Pre-Term SAIS Bologna - Italian & English Courses

Intensive English
This course aims to help non-native English speakers achieve the academic level necessary to perform well in courses during the year, and to prepare for the SAIS English proficiency exam. The course is designed around the subjects taught at the Bologna Center and will foster the development of the language skills necessary to follow academic lectures, participate in discussions and debates, give oral presentations, and write exam papers. Classes meet five hours a day for a total of approximately 90 hours. Hence, while Intensive English may be combined with Intermediate Micro- or Macroeconomics in pre-term, the workload is likely to be so heavy that such a combined program of study is strongly discouraged.

Pre-term Intensive English is MANDATORY for students who scored 104 or lower on the TOEFL, 7 or lower on IELTS, or a ‘C’ grade in the Cambridge Proficiency. Students who scored between 105 and 109 on the TOEFL, 7.5 on the IELTS, or a ‘B’ grade on the Cambridge Proficiency are advised to attend.

Please note: Regardless of English test scores submitted with a candidate’s application, some non-native English-speaking students may be REQUIRED to participate in this course (based on the admissions interview or other evaluations). Such requirements are indicated in the candidate’s letter of admission.

Intensive Italian
This course is the best way to begin learning Italian and get the most out of living in Italy. Participants will be divided according to their language background and aptitude through an initial aptitude test. Students with a strong background in another Romance language might reach the adequate level to be placed in the Intermediate Mid courses at the end of Pre-Term, and thus qualify to take the Italian Proficiency exam at the end of the academic year. Only beginner level classes are offered during pre-term. Classes meet for five hours a day for a total of approximately 90 hours. Student spouses and partners are also welcome to participate in this course.

Intensive Italian may be combined with Intermediate Micro- or Macroeconomics in pre-term, but the workload is likely to be so heavy that such a program of study is strongly discouraged.

Survival Italian
This course is reserved for students taking a pre-term Micro- or Macroeconomics. It introduces students to the basic structures of the Italian language and facilitates participation in Italian daily life. Only beginner level classes are offered during pre-term. Classes meet two and one half hours a day for a total of approximately 45 hours. It is not recorded permanently on the transcript.

Survival Italian is designed to be combined with Intermediate Micro- or Macroeconomics. Theoretically, a student could take Survival Italian with both Micro- and Macroeconomics, but this would be an extremely heavy workload and is not recommended.

Incoming students should also consult the detailed information on the language program for language-course offerings during the regular academic year.