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European Summer Abroad - Waldensian History Tour - Urban Design Studio - Beyond Walls - Community Projects

The world is waiting for you

We take you places. Architecture and interior design students enjoy the privilege of seeing the world. As design professionals, it’s better to see places and projects first-hand to learn from them. As professionals who seek to serve, we can serve better if we visit the place we are serving - meet the people, understand the needs and culture, feel the land.

Our study tours and service projects are conducted with a divine perspective. We travel to allow God to broaden our view.

All undergraduate architecture and interior design students participate in this required annual study tour following their third year of studio courses. This 6-credit ARCH330 summer course is tailored for the discipline and takes you to some of the world’s most exceptional built environments - ancient and modern, rural and urban. Typical venues for this approximately one-month experience include Greece, Italy, France, Germany, England, and Sweden. Besides architecture, the tour also promotes discipleship through the daily study of faith history. See the evidence of God’s work from Patmos to Wittenberg, and the many faithful designers in between.

Questions? Contact Professor Andrew von Maur, director of the European Summer Abroad since 2004.

Join us on this unique annual study tour that explores the history of the Waldensians - a distinct people who kept true to God’s Holy Word and preserved and spread the good news to everyday people searching for Bible truth. Walking in the footsteps of these early reformers and martyrs, and studying the Christ-centered simplicity of their homes and villages, you will be drawn to the courage and hope that draws each heart still towards its true and only Savior. This approximately 8-day summer experience in Northern Italy is part of a 3-credit religion course RELG360.

Questions? Contact Kathy Demsky, director of the Waldensian Faith History Tour since 1998.

Watch this presentation by Professor Kathy Demsky below on The Waldensians: A Story of Faith and Survival.

All architecture students pursuing the M.Arch degree are required to participate in the annual Urban Design Studio field trip. This approximately 10-14 day trip is part of the 6-credit ARCH521 Fall semester graduate course, which annually serves a real community with urban design services. The field trip exists to engage you with the project client, local people and culture, conditions and needs on the ground, and local history and best practices. The trip is seen as a ministry that includes a participatory process with local project stakeholders. Past projects have included field trips to Perú, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Honduras, Guatemala, The Bahamas, and various locations within the United States.

Question? Contact Professor Andrew von Maur, director of the Urban Design Studio since 2004.

Watch this brief video below to catch a glimpse of what Urban Design Studio does during its travels.

You are invited to participate in this annual public art initiative designed to promote tolerance, youth empowerment, community investment, and cross-cultural bridge building in the Middle East and North Africa. This non-academic, two-week summer experience is enabled by the School of Architecture & Interior Design in collaboration with - a program based at in Beirut, Lebanon. You will have the opportunity to work collaboratively with local Muslim youth to design and implement a public art project that uplifts their community. Past venues have included Jordan and Egypt, including visits to inspiring sites of faith and world history. Partial funding for eligible candidates is available.

Questions? Contact Professor Andrew von Maur, AU coordinator for Beyond Walls since 2016.

The School of Architecture & Interior Design regularly offers summer opportunities for you to participate in community projects around the world. These short-term, for-credit courses take you to places in need - schools, orphanages, churches - to engage you in hands-on service and ministry. Aquire basic practical skills that are needed in the architecture profession, the mission field, develop a love for serving the disadvantaged, and gain a perspective about how we are wonderfully bound together by Jesus all around the world. Past venues have included Bolivia, Perú, Haiti and Guatemala.

Questions? Contact Ariel Solis, director of Community Projects in Architecture.