingly based on symbolic, relational and emotional values consistent with the brand identity and its evolution. The “Brand Identity” creates a relationship with the consumer and therefore the perception the consumer has of a company is closely tied to the image he will have to that company, that brand. The course is dedicated to the acquisition of tools for research, analysis, strategy and visualization of brand identity, in order to transform symbolic, intangible and irrational values that a brand expresses into a project of visual communication conscious and creative, able to integrate the analytical, conceptual and technical skills in line with the new role of visual designer the professional market requires.
The course, consisting of theoretical lessons and practical exercises, aims to develop knowledge of the tools and methods of work of Indesign CS5 in relation to the demands posed by the professional world of printing and publishing.
The functions and tools of the program will be analyzed while introducing the basics of graphic design and technical issues related to it.
Through a path marked by projects, the course will pay particular attention to the use of lettering and composition in creating editorial layouts creative and effective. The comparative learning of technical and creative notions connected to graphic design will enable students to acquire an adequate knowledge of software applications to graphic design fields, publishing in particular.
The course will be developed simultaneously on a theoretical and practical basis
– InDesign basic tools
– How to use and manage the text
– How to use and manage the image
– How to use and manage colors
– How to use and manage layouts
Course DescriptionThis course provides theoretical, conceptual and practical competences that are propaedeutic to the design of communication elements within graphic design: from the scientific study of shapes and signs (basic design), to the visual identity of companies/services (corporate identity), with attention to the use of typography and to the right balance between aesthetic, strategic and technological components.Course OverviewThe course will focus on the following topics:-Introduction to the scientific study of signs and shapes: basic design-Presentation of the designing methodology aimed at creating brand identity (brand, logotype, naming, colourpalette, etc.) including the graphic and typographic elements that are necessary to the creation of a coordinatedimage.
Over the last five decades, Product Design has reached a high level of sophistication and complexity. Different design approaches and perspectives have conceptualized visions in manifestos, and this has influenced the design culture at large. The purpose of the course is to expose the students to complex design challenges, in order to develop their capacity to adapt to different design tasks and to acquire the necessary basics of cultural, conceptual, technical tools. The course is structured as an exploration of research and design experiences, which does not only provide the “how to” tools but helps each and every individual to find the reasoning behind their doing. Emphasis is placed on developing research skills, which will enable students to source relevant materials, assimilating and articulating relevant findings.
This course explores the typical tools and techniques of a contemporary experience design project, in the intersection among people, spaces, strategies, digital services, artificial intelligence and the basic idea of “information”. This is the real and virtual space based on the production and diffusion of data, their transformation, the interfaces that make them intelligible, navigable, manageable and editable, the new scenarios, the reprogramming of existing models and the implications of all that in the perception and use of the real space. Nowadays, the information society paradigm permeates culture and design: complex systems, networks, exchanges between real and virtual systems, mixed realities, new ecosystems and new concept of ecology. During the classroom activity, the course will develop a strategic project of a service or experience based in a hybrid real and digital space, from a user-centered perspective, that could also require an extension of the project in the fields of interface design and interaction design. The course will focus on the following topics:User experience, Customer experience (retail, multi-platform systems), Service design, Interface design
The course deals with the design of space for human life. The learning purpose of this course is to reach full awareness and command both of individual and group design projects, through the understanding of the methodologies as well as the tools used for analysis, development and communication of interior design projects. Course Overview This course is based on the development of projects through a dialogue between the students and the teacher, during the class. Students are asked to use their whole range of design and communicative tools, from drawing to verbal communication.
The course will focus on the following topics:
-Reading and understanding space
-Interpreting briefs and building up ideas
-Relation between form and function
-Organizing paths within a given space
-Dimensioning rooms and furniture
-Materials, colours and light: the sensorial dimension of space
In general the course is addressed to students with some initial understanding and experience in Interior Design with the intention of further stimulating their knowledge and skills.
The aim of the course is the development of a design consciousness through the exposure to different issues about the transformation of interior and relational spaces. The course is articulated in two projects: an individual project and a small group project. Students will have to create physical models of interior layouts, using different materials and techniques with the aim of stressing the ability to interpret and represent spaces and environments in a quick, easy and very effective way, to support concept generation and project proportion.
