The DIS academic model

We’re proud to have built a high-quality, innovative, study abroad experience that combines high-level classroom academics with learning in the field and hands-on development of transferable skills.

Get out and explore

You study abroad for a reason: to learn in a new location.

We believe a study abroad program should lean into its location through place-based learning. DIS courses go beyond the typical classroom walls and venture out to explore the city, Scandinavia, and broader Europe, making the most out of your academics abroad.

All of your courses will journey on Field Studies around Stockholm or Copenhagen, where your faculty bring you to research labs, local businesses, non-profit organizations, and other relevant sites to speak with experts and decision-makers in the field.

Build your unique study abroad experience

Your classes at DIS will prioritize interactive learning and the free exploration of topics.

You have the freedom to select any combination of courses and build a schedule that works for you, whether that means diving deeply into a single field or exploring a wide variety of subjects.

Expect your classes to offer a hands-on approach with open discussions, case studies, conversations with experts, and projects to demonstrate your skills and understanding.

Ambitious and inclusive

A study abroad experience should be available to all students, no matter their circumstance or background. This includes access to a style of learning that works for everyone.

We embrace a universal design for learning, so that we meet each student’s academic needs and reduce hurdles to learning.

Learning by doing

Your DIS courses offer you the chance to put theories to the test and learn through experience.

You can put your medical or psychological knowledge to practice within a clinical setting. Develop, pitch, and build your own startup from scratch. Role play as a European nation in the midst of strategic negotiations. Build code to analyze real-world datasets and generate novel insights and visualize them.

These active learning experiences help you to improve practical, transferable skills, expand your professional knowledge, and build an international network.

How we talk about learning

While exploring our courses, you might see some terms that you don’t recognize. These are just a few of the concepts that make up our unique academic experience.

Jan Mulder is a neurobiologist and researcher at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. He leads a research team working across many specialties, from molecular biology and microscopy to computer science and data visualization with the goal of mapping every single protein in the human brain as part of the Human Protein Atlas project.

Jan hosts DIS Research Assistants within his lab each semester and loves to bring research to life.

Milosz Cordes spent nine years working as a diplomat for Poland in several European countries and within the European Union ecosystem. He also has years of experience as a film photographer, shooting, developing, and scanning his own photos.

In his courses on European politics, Milosz combines his insider political knowledge with photography, giving students film cameras with which they explore the cities they travel to and how physical space matters within international relations.

Silvia Dragomir is an architect, urban planner, and advocate of Cities for People. With a focus on sustainability and climate change mitigation, Silvia owns her own architecture firm in Copenhagen and has contributed to projects in the U.S., UK, Romania, and throughout Denmark.

In her courses, you experience Copenhagen as a design model for urban transit, sustainable development, and adaptive responses to climate change.

Iwo Nord is a researcher and educator in gender studies and a founding member of Trans Fest Stockholm, an activist collective within the Swedish capital. He works to build and strengthen transgender studies in both the Nordic region and in the former Yugoslav space.

Iwo pairs activist and academic backgrounds, emphasizing intersectionality and a variety of perspectives when teaching. He loves to facilitate nuanced conversations in the classroom, where students are encouraged to challenge thinking habits and embrace change.