RISD Global
In promoting global discourse and cross-cultural literacy, RISD Global spearheads a range of learning opportunities on campus, online and abroad. It serves as a hub for globally focused experiences at RISD, supporting the exchange of ideas and practices, viewpoint-broadening global programs and other ways of connecting students, faculty and partners with diverse approaches to making around the world.
Global exchange and international study
RISD encourages students to engage in global learning experiences that enhance creative practices through cultural exploration. These include five-week travel/study courses available during Wintersession as well as Global Summer Studies experiences.
Students can also take part in semester-long programs in Rome and Seoul, and the RISD Global Exchange Program offers opportunities to study at more than 40 global institutions.
Note: The Global Exchange Program remains suspended through the 2022–23 academic year. Please contact RISD Global to discuss alternative courses of study.
RISD in Rome
RISD’s European Honors Program offers students the opportunity to live and study in a city infused with art historical significance and pulsing with life.
Note: The European Honors Programs is under review and will be on pause until Fall 2024. Please contact RISD Global to learn about possible alternatives for study in Rome.
Faculty global research
To help students become globally engaged citizens, RISD encourages faculty mobility and global engagement through practice, research and teaching.
Faculty are invited to apply for a Global Faculty Fellowship to pursue globally focused research, along with grants that support global engagement for curricular development. In addition, they propose and lead Wintersession and summer courses abroad.
RISD in the world
Faculty members Catherine Andreozzi and Joy Ko lead a Wintersession course inspired by Jaipur’s rich handcrafting traditions.
Daniel Heyman’s new Wintersession global studies course introduces students to contemporary artists using ancient techniques in the Netherlands and Germany.
A Wintersession global studies course led by Lucy Spelman and Andrea Dezsö considers the important role that artists and designers can play in environmental conservation.
Global partnerships
RISD’s approach to global engagement is centered on a model of reciprocal exchange and partnered models of program and research development.
A strong network of formal and informal partners includes 43 Global Exchange institutions around the world and Global Futures Lab participants. Among them are the Art University of Isfahan in Iran, the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, India, the Universidad Catolica del Peru in Lima, Peru and Zoma Contemporary Art Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
In addition, RISD continues to pursue sustained practice- and teaching-based collaborations with other partners around the world.
Note: The Global Exchange Program remains suspended through the 2022–23 academic year. Please contact RISD Global to discuss alternative courses of study.
Get to know RISD
Stretch your practice and discover new creative pathways through our diverse summer offerings.
Immerse yourself in work outside your major, special topic courses, or travel-study experiences.
Find out more about our hub for cross- cultural exchange and global engagement in art and design.