Rome

In continuity with our founding mission to prepare young people for leadership in the service of truth, our Rome campus seeks to offer our students a unique opportunity for academic growth and personal development. Whether you're studying a medical profession, education, business, or biology, in Rome, you will work toward fulfilling courses from the university's core curriculum in a dynamic international setting created especially for you.

In the classroom, you'll be invited into an engaging environment that pays particular attention to the way the lessons of history, the great achievements of human reason, and the light of Divine revelation allows us to see more clearly how we might respond to the pressing questions facing humanity today.

But the classroom is only the beginning. When in Rome, the ideas and ideals introduced in class are brought to life outside the classroom in an encounter with the world of the Italian people and culture. It's this encounter, so different from any other experience, that offers the context for students to examine their own hearts and minds, so they might hear with greater clarity their own calling in life.

Where is the campus located?

The Rome campus is part of a clean, comfortable guesthouse in the quiet Roman neighborhood of Monteverde Nuovo. You will live a bus ride from the Vatican and downtown Rome. View Rome Campus Map 

The campus integrates history with modern technology.  All rooms have a private bathroom/shower and high-speed internet. There are study areas, a library, outdoor recreation grounds, beautifully landscaped gardens, classroom space, and a chapel on-site.

How long can I study abroad?

Students may go for a semester or a month-long summer program called the Rome Maymester.

Who gets to go?

Students are eligible to study in Italy after a semester at Mary and must be in attendance at least one semester immediately prior to participating.

Participation is a privilege, and approval by the University of Mary is required. Only students in good academic and behavioral standing are eligible to apply.

Students should have a lively interest in the liberal arts and the intellectual tradition of Western civilization. Preference is given to sophomores and students who have a declared major or minor in the Catholic studies program. Space is limited and 35 students are accepted each semester.

What is the cost?

During the fall and spring semesters, the cost of room, board, and tuition is the same as our Bismarck campus. All scholarships and financial aid apply to the cost of these programs. Students are responsible for round-trip airfare, a program fee for academic excursions, and spending money for personal travel and meals on the weekends.

The costs are managed differently for the Rome Maymester. Be sure to talk to the global studies coordinator to understand pricing.

What happens when I'm there?

The program features specialized courses from the core curriculum. They'll cover topics such as history, theology, art history, Italian, and philosophy. Classroom days are coupled with excursions into the center of Rome where students will have special access to the hidden excavations under St. Peter's Basilica, the treasures of the Vatican Museum, and even an audience with Pope Francis. But beyond the city of Rome, students will also venture out into the Italian countryside where they will encounter those places shaped more directly by the life of Saint Benedict himself. Truly, students who study have a first-hand encounter with everything that makes the University of Mary "joyfully Christian, faithfully Catholic, and gratefully Benedictine."

Will I be free to travel?

Classes are during the week, leaving many weekends free for travel. Student travel in Europe, if carefully planned, can be exciting and relatively inexpensive.

Are there special occasions to build community?

On Wednesdays, students gather together with the campus chaplains and seminarians from the North American College, for an experience that is the heart of the University of Mary Rome Campus, Convivium. Students come together first around the Lord's Table for a joyful celebration of the Mass, and afterward, swap stories and reconnect with one another over a traditional Italian meal.

Why study abroad?

The University of Mary is committed to ever-higher levels of intellectual and cultural engagement for its students and advocates for leadership development in a global environment. The goal is for students to have a rich experience of other cultures and ways of life. This is a unique opportunity for them to experience great beauty and wonder firsthand in the cradle of the Christian faith and our Benedictine values. Students who take this opportunity seriously will return home with an entirely new vision for life and its purpose.

A Day in the Life of a University of Mary Rome Campus Student: Making Rome Your Hometown

Wake up and get ready for a great day.

In the morning you can head over to the breakfast room to enjoy a simple Italian breakfast of bread, jam, and a delicious cappuccino.

Classroom work

In class, you learn about the decay and fall of the late Roman Empire. Then the class will head out into the city coming face-to-face with what everyone just encountered in the classroom.

Lunch!

Students eat in a private dining room where they enjoy an authentic Italian meal: pasta alla norcina, roasted chicken and rosemary potatoes, fresh fruit, etc.

An afternoon trip with friends

Head out into the city with your snacks and backpacks in hand. You and your friends hop on the 8 Tram that runs from the Via del Casaletto into the heart of the city. The Italian you learn in class will come in handy while you explore the city.

Taking in the sights and sounds

You and your friends are hunting down a famous painting, The Vocation of St. Matthew by Caravaggio, for your Art History course. With maps in hand, you walk your way from Largo Argentina to San Luigi dei Francesi where the painting can be found. On your way there, you take a drink at one of the many small fountains that run throughout the city of Rome, still working through the ingenuity of the ancient Roman aqueducts. After taking notes for your paper on the painting, you and your friends settle onto the steps of a church in a nearby piazza to do a bit of reading for class the next day.

Making new friends

On the walk back to the Tram, you and your friends run into a group of American students from another university. They tell you that last weekend they took the train to Milan and saw the Duomo and Da Vinci's The Last Supper and that you simply can't miss it. They give you information about which train they took, as well as the hostel where they spent the night while they were there.

Enjoying the evening

You hop on the tram and head back to the neighborhood of the Rome campus. Before returning home, you notice a few of your classmates enjoying gelato at a local shop and join them. After a long day, you fall exhausted into bed, wondering what surprises the next day will hold!

Courses Available

Fall and Spring Semester

• 100-level Italian Language and Culture course (3 credits, liberal arts core elective)
• ART 121 Art of Italy (3 credits, Art core)
• CTH/PHI 210 Search for Happiness (3 credits, Ethics core)
• THE/CTH 234 Benedict: Yesterday and Today (3 credits, Theology core or “THE 200-level or above” core elective)
•  HIS/CLA 311 Grandeur of Rome (3 credits, liberal arts core elective) 

May Term

• THE/CTH 234 – Benedict: Yesterday and Today (3 credits)