International Programs

As the boundaries between nations become more fluid, our cultures, economies, and ecosystems are more connected than ever. That’s why international experiences are integral across our undergraduate and graduate programs.

Each program leverages its unique location by inviting architects, artists, and designers to join WashU faculty as instructors and visiting lecturers; by incorporating local sites into course assignments and studio projects; and by arranging excursions to nearby sites and cities. These international experiences coordinate with program curricula so students can make progress toward degree requirements.

Current Sam Fox School Programs

The following programs are offered as part of our degree programs in architecture, art, and design, providing a full curriculum for the term of study (semester or summer).

Florence

Undergraduate students can take advantage of study abroad opportunities in Florence, Italy. The School runs full-semester programs for architecture, art, and design students, as well as a summer program, open to all WashU students.

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Global Urbanism Studio

The culminating studio of the Master of Urban Design program allows students to study global cities marked by an active cultural scene but a complex, challenging urban fabric.

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Berlin Sommerakademie

This summer program for MFA in Visual Art students explores multiple modes of creative and cultural production in relation to the material, social, and political conditions of Berlin, Germany.

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Barcelona

Building off of past international offerings, Master of Architecture students have the opportunity to study internationally in Barcelona, Spain in Spring 2023.

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Additional Undergraduate Programs

Transect: Bangkok, Summer 2023

This summer, undergraduate students will have the opportunity to take a 3-credit elective course called Transect: Bangkok. Taught by Jonathan Stitelman, Senior Lecturer in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, students will work between embodied experience (field work) and abstract representations of the city (mapping). They will grapple with the cultural and environmental implications of climate change. While in the field, students will divide their time between direct observation, urban documentation, lectures from designers working to adapt and transform infrastructure, and recuperate natural systems, to increase the city’s resilience and enrich the public realm. We will be joined by Kotchakorn Voraakhom, the Pulitzer Artist in Residence. Read the full course brief here.

This course will count as a Sam Fox Elective.

Students will travel to Bangkok, Thailand June 10 – July 17, 2023. Tuition is $4,380. Housing and excursions will be arranged through the Sam Fox School and billed to the student’s account. Students are responsible for their transportation to and from Thailand, meals, personal spending. Total estimated cost for the program is $7,500 - $8,000. There is no institutional financial aid available for undergraduate students in the summer, so students will have to pay in full or secure loans.

To apply, students must complete this program application by March 10. Admitted students will be notified by March 15 and a non-refundable deposit will be required by March 21. Students must have a 3.0 GPA to participate, as well as passport valid until at least October 31, 2023. If we do not meet the minimum enrollment for the course, it will not run and deposits will be refunded.

Washington University Study Abroad Programs

With proper planning and approval, undergraduate students can also explore additional study abroad opportunities, either offered by other colleges at Washington University or by non-WashU programs. Visit the intranet pages linked to here for more details.

Where We’ve Gone

From trips related to a particular studio to full-curriculum, semester-long study, our Sam Fox School students have been all around the world.

World map with blue dots marking locations around the globe; see accompanying "Past Destinations" text.

Cover of 419 International Housing Studio publication. The cover is chipboard with "419" printed in neon pink ink.

International Housing Studio: 2017-2019

This publication highlights the research and work of students in the Master of Architecture program’s International Housing Studio (419). Part of the three-semester core sequence for Sam Fox School graduate architecture students, the 419 studio draws from the expertise of Washington University in St. Louis faculty working in different cities around the world to provide students a unique opportunity to engage with—and make connections between—housing design projects in sites across the world. The publication focuses on the 419 studios from 2017-2019, with design projects centered on the following cities: San Juan (Puerto Rico), Halifax, Barcelona, Seattle, Dublin, Berlin, Cagliari (Italy), Santiago de Compostela (Spain). It features examples of student work from each studio, faculty bios, city profiles, and scholarly essays by López and Rivera, Javier García-Germán, and senior lecturer Michael R. Allen.