Programs by Region

SALVADOR DA BAHIA, BRAZIL

Program Provider: CIEE

Program Site: CIEE Study Center, the Universidade Católica do Salvador campus, and the Universidade Federal da Bahia campus

Duration: Fall, Spring or Year. Fall semester runs from late June to mid December; Spring semester runs from early January to late June.

Description: Salvador da Bahia, located on the coast in northeastern Brazil, was Brazil's capital during much of the colonial period, and today this city of 2.5 million is considered a major center of Afro-Brazilian culture.

CIEE is affiliated with two universities in Salvador: the Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBa) and the Universidade Católica do Salvador (UCSal). Students take several courses alongside Brazilian students during the regular semester at UCSal and may choose one regular university course at UFBa.

Academics: All courses are taught in Portuguese. Students spending the spring semester in Brazil will begin in early January in São Paulo with a four-week Intensive Language and Culture class (for 4 USC units). Students spending the fall semester in Brazil will begin in late June in Salvador da Bahia with a 5-week Intensive Language and Culture Program (for 6 USC units). After the Intensive Language and Culture Program, students will then take semester-long courses.

Semester-long courses: All students take Semester Portuguese (3 units), and one CIEE elective (either Race & Class in a Multicultural Society: Bahia & Brazil or Brazilian Cultural & Artistic Manifestations) for 3 USC units, and they take courses alongside Brazilian students at UCSal and UFBa. These universities offer courses in a variety of academic fields, including anthropology, art history, comparative literature, economics, gender studies, geography, history, performing arts, political science, sociology, and theology.

Students participating in this program are encouraged to consider a minor in Latin American Studies, offered through the Department of Spanish & Portuguese.

Accommodations: Students live with a Brazilian host family both during the 4-week Intensive Language and Culture course and during the regular Brazilian university semester. Three meals a day are offered at the homestay.

Eligibility: Minimum 3.0 GPA and two semesters of college-level Portuguese or four semesters of college-level Spanish (or the equivalent). USC offers Portuguese, and students are encouraged but not required to take Portuguese in preparation for studying in Brazil.

Estimated Semester Cost:
Tuition................................$13,398
Additional Expenses*..............$9,941
Total...................................$23,339

Cost Updated: 12/12/11
Text Updated: 12/06/12

*Additional expenses include estimated costs for airfare, room and board, books and supplies, health insurance, and personal expenses (which can vary greatly from student to student). USC financial aid, scholarships, and tuition remission may be applied to program costs. Please visit the Office of Overseas Studies for more detailed cost information.