The discipline of Packaging Design, apparently composed for the most part from technical skills, is instead the most comprehensive design’s training where many other areas of visual design turn out to be fundamental, as a packaging project is made of editorial, graphic / compositional, multilayer and post-production skills. The course aims to help students to develop a general awareness on the matter in order to understand the meaning of “packaging design” as a design path cross on different topics and not only as the single result of the final graphic composition. Through the growth of strategic skills, techniques and compositions, that will be gradually deepened at different levels, the course aims to stimulate a design concept based on the visual and technical knowledge and on a professional approach to the discipline
Course Overview
– Meta-design analysis
– Creative Process
– Structure, Materials Production
The program aims to provide students with the basic tools to approach a project in the field of product design, through the complexity, diversity and plurality of the design strategies within the contemporary context of the global transformation of the industrial paradigm. The students will acquire a full understanding of a methodology to approach increasingly complex design issues, in very different professional contexts and market sectors.
The course is a close examination of integrated marketing strategies, processing how to communicate the value of a product or service to customers, for the purpose of selling the product or service. It will also examine promotional tools that can be employed towards marketing goods and services on an international level.Students will be led through the course by lectures, hand-outs (consisting of relevant information), class assignments, field research, and practical learning by doing. Students are expected and urged to engage in self study and preparation. In conclusion, they will have to present a final project which will connect all of the elements focused on during the semester.
Fashion is a process of creative synthesis of various stimuli, sensations and references coming from many different fields: art, product design, architecture and communication. Developing a personal innovative vision is the upstream step of designing a contemporary collection and trends research is the tool supporting a proposal that is really creative and innovative.Research is a crucial step for the design process, and without deep, rich and varied research sources, innovation cannot exist. The more in depth research is, the greater is the potential for idea generation. Cool Hunting as research methodology is a powerful tool to create a new vision of fashion able to give uniqueness to the outcome of the work.
TBA
Introduction to Fashion Design. Course requires a minimum of 4 students to run.
Students will be exposed to the Italian Accessory Design field. In particular they will comprehend the meaning of evolution of contemporary luxury, Italian heritage, bespoke hand craft and modern industry. The universe of accessories (bags, shoes, small leather goods, etc.) is known as one of the most vital and interesting in contemporary fashion from the point of view of creativity. The design of these products is currently one of the most important areas in the economy tied to the worldwide fashion system. Along the course students will learn how to create a concept and develop a specific collection in order to face market requests.
The first part of the course go on upon the knowledge of Italian accessories universe. In order to gain confidence in accessories basics, students will spend time to visit main accessories brands store, scouting products and taking pictures of windows and people styles.
The second part of the course will be dedicated to creating the concept from which they will start to design a collection, using professional features.
Lessons will have a theoretical part, where the teacher will explain the main models of shoes and bags and their peculiarities, as well as the materials used in (leathers, furs and fabrics). Among the topics that will be studied there are components (such as heels, soles, etc.) and the technical construction of the shoe. The theoretical part will be followed by the practical one in which each student will design different models of shoes and bags after learning the necessary skills, following their subject of inspiration.
At the end, every student will complete their own collection creating the color-materials sheets about every accessory, using some tanneries color charts that the teacher will provide.
During the course each student works on their individual prototype. The fashion design course teaches students how to design a fashion item, including the construction of the pattern and the sewing of the garment with tailoring techniques. An overview of research practice will enable the students to learn how concepts, moods and themes are conceived and developed to provide inspiration for clothing, color and shape. This will include how to draw a garment. They will develop their creative skills through studio and workshop practice and work on the construction of the pattern and the realization of the prototype with handcraft tailoring methods.
Course Overview
1. Introduction to the course; introduction to inspiration, fashion sketches; pattern making, fabrics and
prototypes.
2. Research; inspiration mood, colors, shape and sketches of garments.
3. Selection of garment, which will be realized
4. Pattern making, sewing toile
5. Cutting of original fabric
6. (Sewing of prototype)*
*subject to time constraints and participant’s skills
Fashion Styling is designed to expose students to the understanding of the process with special attention to the style of Italian fashion. In order to understand the fundamentals of Italian image and style, students are exposed to the origin of the most important artistic projects. The course develops students’ initial understanding and experience in style hunting and image styling as the basis of their approach to fashion and design with the aim of further stimulating their potential skills. Milan is a strategic city, the international capital of fashion. Luxury and Tailor-made Craftsmanship. Contemporary Art and Business. Creativity and wearability/creativity. A perfect field where to observe, art galleries and fashion shops, take photos in the streets. Marketing and social macro trends are the main basis from which to start a process for a product styling line. From art to social trends: students will learn to incorporate all the information for an innovative application of trend skills that take marketing strategies into account.
