Over the past 60 years, more than 3,000 Redlands students have studied in Salzburg, Austria, in a program that is renowned for its living-learning community, integrative programming, and immersive opportunities. Students reside in the Marketenderschlössl, a nearly 500-year-old Renaissance building set among forests and meadows overlooking Salzburg's historic center.
The Salzburg Semester, which Redlands has operated since 1960, is characterized by an interdisciplinary curriculum that emphasizes the arts and humanities. Courses are grounded in student-centered, experiential learning while community service and travel opportunities round out the student experience. The program is available to undergraduates regardless of major, with preference given to those students who have prepared themselves academically and personally for this group study program.
This programs allows students to participate for one semester in our Salzburg semester program and a second semester on one of our Category A or B programs. Students must answer yes to the Salzburg Plus One question in their study away application, then indicate their desired second study away program. No additional application materials need to be submitted with your study away application for the Salzburg Plus One program.
Salzburg students regularly leave the traditional classroom setting to immerse themselves in the cultural traditions, historical sites, and contemporary social spheres of Europe. Regular field excursions encourage deeper engagement with the concepts introduced in academic coursework. Some examples include: visiting the theater for an opera, ballet, or play, attending classical and contemporary concerts, museum and gallery tours, visits to memorial sites and encounters with challenging histories, city walks and Alpine mountain hikes. These experiential components—beautiful and complicated—continue the learning begun in readings, assignments, and classroom discussions and activities. Throughout the semester, students participate in a unique integrative learning framework. Through conversation with each other and the faculty, in addition to their courses, they achieve deeper awareness of their individual cross-cultural learning experiences.
The Salzburg program is based on the understanding that classes are greatly enriched by on-site study. Another significant aspect of the Salzburg Semester has always been the group travel. Students explore the city and surroundings of Salzburg for a closer look at Austrian culture and history. A long weekend in Vienna, peeling back the layers of a modern democratic capital and the historic center of an empire, is the first of three faculty-led excursions. The second excursion offers the opportunity to examine cultural developments in Italy, whether Byzantine influence in Venice, the ancient or Baroque facets of Rome, Medieval art and architecture in Assisi, or Renaissance Florence. Later in the semester, students traverse the Balkans. Travelling within the historical span of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, students learn about former Yugoslavia and how recent and longer histories shape contemporary life in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia.
Affordability
All expenses associated with group travel are covered by the comprehensive program fee. Regular meal service and weekend stipends make living in Salzburg affordable. Student and staff-led outdoor programming is subsidized to encourage regional travel and immersion in local culture. Assistance with the costs of independent travel is available--inquire with the Salzburg Director.
The Salzburg Semester Student Handbook contains important information and details about your semester. The handbook is available for download here.
