A leading institution of innovation in study abroad education and student services in Florence and Cinque Terre, Italy.

Since 1997, Florence University of the Arts (FUA) has been innovating the study abroad experience in Italy and expanding the global horizons of international students. Initially founded with a focus on hospitality and food studies, FUA has since grown to feature two unique locations (Florence and Cinque Terre) and nine academic divisions covering diverse studies from the liberal arts to design studies and health sciences.

What sets FUA apart is a dynamic and US-style curriculum, and the mission’s goal to engage students as active participants in a learning environment that fosters continuous interaction with the local community and culture. With a commitment to personalized support, FUA ensures that students are fully equipped to thrive both academically and as global citizens deeply connected to the local Italian territory.

FUA Mission

Enriching Students through Cultural Integration, Community Engagement, and Experiential Learning

FUA was founded to:

Promote and renew creative disciplines in a city renowned for its history-changing innovations.

Offer challenging academic programs that shape inquisitive minds capable of:

Approaching academic disciplines with the mindset to deeply understand the principles of the past and how they are present in today’s context.
Transforming learning, knowledge and cultural experiences into instruments that shape tomorrow’s future.
Contributing to the local culture with the findings, research, and creations developed over the course of study.

Provide excellent professional and academic facilities at each campus, which not only offer learning spaces but also enhance and inspire learning potential.

Go beyond classroom learning by promoting student interaction with the convergence of the multicultural societies and creative presences in the city of Florence. This is accomplished through the presence of Palazzi Community Engagement Member Institutions (CEMI) whose facilities and services are open to the public. VISION: American-style, community-oriented education in Florence that transcends disciplines and cultural traditions.

Vision

American-style, community-oriented education in Florence that transcends disciplines and cultural traditions.

FUA is a multidisciplinary institution that seeks to offer dynamic possibilities of study through a rich selection of academic institutions and departments.

FUA unites communities, nationalities, compelling projects, and studies capable of shaping the cultural landscape of Florence.

FUA encourages students to be challenged by both classroom and service learning for civic engagement, and to challenge the weight of Florence’s glorious heritage in order to contribute to its future with a fresh mind and open eyes.

FUA strives to provide its students with an experience that goes beyond the Renaissance façade of Florence by communicating to them that who we are and what they experience go beyond cultural stereotypes.

FUA believes that each student should go back home with a clear concept of Florence and Italy that includes a profound cultural understanding gained from integration. What they receive from the experience is a life changed and newfound understanding and perspectives that they will carry in their hearts for the rest of their lives.

Values

A rich, stimulating course offering taught by an international faculty, spanning all areas of the institutions grouped under FUA and their specific departments and courses.

An academic structure based on lectures, workshops, seminars, and laboratories that promote student learning and creation.

Quality, state of the art facilities located in historic palaces throughout the Florence city center.

Opportunities for student exposure and interaction with the local culture through civic engagement and service learning on both academic and extracurricular levels and cultural integration projects including the on-going involvement available through Palazzi CEMI.

A leading institution of innovation in study abroad education and student services in Florence and Cinque Terre, Italy.

FUA Mission

Enriching Students through Cultural Integration, Community Engagement, and Experiential Learning

Accreditation

Facilities

Governance

Assessment

Careers