The course brings attention to the multiple disciplines that are intertwined with the meaning and significance of a dressed body. By tracing either ancient and modern themes, by analyzing the current social behavior it is possible to demonstrate how fashion is highly linked to culture, economy, political and religious ideas and to human behaviors passed down unchanged from generation to generation. In this perspective, the anthropological discipline is applied to prove that the way you dress is an aspect that deserves an attentive analysis in order to understand the current behaviors and element of primary importance to face an advanced approach to the fashion project in terms of research and development.
The course deals with the fundamentals of the fashion visual image process with a special attention to the Italian fashion brands. Starting from the city of Milan, a perfect place to get to know the entire system, from corporate image, showroom, shopping office, styling, advertising, retail design and service experience. The course develops students’ initial understanding and experience in style hunting and image styling as the basics of their approach to fashion and design with the aim of further stimulating their potential skills. From marketing and social trends: students will learn how to incorporate all the information for an innovative application of trend skills.
The course will be a creative unique experience into today’s textile world: technical aspects, material knowledge, weaving basis, creativity, upcycle. The first part of the course will focus on the materials. Production process from fiber, to yarn, to fabric for the main textile categories: worsted wool, woolen wool, denim, nylon, linen, silk. For each product category there will be a focus on final aspects: dying, finishings, prints, embroidery, laser, devorè, treatments, manipulations. After becoming more aware of what is necessary to make a textile expert do its job from a practical perspective, the course will allow each student to design his/her own concept, expressing their creativity putting hands on product. Starting from a moodboard, students will be guided into transforming the materials (yarns and fabrics) into a textile capsule collection.
The aim of the course is to provide students a general knowledge of the history of Fashion and Costume. The fashion is a form of language, used to communicate who we are, to describe our society, economy, religion and many other things; it represents The Spirit of the Time. This would explain why clothes are nowadays studied by psychologists, sociologists, economists, anthropologists and art historians. The course starts from the analysis of the origins of Fashion phenomenon at the time of Italian Renaissance and its historical evolution from the French Revolution to nowadays fashion, as a form of individual or group language, as a form of communication within the society. Different fashion styles will be seen from an historical and sociological perspective. Fashion represents what we call Zeitgeistor Spirit of the Time and is always seen in the connection with culture, art, and social situations and trends. The course includes also information on nowadays Italian fashion system and the most important Italian fashion brands.
The course examines the role of the Italian contribution to the history of modern design. As a result of a long social and formal process that has its origin, more than in other circumstances, in the avant-garde movement of Futurism, design culture in Italy has always been much more than a mere, functional planning approach: thanks to the efforts and the ideas of the many actors that have taken part to its (practical and critical) definition, the word design has entered in the core of Italian creativity as one of its most powerful component. Students are introduced into this fascinating world through the analysis of several (cultural, social, artistic, industrial) aspects and a chronological comparison with the international debate and production. The course also intends to provide an overview of the history of graphic design in Italy as mirror of societys evolution.
Students in all SIS programs perform service in the community through the IC partner Ulisse Cultural Association. This service can range from 1 – 5 hours a week, with opportunities in a variety of service sites. Students might set tables at the city soup kitchen, visit with the elderly at a nursing home, teach English to local elementary school children or volunteer on the city ambulance. Volunteering in the community is an important way to improve language skills, get involved in the local social fabric and make a genuine contribution to the host community. For more information on volunteering see SIS Service Learning & Volunteer.
