Third Year

The third year is spent entirely in Rome — the cornerstone of the program and, for many students, the most formative year of their education. Rome presents the most complete spectrum of projects ever built across 2,500 years: domestic and monumental buildings, public and private gardens, civic infrastructure. Students draw in situ, study urbanism at the scale of the street and the city, and develop a nuanced understanding of the classical language through direct encounter rather than secondhand study. Watercolor painting, measured drawing, and sketchbook discipline are central to this year. The expectation is rapid maturity through total immersion.