Program Updates

Check here regularly for updated information about our programs, or get on our list for quarterly newsletters! 

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Conflict Transformation

This spring we will be offering some new Conflict Transformation (CT)-related opportunities and courses for students at our Schools around the world:

Argentina & Uruguay | CT Writing Course: Conflict in Urban Affairs and in Sustainable Development & excursion activity on environmental and food sustainability

Cameroon | Up to two funded research assistantships focusing on gender issues in Cameroonian media. A new CT course: The Roles and Experiences of Women in Transforming Conflict in Post-Colonial Cameroon

France | CT Courses: Taking to the Streets: Revolts and Social Movements in France & The EU, An Unprecedented Experiment in the Socialization of Conflicts

Jordan | CT Course: Reshaping Perspectives: Conflict Transformation in the Palestinian-Israeli Context

Morocco | Up to two funded research assistantships focusing on language activism, linguistic and minority rights, and language and social justice

UK | A symposium with Lord John Alderdice, former leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland

As these new opportunities develop, you can find more information on Conflict Transformation programming at the Schools Abroad.

Staffing Updates

We are happy to introduce Hung I-Chiao as Director of our newest program, Middlebury in Taiwan! A native of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, I-Chiao is an experienced educator with a strong background in Chinese language teaching and program management, as well as experience as an instructor at the Middlebury Language Schools. We are looking forward to having students in Taiwan this coming spring!

We are also happy to share that Dr. Megan McKenna will serve as the new Academic Director of Study Away at Monterey. Megan is a marine scientist and educator who teaches for various programs offered through the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, including the California Coast & Climate Semester, graduate program in Environmental Policy and Management, and School of the Environment.

Lastly, Sílvia Lorenso will step down as the Director of the Middlebury School in Brazil at the end of the Spring 2024 semester. We are appreciative of her many contributions to the program over the past 8 years and wish her well in her future endeavors. We have begun our search for a new Director; please feel free to spread the word.

New Application Deadlines

Beginning in 2024, students who wish to spend their fall semester in Oxford will need to apply by March 1st. Students who wish to spend their spring semester in Italy, Spain, France, Japan, or the UK will need to apply by September 15th. We hope this will ease some of the pressure on students with tight visa and university registration deadlines. On all other programs, we’ll adhere to our existing application deadlines of March 15 and October 1. 

New Taiwan Program

We will have a new option for Chinese language learners starting in the spring of 2024. The Middlebury School in Greater China now includes sites in Beijing and in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, at National Sun Yat-sen University.

New Tracks in Puerto Rico

The School in Puerto Rico now offers three distinct academic tracks, in addition to the regular direct enroll programming. These tracks include a core group of courses at the host university plus an internship or other experiential learning opportunity.

New Director in Cameroon

We’re pleased to welcome the new director of the School in Cameroon, Christiane Magnido. Christiane was the director of the School for International Training’s program in Yaoundé, Cameroon, since 2006, and supervised language training for Peace Corps volunteers before that. We are delighted to have her on board!

Spain Sites

The School in Spain’s program offerings have not changed, but we are changing the way we present our sites. We will be listing our host university in Getafe, the Universidad Carlos III, among the options for students in Madrid instead of considering Getafe a separate site (Getafe is a suburb of Madrid). So our three program options in Spain are in Madrid, Córdoba, and Logroño.

Oxford Admissions

The Middlebury-CMRS Oxford Humanities Program has been filling to capacity in recent semesters, and we have decided to forego rolling admissions for that program only. Admissions decisions will be made all at once, two weeks after the application deadline. Our fall semester deadline is now March 1 (note that it is earlier than the regular Schools Abroad deadline of March 15) and the spring deadline is October 1. 

Conflict Transformation Grant Opportunities

Thanks to generous funding through the Kathryn Wasserman Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation, we are rolling out a series of initiatives across our Schools Abroad. The School in Cameroon has stipends available for students doing research projects, which we plan to offer in future semesters. Learn more about those funding opportunities here.

Astana

Kazakhstan has changed the name of its capital, previously Nur-Sultan, back to Astana. We have made this change in our materials and look forward to welcoming our first cohort of students on the new Russian language immersion program.

Jeff Cason

Some of you may have met or worked with Jeff Cason, who was our Dean of International Programs for many years before becoming Middlebury’s Provost. Jeff passed away this summer, and we are feeling his absence deeply across the college and in our Schools Abroad network. Jeff was a beloved member of our team and was instrumental in developing our programs in Jordan, Israel, Morocco, Japan, Brazil, Cameroon, Egypt, India, and the United Kingdom. You can read more about Jeff’s life and career here. 

Puerto Rico

We announced our first Caribbean site, the School in Puerto Rico this spring, and we now have partnerships with three host universities on the island: the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón (Santurce, San Juan), Universidad de Puerto Rico (Río Piedras Campus, San Juan), and Universidad de Puerto Rico (Mayagüez Campus). Applications are open and we look forward to seeing our first students in the spring of 2023.

Kazakhstan

While operations at the School in Russia are on hold, we will be opening a Russian immersion program in Kazakhstan beginning in the spring of 2023.

India

We are rethinking our program model in India and are taking some time to confer with colleagues and students about what shape the program should take moving forward, and where. In the meantime, we have suspended the program in Delhi until our relaunch.

Italy

We have made the difficult decision to suspend our program in Ferrara, but will continue running in Florence and in Rome. Rome, however, will become a spring-only option.