Course Registration
Students complete their course registration during the SAI enrollment process by selecting their primary course choices as well as required alternate courses. Course schedules are confirmed in Siena after students have been given an introduction to the courses and finalized which courses they will take.
| Pre-Departure Calendar | |
|---|---|
| October 15 2025 |
Application Closes Applications accepted after closing as space permits. |
| Within 1 week of acceptance |
SAI Deposits Due $500 Enrollment Deposit (applied toward program fee) $300 Security Deposit (refundable) |
| October 1 2025 |
50% of Total Program Fee Due Students who are accepted and submit SAI deposits after this date will have an amended pay schedule. 50% of the Program Fee will be due within 5 business days, based on the deposit payment date. |
| October 15 2025 |
Financial Aid Agreement & Financial Aid Program Deposit Deadline Students wishing to utilize SAI financial aid payment deferment must complete the Financial Aid Agreement form and submit the Financial Aid Program Deposit by this date. Students whose deposit payment date is on or after this date will have a deadline of 5 days after the deposit. |
| October 15 2025 |
SAI Scholarship Application Deadline Students wishing to apply for a SAI scholarship must have all application items submitted by 11:59pm Pacific Time on this date. |
| October 29 2025 |
Enrollment Closes Students must complete their enrollment, including paying deposits, by this date. |
| November 15 2025 |
SAI Financial Aid Verification Deadline Students wishing to defer payment until financial aid disbursement must submit the financial aid verification forms to SAI by this date. |
| December 1 2024 |
Balance of Total Program Fee Due (For students utilizing SAI financial aid payment deferment, any balance not covered by aid is due) |
| On-site Calendar | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coming soon |
Arrival & Housing Check-in Students arrive at Florence Peretola Airport (FLR). Students must arrive by 2:30pm for the group shuttle to Siena where students are transferred to family housing. |
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| Coming soon |
SIS Academic Orientation SIS holds several days of orientation activities and events including walking tours and group social events. |
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| Coming soon |
Courses Begin Coming soon |
Spring Break (no class) Students must vacate their host family’s home for this time period unless other arrangements are made directly with the family. |
| Coming soon |
Final Exams | |
| Coming soon |
Program End & Housing Check-out Students must move out of housing by 10:00am to return home or pursue independent travel. |
| SAI Program Fees* | USD |
|---|---|
| Application Fee | $120 |
| Security Deposit Refundable at the end of the term. |
$300 |
| Program Fee Includes tuition, standard housing and SAI 360° Services (see What’s Included). |
$16,000 |
| Optional / Additional Fees: | |
| International Mailing Supplement When applicable, students are charged an international mailing supplement to ensure visa paperwork arrives in a timely manner. |
$90 |
*prices are subject to change
Please see SAI Policies for SAI cancellation & withdrawal deadlines.
Note: certain SAI-affiliated US universities require specific payment arrangements. These may require that some fees are paid by the student directly to SAI, and other fees are paid to SAI by the affiliated university on behalf of the student. If you attend a SAI-affiliated university please contact your study abroad office or speak with your SAI Admissions Counselor for details.
| Budget | Low Est. | High Est. |
|---|---|---|
| Airfare to/from Florence |
$900 | $1,800 |
| Student Visa & Permit to Stay Fees |
$200 | $275 |
| Books, Supplies & Course Fees |
$25 / course | $50 / course |
| Meals Majority of meals included in cost. |
$100 / month | $150 / month |
| Personal Expenses | $250 / month | $350 / month |
| Transportation within Siena Public transportation with some taxi rides. |
$100 / month | $150 / month |
| Weekend Travel Cost varies greatly by student. |
$300 / month | $1,000 / month |
This is a SAI 360° Services Program; it includes our full services!
- Program tuition and U.S. academic credit
- Accommodation in carefully selected student housing
- Airport pickup on arrival day
- Welcome reception and events
- Orientation to the host city and school
- On-site staff who foster a welcoming community for you and provide assistance when needed
- 3 meals/day provided by host family
- SAI Viva Experience: cultural engagement, excursions & wellness activities
- Student health insurance providing full coverage and medical emergency evacuation
- 24-hour on-site emergency support
- Farewell event
Pre-departure and Re-entry services
- Knowledgeable Admissions Counselor dedicated to you, providing friendly assistance
- Helpful pre-departure tools and resources
- Parent & family resources
- Online student groups to acquaint you with other SAI students
- Student visa advising
- Assistance with financial aid processing
- Need-based SAI scholarships
- Alumni Ambassador Program, with paid internship opportunities
- SAI alumni network
SAI offers all students the Viva Experience: frequent cultural activities, at no extra cost, for participants to get to know their community, city and country. Following is a sample of the activities included in this program. Please note that actual activities may differ.
Welcome Reception
Upon arrival, new students, host families and SIS faculty and staff unite at a welcome reception to kick off the semester.
