Study Tours

Where will your learning take you?

Travel with your classmates and see your academics from a new perspective through Study Tours, a signature part of the DIS experience. Led by your faculty, Study Tours take you into real-world settings where you will apply what you’ve learned outside the classroom.

Highlights from past Study Tours

See your academics from a new perspective

Polar Biology

Study climate change and wildlife in the Arctic alongside local experts and researchers.

Travel Writing

Take a mock “press tour” to Croatia and write about your travel experiences.

Dive into current events with politicians working across the European Union.

European Game of Politics

Meet politicians working in the heart of the European Union: Brussels.

Learn from researchers at leading computer science institutions in Berlin.

Machine Learning

Learn from researchers at Berlin’s leading computer science institutions.

World of the Vikings

Visit historic locations related to Viking culture, history, and mythology.

Neuroscience of Emotion

Discover how art elicits emotional neurological responses in Paris.

How you will learn

Take your learning
on the road

Only so much of your learning can happen within the walls of a classroom. On Study Tour, you will apply key course concepts to the world around you, gaining a deeper understanding of your academics.

Students learning with community members

Meet with local experts

Study Tours vary by course, time of year, and location, but all provide opportunities to expand your knowledge through on-site learning with local organizations and experts.

Activities may involve visits to businesses, research labs, museums, and nonprofits, where you’ll see firsthand applications of your studies in diverse contexts.

Field-based learning in Greenland’s landscapes

Engage in the local culture

Every tour features activities that help you understand the history, people, and culture around you.

From pasta-making workshops in Italy and dogsled rides in Greenland to “winter bathing” in Finland and opera concerts in Vienna, you will find many opportunities to take in the sights, experience local cuisine, and find a new appreciation for another culture.

Connect, discuss, and bond

You will travel with your faculty and fellow classmates, experiencing your Study Tour together to enhance your academic discussions and understanding.

Throughout academic and cultural activities, shared meals, and travel time, there will be many opportunities to learn—and bond—with the people in your course.

Student stories

Read student blogs

Justice & Human Rights

Inside Palermo’s refugee advocacy network

Hannah (she/her, Bryn Mawr College) traveled to Palermo, Italy on a Study Tour with her Core Course, Fleeing Across Borders: International Refugee Law where they visited NGOs and activist organizations helping refugees.

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Pitching venture capitalists and visiting start-ups

With the Innovation & Entrepreneurship in Europe Core Course, Melanie (she/her, Vanderbilt University) spent a week learning about Berlin’s startup ecosystem, as well as local history.

Psychology

The science of wellbeing in Bologna and Vienna

Tharaly (she/her, Spelman College) traveled with her Positive Psychology Core Course to Italy and Austria, exploring the power of the “flow” state and Viktor Frankl’s life and philosophy.

What is included

A fully planned tour
at no extra cost

Included in your DIS tuition, Study Tours and their locations are carefully planned to deepen your academic experience. We take care of the logistics so all you need to do is participate, ready and willing to learn. While there are many different kinds of tours, every Study Tour will include the following.

Two Study Tour leaders

Academic visits and lectures

Cultural activities

Round-trip transportation

Accommodations

How to choose a Study Tour

Semester

Each student chooses one Core Course and three to four electives—and your Core Course determines which Study Tour you’ll take. Throughout the semester, you will travel on Study Tour with your Core Course faculty and classmates twice: on your Short Study Tour and your Long Study Tour.

Short Study Tour

Early in your semester, you will spend five days entirely with your Core Course: two days in your host city (Copenhagen or Stockholm) and three days traveling to a nearby destination.

Long Study Tour

Later in the semester, you and your Core Course will travel for a full week to another European country, applying academic concepts in a new cultural context.