
Broaden Your Worldview
Live in an Unparalleled Location
Enjoy Classes That Bring the City To Life
Purpose
The purpose of Christendom’s Junior Semester in Rome is to enhance its academic experience with the cultural and intellectual enrichment, which living and studying in Rome, in the Heart of the Church, offers the students. Accommodations are in Balduina a short distance from the Vatican and Rome’s Historic Center.
In addition to taking full advantage of the artistic, cultural, ecclesiastical, and spiritual riches and resources of the Eternal City, the semester includes visits to Assisi, Siena, and Florence. Students may also participate in optional trips to sacred cities such as Orvieto and Subiaco.
Location
Students stay at the Residence Balduina, a short bus/metro ride or 30 minute walk to St. Peter’s. The Residence in a quintessentially Roman neighborhood, complete with shops, restaurants, coffee bars, and an open-air market. The Residence consists of spacious apartment-style rooms that provide services like a hotel, such as once-a-week cleaning and weekly change of bed and bath linens. Each apartment has its own bathroom, living room, and kitchen.
Academics
Courses:
- THEO 301: Moral Theology (Fall core course)
- THEO 302: Apologetics (Spring core course)
- ROMA 300: Language, Culture and History of Rome
- HIST 301: Art and Architecture of Rome and Florence
- PHIL 301: History of Medieval Philosophy
Price
In addition to the airfare and the normal tuition and room/board costs of attending Christendom, participants pay an additional fee of approximately $2300; not the normal added expenses of $3000 – $4000 charged by other colleges.
Our commitment to a reasonably priced international experience aims to make the Semester in Rome attainable for all students.
Living in Rome
Residence Balduina is located in the quintessentially Roman Balduina neighborhood just noth of the Vatican. Students can easily reach St. Peter’s Square by taking the train three stops, or by walking 30 minutes down the hill.
The residence is a beautiful and safe upscale neighborhood, not located in the midst of a tourist trap. The experience is authentically Roman, as students are surrounded by Romans as opposed to tourists. Balduina’s rooms are homey and allow for community-building among the students. There are kitchens and ample furniture in the rooms as well. Additionally, each room has at least one balcony. Last but not least, the hotel is located between two large parks: Parco Regionale Urbano Pineto and the Reserve Naturale di MonteMario. Monte Mario is the highest hill in Rome. On the hilltop, now occupying the site of the 15th century Villa Mellini, is the Monte Mario Observatory, part of the Rome Observatory, and the Museo Astronomico Copernicano.
- All students are provided with Metro passes which allow them to travel throughout the city using Rome’s extensive bus and metro system.
- Our semester is a little over 10 weeks, which allows for students to travel independently before or after the semester if students want to explore other parts of Europe.
Eligibility
Participation in the Semester in Rome is to take place during the student’s Junior year.
- Participation in the Semester in Rome is voluntary; students may elect not to participate and to continue their studies uninterruptedly on the Front Royal campus.
- Students must have at least a cumulative 2.00 GPA at the time of application in order to apply for the Semester in Rome. Students who do not have at least a cumulative 2.00 GPA at the time of application are not eligible for participation in the Semester in Rome.
- Students must achieve a minimum 2.00 GPA during their semester prior to participation in the Semester in Rome.
- Students must be passing the first two years of EFL requirements by the time Rome applications are due.
- Students must have been a full-time student at Christendom College for at least one year prior to the Rome semester.
- Students are expected to have completed the entire first two years of the core curriculum.
- Students on Academic Warning or Probation may not participate in the Semester in Rome.
- Students with Incompletes on their transcripts may not participate in the Semester in Rome.
- Students must have disciplinary clearance from Student Life, namely the Dean of Student Life.
- Students must be in good financial standing with the College.
- Students must be in good physical and mental health condition to participate in the Semester in Rome. Student Life reserves the right to request either a physical or a mental health evaluation prior to going to Rome if any behavior has been exhibited that poses potential concerns for studying abroad.
- Students must be deemed good stewards of the College.
- Students must obtain passports valid for travel to Europe.
- Students will purchase the supplemental health insurance through the company with which Christendom College works.
- Students may only be accepted via the Semester in Rome application process.
- The College reserves the right to remove students from the Semester in Rome at any time for any reason.
- Supplemental health insurance is provided by the college for students participating in the Semester in Rome, as it is included in their Rome fee.