Programs

Smolny College (Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Located in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the new Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences of St. Petersburg State University (Smolny College) is the leading liberal education program in Russia. Founded in 1997, it is a young program created by two institutions that have long and venerable histories.

The student body currently numbers approximately 450. Smolny has a multidisciplinary curriculum and a diverse, highly trained faculty. Most classes are small seminars. Students enjoy individualized instruction and the opportunity to work closely with professors.

Smolny College is unique in offering young Russians—as well as exchange students from around the world—an opportunity to construct their own curriculum. Students are encouraged to develop their minds freely, to think critically, and to love the arts. They choose their courses and majors from among 12 major and six minor programs encompassing a wide variety of disciplines in the arts and humanities. Students are expected to develop broad knowledge along with specific skills in research and expression. All students have individual faculty advisors.

Bard-Smolny Study Abroad Program

The purpose of the Bard-Smolny Study Abroad Program is to provide North American students with a rigorous and rewarding academic, linguistic, and cultural experience that will advance their level of competency in the Russian language and give them the unique opportunity to take a diverse set of courses in the liberal arts.  Since the program is located within an undergraduate program attended primarily by Russians, there are innumerable opportunities for cross-cultural exchange and dialogue.  Students from North American institutions sit side-by-side with Russian students in the classroom, participate in student clubs, organizations, and volunteer opportunities with their classmates, and interact directly with the permanent faculty.

In addition to year-long and semester programs, Bard and Smolny together offer a Summer Language Intensive lasting four or eight weeks. 

For more information on how to apply to both of these programs, click here.