Greece, Ghana, Japan, Vietnam: Check Out NYSID’s Extraordinary Upcoming Study Abroad!
NYSID students and faculty at the Parthenon in Athens, Greece
Have you always dreamed of traveling to a far-flung land to immerse yourself in the design of another culture? NYSID’s Office of Academic Affairs just announced the next three years of destinations for NYSID’s unique and extensive travel study program. In addition to NYSID’s Study Abroad Semester in Florence, Italy, the College will offer short term travel-study courses in Greece (January 5-14, 2025); Accra, Ghana (May 24-June 7, 2025); Paris, France (May 26-June 6, 2025); Chicago, USA (May 22-29, 2025 & 2027); Southern India (January 2026); Japan (May 2026); Turkey (May 2026); Vietnam & Thailand (January 2026), England (May 2027); and China (May 2027). Also, there will be a travel study course in New York (May 2026) for those who stay for summer break, or study in NYSID’s online programs and want a chance to explore the city.*
An Array of Design-Specific Travel Study Sets NYSID Apart
There are several factors that make NYSID’s Travel Study program unique, and a distinguishing feature of a NYSID education. The program is extensive, and offers travel study to destinations on every continent. In addition to a full semester abroad in Florence, Italy, for undergraduates in partnership with the Santa Reparata International School of Art (SRISA), NYSID offers students in every degree program the chance to take short travel courses over winter and summer breaks. These courses are one-to-three weeks long, and are designed to fit into the lives of busy, working adults. Every trip is design-specific and taught by an expert.
“No other college or university is going to as many places as we go to while supporting students in the way we do,” says Associate Dean Harper. “Students who go to a large, multidisciplinary university might have many travel study options, but they don’t have access to an array of design-specific travel study like this. For each trip, we select a faculty member who has a specialty or knowledge about the art, design, and architecture of that destination.” Because instructors often have connections in the cities NYSID visits, students meet designers and artisans in other countries, and experience places usually inaccessible to the public.
2025 Travel Courses Are Open For Enrollment Now
The courses that are currently open for enrollment follow. The registration details are on Canvas and the NYSID portal. Only matriculated students may participate in travel study.
Greece: A 6,000 Year Journey from Antiquity to Today
January 5 – 14, 2025
Instructor: Nina Strachimirova
Accra and Environs: At the Intersection of Design Culture and West African Culture in Ghana
May 24 – June 7, 2025
Instructor: Jack Travis
Paris by Design: Sainte Chapelle to Sacre Coeur
May 26 – June 6, 2025
Instructor: Kelly Konrad
Burn It All Down and Start Again: Chicago, the Birthplace of Modernism
May 22 – May 29, 2025
Instructor: Warren Ashworth
NYSID students and faculty at the Modhera Sun Temple in Modhera, India
Amira Briggs (BFA) in Venice, Italy
Announcing the 2025 Study Abroad Scholars
Study abroad is an essential part of design education,” says NYSID’s President, David Sprouls. NYSID’s leaders believe that to create a truly equitable community where the best of NYSID is accessible to everyone, they must make study abroad possible for students with financial need.
NYSID has just named its 2025 Study Abroad Scholars, who will spend the upcoming semester in Florence, Italy on the campus of Santa Reparata International School of Art. Mariely Parra (BFA) and Haruko Utsuki (BFA) have received full Study Abroad Scholarships that cover tuition and out-of-pocket expenses, thanks to a major gift from NYSID supporter Migdalia Bonilla. Xinrou Qiu (BFA), Shalini Singh (BFA), Diana Ochirova (BFA), and Anastasiia De la Fuente (BFA) have received partial scholarships to the Florence program. Jonathan Gargiulo of John Rosselli & Associates made a donation of a partial scholarship from the Rosselli Foundation, which was awarded to Xinrou Qiu this year. Other recent support for scholarships to the Florence program has come from Cullman & Kravis, Jim Druckman/New York Design Center, Alexa Hampton, David Kleinberg, Dennis Miller, Ellen Kravet/Kravet Inc., David Scott, John Edelman, and others. Students enrolled in the program take online and in-person NYSID classes along with electives with SRISA, and go on design-oriented trips to destinations throughout Italy.
Without the support of these donors to NYSID’s Study Abroad Fund, the study-abroad semester would be out of reach for many of NYSID’s students. Moreover, a million-dollar donation to NYSID specifically for study abroad scholarships to non-Western destinations, in memory of alumna Anne K. Duffy, has opened a whole new realm of study abroad offerings from the College. Duffy scholarships will be awarded for the May/June trip to Accra, Ghana and surroundings, and future trips to Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
NYSID students also have the opportunity to get scholarships for independent study abroad through the new Ferguson & Shamamian Travel Award and the Robert Herring Travel Prize.
NYSID’s community of donors has helped the College build one of the most dynamic and flexible study abroad programs for design students anywhere. Says Harper, “The generous donations have allowed us to expand our program and support student travel to destinations that have historically not been part of travel study programs. The support is helping students see and experience things that will broaden their design skills and knowledge. We are so grateful to have robust support from the design community.”
If you’re a student who wants to inquire about study abroad scholarships, reach out to Daniel Harper.
If you’re interested in supporting the Study Abroad Scholarship Fund or naming a scholarship or travel prize, reach out to NYSID Director of Development Joy Cooper, or GIVE HERE, and designate Travel Grants.
*The dates of trips later than 2025 are subject to change.