Semester overview
Design your semester with DIS
At DIS, we offer over 350 courses across a variety of disciplines, giving you the opportunity to study abroad while earning credits, deepening knowledge in your field, and discovering new areas of interest.
Your Core Course
A signature experience of a semester with DIS is the Core Course, which includes two faculty-led Study Tours. Your choice of Core Course also determines your study location—either Copenhagen or Stockholm.
You can see Core Courses organized by their area of study under our Academic Programs.
Your semester at a glance
Get a quick overview of your semester, learn more about DIS academics, and explore how to engage with local communities while abroad.
Arrival Day and Welcome Week
Our staff will greet you at the airport, transport you to your housing, and help you settle in.
The first days of the semester are dedicated to meeting new friends, familiarizing yourself with DIS, and learning to navigate around your new home.
There will also be pop-ups, info sessions, and an Activity Fair for you to meet local organizations and learn the many ways you can interact with locals.
Core Course Week
Early in the semester, your Core Course will spend a full week together, including two days of exploration in your home city and three days traveling on Short Study Tour.
This week is full of opportunities to bond and create strong friendships with your classmates and faculty. You will also meet with experts, visit relevant locations, and participate in fun, team-building activities.
Find what makes Scandinavia home
for you
There are many ways to engage around Copenhagen and Stockholm.
Previous students have taken dance classes, run with local clubs, volunteered with non-profits, and found local religious gatherings. Attending local sporting events, concerts, and festivals are also great ways to get in touch with local communities.
Learn on the move with Field Studies
During the semester, Wednesdays are reserved for Field Studies where you will visit companies, museums, political sites, research labs, startups, activists, non-profits, and more with your classes. Each of your classes will have two Field Studies.
Explore Europe on Long Study Tour
Later in the semester, your Core Course will travel on a Long Study Tour to an academically-relevant European destination.
While you visit interesting sites and create memories with your classmates and faculty leader, you’ll see your classroom topics take shape in an entirely new cultural context.
Read more about what makes Study Tours a special academic experience.
Rest and catch up on your courses during Study Break
You will have one full-week break during the travel week when you are not on Study Tour and a shorter study break around either Easter or Thanksgiving.
This study break comes toward the latter half of your semester and serves as a time for you to pause and catch up on your courses. It also offers a great chance visit parts of Sweden and Denmark you haven’t seen yet.
See how previous students have embraced slow travel on their breaks.
Celebrate the semester with the DIS Festival
At the end of each semester, DIS hosts a festival to bring all students, faculty, staff, homestay families, and other friends together for one final goodbye – plus plenty of tasty seasonal snacks and heartfelt goodbyes
The festival includes a chance for students to present their research findings, showcase the work they’ve done within their Living & Learning Communities, and perform musical numbers they’ve worked on with their classmates.
