Experience
the places you study

Academic Travel represents the single most distinctive element of the Franklin curriculum, in which travel is used as an experiential learning tool completely integrated into a series of course offerings in disciplines applicable to all majors. 

Every semester, Franklin students embark on extended visits to study on location, as part of an Academic Travel course. Each class is taught by a faculty member in a field related to the academic expertise of the individual professor and the students travel to a location with which the professor has a particular academic interest or personal connection.

Academic Travel is an integral part of the curriculum at Franklin University Switzerland, and is designed to increase opportunities for experiential learning. All students, including semester and year-abroad students, are required to participate in Academic Travel, which is included in each semester's tuition. Academic Travel courses may carry three credits or one credit. Three-credit Academic Travel courses are regular semester courses that include a 10-day to two-week travel period, adding an important experiential learning piece to regular classroom activities. One-credit Academic Travel provides a less intensive version of Franklin’s signature program that focuses predominantly on the 10-day to two-week travel period.

The Bachelor of Arts graduation requirement for Academic Travel is normally fulfilled by successful participation in four three-credit Academic Travel classes. Undergraduate students must enroll in an Academic Travel class each semester until they complete the required number of travels.  Once students have completed their four required three-credit Academic Travel courses, they may continue to take advantage of Franklin’s signature program as an integrated part of their studies. Students will then have the option to participate in one- or three-credit Academic Travel courses, depending on what best suits their academic program needs and interests. Three-credit travel courses may count as general electives, Global Responsibility core requirements, and/or major electives. One-credit Academic Travel courses count as general electives. For transfer students coming in with 30 or more credits, a minimum of three consecutive three-credit Academic Travel classes is required.

This documentary has been produced by Adjunct Professor Elettra Fiumi's FiumiStudios, and tells the story of experiential learning offered at FUS through the Academic Travel program, the most distinctive element of the Franklin curriculum. It enables students to embark on extended visits to study on location every semester and return to the classroom with different eyes, new knowledge, and perspectives.

The documentary shows, straight from the beating heart of our community, how this opportunity profoundly changes the student learning experience and gives them a chance to connect with their professors on a whole new level. 

ACADEMIC TRAVEL VLOG
The Stories We Live By Academic Travel Vlog Part 2

Finals are finally over, the campus already feels so empty as most students have traveled home for the Winter holidays. With all the fun and adventures from this last semester, it's hard to believe that it's once again the end of the year!

To keep our thoughts alive, let's enjoy a memory of one of the most memorable moments of every semester here at Franklin University Switzerland: Academic Travel!

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The Stories We Live By Academic Travel Vlog Part 1

Do you remember your first time embarking on Academic Travel? The curiosity, the excitement, the anticipation?

Listen to freshman Sofia Chiusano '26 as she describes her expectations, and interviews classmates before experiencing their first-ever Academic Travel at Franklin, the Fall'22 AT course CLCS 100T The Stories We Live By.

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Marketing for Movies Academic Travel Vlog Part 1

Follow freshman Antonia Magallanes Sachot '25 on her recent Spring ’22 Academic Travel to Bologna with the BUS 236T Marketing for Movies course. 

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Marketing for Movies Academic Travel Vlog Part 2

Follow freshman Antonia Magallanes Sachot '25 on her recent Spring ’22 Academic Travel to Rome with the BUS 236T Marketing for Movies course.

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