Natural Hot Springs Spa
Students visit the Antica Querciolaia Spa in the town of Rapolano Terme and relax in the therapeutic waters. The spa features a series of large pools fed by the nearby natural springs and overlooks the rolling Tuscan hills.
Brussels Weekend Excursion
Students will visit Brussels, Belgium, the diplomatic and organizational center of the European Union. During the weekend excursion, students tour the headquarters of the EU parliament with an EU representative, visit related museums as well as other EU organizations, NGOs, and cultural attractions.
Italian Weekend Excursion: Sulmona & the Apennine Mountains*
Students have the opportunity to explore Italy off the beaten path for an unforgettable weekend. The excursion begins with a stop in Assisi for a visit to the stunning city center, before continuing on to Sulmona in Abruzzo. Students explore the city that is nestled in a valley surrounded by the regional and national parks of the Apennine mountains. The group joins a guided hike through the mountains and enjoys local delicacies. To complete the trip, students stop at Rocca Calascio, the highest fortress in the Apennines, and then in Spoleto before returning to Siena.
* The Italian Weekend Excursion varies each term. Recent trips have also included Bologna, Modena and Verona, or Genova and Turin! Each trip is intended to help students explore places they may not have chosen on their own.
Tuscan Seaside
Students explore the breathtaking Tuscan coast by hiking to a secluded cove or relaxing on the dunes along the Mediterranean Sea. After beach time, the group heads to the breathtaking medieval town of Castiglione della Pescaia to explore and sample the best gelato around.
I Bottini: Siena’s Underground Aqueducts
Students tour the Bottini with a local guide, exploring a portion of the miles of galleries that run underneath the city of Siena. Carved during medieval times, the Bottini were used to gather Siena’s drinking water for centuries, feeding the many fountains scattered throughout the city.
Wine Tasting
Students visit a winery, learn about the winemaking process, and enjoy various tastings.
Day Trip to Florence
SIS Art History professor accompanies students on a day trip to Florence to visit the Uffizi Gallery and explore the city and visit one of its famous museums.
Tuscan Cooking Lesson
Students learn the art of Italian cooking in a hands-on, Italian cooking lesson, including appetizers, main courses and dessert. Lessons conclude with a meal of all that is prepared!
Visits to Tuscan Hilltowns
Students explore the Italian countryside, visiting one or more of the quaint towns tucked in the Tuscan hills, such as San Gimignano, Pienza, Montepulciano or Cortona.
Museum Visits in Siena
Students visit various museums in Siena as part of Italian class and other content courses. These include the Duomo, OPA Museum, the Museo Civico, the Santa Maria della Scala, as well as others.
Contrada Museum Visit
Students first have a historic/cultural lesson on Siena’s world-famous Palio and the history of its unique Contrade, then visit the museum and grounds of one of the 17 city districts to learn about it first hand from a contradaiolo.
Ceramics Workshop
Students participate in a hands-on ceramic workshop to create small ceramic objects, and learn a technique to paint decorative ceramic plates typical of Tuscan handicraft.
Farewell Dinner
After the exams are completed and final papers handed in, the students, faculty and staff share in a celebratory final meal to reflect upon the program experience and to say final goodbyes before departure.
Standard Housing: Family homestay
All participants are accommodated with local host families. Homestay accommodations include breakfast and dinner 7 days a week. Students are also provided with a meal plan for weekday lunches at a local restaurant near the school each day. Depending on the particular family placement students could be in a shared or private room. Homestays are an integral and indispensable part of all SIS programs, offering students the opportunity to make life-long friends, reinforce the language skills acquired during daily lessons and to experience modern Italian culture from “the inside.” SIS’s carefully selected families, whether a single mother, a young married couple with children or an elderly widow, are all experienced in hosting American students. The host families view this experience as a form of cultural exchange and are eager to share their version of Italian culture with program participants.
Passports
Passports should be valid for 3 months after planned departure from Italy.
Student Visas
In accordance with Italian law, students studying in Italy for 91 days or more are required to obtain a student visa. Those with Italian/EU citizenship are exempted. Non-US nationals should consult their local Consulate for information on student visa requirements.
Depending on the consulate, students will either mail in their student visa application or appear in person to present their application to the consulate. Our Student Visa Office is available to assist students in preparing for the appointment; SAI Student Visa Consulting is part of the SAI 360° Services included in the program fee. SAI Student Visa Processing Service is available for select consulates only, for an additional fee.