Rome

In continuity with our founding mission to prepare young people for leadership in the service of truth, our Rome campus seeks to offer 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.

However, the classroom is only the beginning. While in Rome, the ideas and ideals introduced in class are brought to life outside the classroom in an encounter with the global Church, not to mention 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 University of Mary Rome Campus is located in a portion of a beautiful guesthouse complex called Al Casaletto, which is owned and operated by the Ancelle della Carità (The Handmaids of Charity). Situated in a lovely residential setting a short distance from St. Peter’s Basilica in the verdant Monteverde Nuovo neighborhood, the Rome Campus offers spacious grounds with palm trees and green spaces for all to enjoy. A bustling shopping district is a short walk from campus. View Rome Campus Map

All rooms have a private bathroom and shower. The campus encompasses classroom space, quiet study areas, a private laundry room, a student lounge, outdoor recreation grounds, vibrant flower gardens, and a chapel with 24-hour access. There is High-Speed Wi-Fi in campus common areas.

How long can I study abroad?

You may go for an entire 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. You must be in attendance for 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. Space is limited, and 35 students are accepted each semester.

What is the cost?

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.

Maymester - 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 Rome Program features specialized courses from the core curriculum. Classes cover topics in history, theology, art history, Italian, and philosophy. Classroom days are coupled with excursions into the centro storico, the historical center of Rome, where students will have access to the hidden excavations under St. Peter's Basilica, the treasures of the Vatican Museum, and even an audience with Pope Francis. Beyond the city of Rome, students will also venture out into the Italian countryside, where they will encounter places shaped more directly by the life of Saint Benedict himself. Truly, students 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 held 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?

Beginning with Orientation Week in Rome and continuing throughout the semester, students participate in events that build community, including a Student Life Weekend and a Chaplaincy-led retreat to Assisi. However, the highlight and heart of the Rome Campus community is Convivium. Occurring every Wednesday, students gather with faculty, staff, chaplains, and seminarians from the Pontifical North American College. Students come together first around the Lord's Table for a joyful celebration of the Mass and afterward swap stories 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. The Rome Program is a unique opportunity for students 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 Rome Campus Student 

Di mattina 

In the morning, you and your classmates meet at Al Casaletto’s breakfast room for hot cappuccinos and a light colazione of bread, butter, jam, and fruit.  

Studiamo! 

After breakfast, you head downstairs for a traditional classroom meeting, ride the #31 bus to the Vatican Museums for a walking art history lecture, or take the #8 tram into the heart of the city for a history lecture in the Roman Forum and Colosseum. 

A pranzo

You enjoy a plate of pasta al pesto or roasted chicken and potatoes for lunch, savoring the rich flavors and aromas of authentic Italian cuisine.  

Di  pomeriggio 

You spend the afternoon roaming the Eternal City with three friends. After taking in the dazzling interior of the Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, you and your group explore the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and Piazza Navona. The four of you settle at the edge of the Villa Borghese to relax and catch up on a philosophy assignment as the sun begins to sink.  

Di sera 

Your entire cohort converges on the campus dining room for this week’s Convivium dinner and dialogue. Taking place every Wednesday evening, Convivium brings together seminarians from the Pontifical North American College and Rome campus students, faculty, and staff for a community feast and an evening of lively fellowship.  

Dopo cena

Before retiring for the night, you and your roommate join a pair of classmates in the student lounge to plan a weekend trip to Athens and the Cyclades. The day comes to a close, and you fall into bed content and eager to start another in the morning. 

Courses Available

Fall and Spring Semester

• ITA 101 Conversational Italian (3 credits, liberal arts core elective)
• ART 121 The 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)