Study Abroad in Brazil!

Participants may choose choose one the following cities for their study abroad program or combine two or three cities. Each of these cities offers a unique cultural experience and view of life in Brazil:

• Maceió:
  Maceio is the capital of the state of Alagoas in the northeast of Brazil, is a safe, relaxed and modern city with the most beautiful beaches in South America.


• São Paulo:
  The biggest city in South America and one of the three largest in the world, Sao Paulo is considered one of Latin America's most important industrial and financial centers.


• Rio de Janeiro:
  With white sandy beaches in one direction, lush green mountains in another, and the famous Christ Redeemer statue perched above it all, Rio de Janeiro is one ofthe most spectacular cities in the world.

Although prior study of Portuguese or another romance language is helpful, there is no prerequisite language course required for participating in the study abroad program in Brazil. We offer Portuguese language courses for all levels - from absolute beginners to advanced.

Portuguese language study will take place in the mornings and will consist of 20 lessons per week of classes tailored to each student's ability and proficiency level. At the beginning of the program, participants will take a placement exam to determine their current level of proficiency in Portuguese and then be placed in classes at the appropriate level, from beginning to intermediate to advanced.

Courses are at our school and comply with the generally accepted standard of 15 contact hours (50 minutes/hour) of class time per credit hour. Classes are intensive, consisting of 20 contact hours per week with a maximum of six students per class.

Our Portuguese Language Immersion courses at different levels correspond to the following college courses:

• Portuguese 101. Beginning Portuguese (4 credits)
  First semester college-level Portuguese. Develop basic listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Some cultural readings are included. This course is intended for participants with little or no prior Portuguese language instruction.


• Portuguese 102. Elementary Portuguese (4 credits)
  Second semester college-level Portuguese. Develop basic listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Some cultural readings are included. This class is designed to further develop and strengthen the language skills acquired in Portuguese 101.


• Portuguese 201. Intermediate Portuguese (4 credits)
  Third semester college-level Portuguese. Further improve conversation and comprehension proficiency. Develop reading and writing skills through literary analysis and grammar review. This class is designed to further develop and strengthen the language skills acquired in Portuguese 102.


• Portuguese 202. Intermediate Portuguese (4 credits)
  Fourth semester college-level Portuguese. Further improve conversation and comprehension proficiency. Develop reading and writing skills through literary analysis and grammar review. This class is designed to further develop and strengthen the language skills acquired in Portuguese 201.


• Portuguese 301. Portuguese Conversation and Composition (3 credits)
  Emphasis on the development of communication skills: the ability to comprehend both written and spoken texts, and to speak, read, and write in Portuguese beyond the intermediate level.

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We believe that a Portuguese language program must be complemented with a wide range of social and cultural activities not only to allow students to use and practice the Portuguese language but also to maximize student exposure to Brazilian and Portuguese culture.

All our member schools have an active and exciting social program. Included are visits to theaters, concerts, restaurants, beaches as well as other events such as national festivals, sporting events and dance clubs. We arrange these activities at least twice a week. For more information, please review Activities page.

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You have a choice of host family, apartment, or hotel accommodations while studying at our schools in Brazil. While each one is geared toward different people, all of the options we offer are assessed and selected based on our own quality criteria and with the same aim: to offer comfort, safety, and ease of getting around to our students. For more information, please review Accommodations page.

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