In Florence, we will continue to offer Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced tracks for students at varying levels of proficiency. Advanced students can now either take 1 course at the Middlebury center and 2 courses at the host university or 2 center courses and 1 university course. 

China

While we hope to have students in Beijing and Kunming again soon, we have decided to sunset our program in Hangzhou, which was the School in China’s first location. 

New Intermediate Tracks in Argentina and Russia

For students with 3-4 semesters of Spanish or 2-3 semesters of Russian, Middlebury now has new Intermediate Tracks in Buenos Aires and Moscow. Students will adhere to the Middlebury Language Pledge and take both language and area studies courses. 

California Programs

We are pleased to announce some new programs at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) , where students can spend a semester or year getting graduate experience in Monterey, California. In addition to the regular study away program from the Institute’s globally-focused master’s degrees, undergraduates can apply to the California Climate Semester, the Global Security Semester, and the brand new Language Education Semester. The Center for Nonproliferation Studies also offers paid summer fellowships.

Tango Track

The School in Argentina has developed a new track called Tango and Identity, which combines coursework on culture, identity, the arts, literature, anthropology, philosophy, and history with a credit-bearing internship and introductory dance classes as well as other activities outside the classroom.

Interactive Pages

We have begun creating interactive content so students can explore our sites in greater detail. While we will be adding more images and videos over the coming semester, you can get a sense of what we’re building by looking at the School in Cameroon’s page as an example. Let us know if you would like a map created for your institution with the programs you approve for your students.

STEM tracks

We now have several STEM-focused tracks which combine university coursework with practical experience through internships or community engagement.

At many of our other programs, students can take STEM courses at our host universities, some of which have especially strong programming in these areas (such as Engineering in Getafe, Spain). 

Site Changes in Latin America

This year, we will be closing our sites in Córdoba, Argentina, and in La Serena, Chile. However, we are opening new options! The Middlebury School in Chile will have a presence in Villarrica, a small town in the southern Araucanía region. This will be a new site for the Sustainability and Society track. Another brand new track in Chile is Social Movements, which will be based at the Universidad Alberto Hurtado in Santiago. 

Scholarships for China

We are pleased to announce a new scholarship available through the Fund for Education Abroad. Students studying on the Middlebury School in China are eligible for an Access Partner scholarship of up to $5,000 for a semester and $10,000 for an academic year. 

Beginner Track in Russia

The Middlebury School in Russia will soon offer a program in Moscow for students with no prior Russian study. Beginner students will take a combination of Russian language and content courses, which will begin in English, and will earn the equivalent of a full year of Russian in a single semester. 

Digital Community Spaces

Several of our Schools Abroad have developed web spaces to support their students before and after going abroad and to share stories from current and past participants. The School in Brazil is one of several options for language immersion among Middlebury’s Portuguese programs. The School in Germany offers pre-departure resources and an introduction to intercultural communication development. 

GPS in Irkutsk

In collaboration with the Baikal Interactive Ecological Center, our students in Irkutsk, Russia, will be able to participate in a new Global Partnerships for Sustainability (GPS) program. They’ll learn about the ecological issues of the Baikal region and work on projects with local citizens, school children, and students at Irkutsk State University.

Honoring Nana

To celebrate our longstanding partnership, Irkutsk State University has awarded the title of Honorary Professor to Dr. Nana Tsikhelashvili, the director of the Middlebury School in Russia. We applaud the well-deserved recognition for her hard work and contribution to the academic cooperation we enjoy in Irkutsk. 

New Videos

Using footage that our students took while abroad, we have developed new videos highlighting their experiences in Japan and Uruguay. You can see all of our recent student videos on our YouTube channel. 

Beijing Traveling Seminar

This semester, for the first time, Middlebury’s program in  has begun incorporating a week-long traveling seminar to Xi’an into the curriculum. Students will be learning about China’s political, economic, and historic globalization through the sites of the Silk Road and the One Belt One Road initiative.Beijing

New Study Center

The headquarters of the School in Italy has a new location in , at the Sede Capponi. This site is closer to the academic heart of the city, and further removed from the English-speaking activity of the historic center. Florence

Refugee Resettlement Program

A program in Connecticut matches Arabic language students with Arabic-speaking families for linguistic and cultural exchange. The Jiran program is open to students with Arabic fluency, who have participated in a language-intensive study abroad experience, or who have at least three years of Arabic at the college level.

New Requirements in Florence

The Advanced track on the School in Italy’s Florence program is now open to students with just four semesters of Italian. Students with 0-3 semesters of language study may also attend the program on our Beginner and Intermediate tracks, and our staff will tailor the curriculum to fit each student’s Italian proficiency

New STEM Track in Poitiers

STEM majors with four semesters of French are invited to take part in a new track of study in Poitiers, France. Full year or spring students may apply for independent research in a university lab.

Funding for Italian Graduate Studies

Middlebury is pleased to offer a new fellowship, the Premio Famiglia Fiducia Fund, which funds a significant portion of a master’s degree in Italian through the Middlebury Italian School for three students. Students attend one six-week summer session on the Mills College campus and one academic year at the School in Italy. Please feel free to share this opportunity with any returnees with a strong background in the Italian language.

Middlebury Affiliation Scholarship

The Middlebury Institute for International Studies at Monterey, which offers graduate programs in International Education Management, TESOL, TFL, Translation, and more, is now offering scholarships to alumni of Middlebury’s non-degree programs. Past attendees of the Schools Abroad, Language Schools, Ambassador Corps, or School of the Environment are guaranteed a $5,000 scholarship for each program, in addition to other merit and/or need-based scholarships.