Smolny College, The First Liberal Arts in Russia

  Russia

• St. Petersburg: 
St. Petersburg

  United States

Term: Academic Year, Fall, Spring, Summer 
Dates: inquire for specific dates

Description: Bard College is accepting applications for study at Smolny College, Russia's first accredited liberal arts program, established within one of Russia's great universities, St. Petersburg State University. Smolny College's curriculum, developed jointly with Bard College, embodies the methods and principles of the liberal arts tradition, offering small classes and individual attention. Courses are taught in both Russian and English, and intensive language study is available in summer.

Smolny College is a new kind of international educational institution. As the first liberal arts program linking Russia and the United States, Smolny offers an opportunity unlike any other study abroad program. Smolny College invites applications from students with a diversity of talent and passion who are interested in an academic, social, and cultural education and an open exchange of ideas.

Highlights: Bard is a four-year college of the liberal arts and sciences, recognized as one of the foremost liberal arts colleges in the United States, where students are encouraged to actively explore the full scope of intellectual liberal arts traditions and to identify and pursue their academic interests with care. Through its 140-year history, the College has earned a reputation for innovation in the liberal arts curriculum and for enriching students' experience through compatible intellectual and artistic ventures that enhance the undergraduate program and contribute to larger public and cultural life. In the post-Cold War era international education partnerships must be based on mutuality and equality. Bard's Institute for International Education, which oversees the Smolny College program, among others, does not seek to export American models and methods, but to create dynamic relationships through which Bard and its partner institutions learn from each other's ideas and experience and contribute to international understanding.

University Attributes: Smolny College provides a unique academic experience for each student. Smolny's programs of concentration are organized in three divisions (social science, humanities, and arts) and include interdivisional programs. Tutorial mentoring is provided by Smolny's distinguished faculty. Students are encouraged to design individual programs of study. Undergraduate students from any discipline may spend a semester, a year, or even four years at Smolny College. The curriculum is designed to provide a broad liberal education as well as specialized training in a variety of fields. The city of St. Petersburg and Saint Petersburg State University offer a host of unique resources for students interested in art, architecture, history, sociology, political studies, literature, or the sciences.

Cost in US$: Inquire for more info.

Applicants may be eligible for half-tuition scholarships based on academic achievement and financial need. Scholarships from a student's home institution and federal and state grants also may be applicable. Interested students are invited to explore tuition funding options with our staff.

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Physical Exam/Health Records
• Resume
• Transcript
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit DebriefingAbroad
• Job and Internship Network

Bard College's Mission Statement: The Institute for International Liberal Education was formed at Bard in 1998. Its mission is to advance the theory and practice of international liberal arts education. We believe that in the post-Cold War era international educational partnerships must be based on mutuality and equality, and that it is important for international exchange to occur at the undergraduate level. Our long-term partnerships are characterized by the exchange of students, faculty, and curricular elements. Comprehensive exchanges afford the best possibility for the participants, both in and out of the classroom, to enter into direct, sustained dialogue on intellectual and cultural issuesprecisely the kind of international dialogue that is needed to respond to the global challenges of the 21st century. Unlike the unilateral "exchanges" of the past, substantive academic partnerships based on mutual respect and understanding enrich learning and teaching for all the students and faculty involved. The IILE does not seek to export American models and methods. Rather, our aim is to create dynamic relationships through which we and our partner institutions can learn from each others' ideas and experience. The Institute's projects are located in regions undergoing rapid political and economic transformation (currently Russia, East Central Europe, and South Africa). Our partners are leading universities with an interest in educational reform.

Year Founded: 1860