Program Details
This customized academic study abroad program is targeted at natural sciences or STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) majors who are studying Russian as a foreign language.
- Location:
- Daugavpils, Latvia
- Program Type:
- Study Abroad
- Degree Level:
- Undergraduate
- Term:
- Academic Year, Fall Semester, Spring Semester
Program Overview
- Program Description:
This customized academic study abroad program is targeted at natural sciences or STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) majors who are studying Russian as a foreign language. The program is hosted at Daugavpils University.
The program includes intensive Russian language study at different target proficiency levels and elective courses in Natural Sciences/STEM.
The Natural Sciences/STEM instructors are English- and Russian-speaking Daugavpils University professors. The language of instruction varies from English-only to English/Russian mix and up to Russian-only, depending on the students’ preferences and abilities.
Undergraduate students can enroll for one semester or two consecutive semesters of study.
Daugavpils University will award up to 30 European Credit Transfer (ECTS) credits, the equivalent of 15 US university credits, per semester.
Citizens of the United States, Canada, European Union, and many other countries can enter Latvia without a visa.
Program features:
- Russian as a Foreign Language Study Module, provided at Intermediate, Advanced, and Superior target proficiency levels.
- Diverse elective course options (theory and laboratory practice) in physics, mathematics, biology, environmental studies, chemistry, economics, and etc.
- Russian language instruction provided at Intermediate, Advanced, and Superior target proficiency levels.
- Accommodation with Russian-speaking host families.
- Native Russian-speaking student communication partners.
- Excursions, field trips, cultural and athletic activities.
- Local health insurance, two-way airport transfer, a local mobile phone and a full orientation.
- Optional guided trips to Russia or Belarus are possible. Visas can be obtained from consulates located in Daugavpils.
- Full linguistic and cultural immersion in the most Russian city of the European Union.
- Full-time in-country support.
- Setting Description:
- The classes are located in the central part of the city. We offer accommodation in carefully selected Russian-speaking families or in a modern student dormitory. As a rule, our students can reach all classes, cultural, sports, and entertainment facilities in less than 15 minutes walking. Daugavpils is a very safe and comfortable city to study and live.
Additional Program Information
- Scholarships:
- No
Program Reviews
Overall Rating
Based on 1 Reviews
- These three months were of the most productive and fulfilling months of my life.01/04/21
I spent the September-December 2020 semester with this program learning Russian as part of my gap year. I wanted to be immersed in a Russian-speaking environment, learning about the language, the culture, and meeting new people. Despite being the only
student in my classes due to COVID, I still got out of this program everything and more than I was expecting. My host family, a mom and 7-year-old son, were very kind and helpful for my Russian. I probably talked with them for almost two hours every day. We ate meals together, and I tried multiple new foods every week. The host family made me feel very comfortable and at home. I was able to choose three science classes in topics that interested me (Programming, Biochem, Econ), and these classes were very interesting and introduced me to topics which I might want to study in uni. The teachers were very knowledgeable and spoke with me in Russian, allowing me to practice vocabulary in hard subjects like these. The Russian classes were also very interesting, and I got a lot out of them. The teachers could answer any question I asked completely and clearly, and our classes often went into the format of a conversation, giving me a lot of time to practice speaking Russian. When I started this program, I struggled to have basic conversations, but after just three months, I was able to have hour-long conversations with relative ease. In years without COVID, there are usually lots of excursions with the program. Although there weren't any with the program during my semester, I was still able to travel around Latvia, with a British student doing an internship in Daugavpils, and I was able to see Riga three times, Sigulda, and Liepaja, all very pretty places. I would recommend these trips to anyone traveling to Latvia. COVID didn't really affect my experience until the last couple of weeks of my stay when it got worse. I would 100% recommend this program to anyone wanting to learn Russian. The classes, people, host family, sightseeing, and being constantly surrounded by Russian made this experience productive, eye-opening, and fun.
read moreBottom Line:Yes, I would recommend this to a friend