Location

Montréal, Quebec City, Canada

Program Description

JMU's Arts and Culture of Montreal program celebrates our 20th year in 2025! This 5 week study abroad session offers courses that satisfy all three groups of Arts and Humanities Area General Education (HUM, MUS, and ENG). Students may also take School of Music and jazz studies classes, working with professional musicians active on the Montréal scene.

This is a city that loves to celebrate, and the summer season abounds with amazing and unique activities. Fulfill your Arts and Humanities Area Gen Ed credits living like the locals do, spending a month exploring Montréal's diverse neighborhoods, cultures, and cuisine. Hang out at street parties, drum jams, Fringe Festival performances, outdoor concerts, International Fireworks competitions; visit museums and funky neighborhood bars; dine at world-class restaurants; meet young people (including JMU alums) who have made Montréal their home. The program also travels to Quebec City to participate in Quebec's annual La Fete Nationale celebration. Students enrolled at any university are welcome to participate and apply JMU course credit hours toward one's degree program.

Students do not need to speak French or play a musical instrument to participate in this study abroad session.

All majors are welcome! The only requirement is your desire to spend a month getting to know one of North America's most unique cities.

Arts and Humanities General Education courses focus on experiencing the sights and sounds of Montreal. Music courses are taught by world-class professional musicians living in Montreal.

Location Description

Montréal is the second largest French speaking city in the world, and its distinctly European feel is unique in North America. French and English language, culture, and architecture are prominent, but Montréal is a famously tolerant city that over the years has made room for dozens of various immigrant communities that retain their language and culture. The city's gentle acceptance has made it one of the world's most livable locales, with thriving Latino, Italian, Asian, Jewish, Indian, Portuguese, Spanish, and gay neighborhoods.

Montréal is a beautiful city that boasts over 400 cathedrals/basilicas/churches and over two dozen large parks, including parc Mont-Royal, which is larger than New York City's Central Park (and was designed by the same architect, Frederick Law Olmsted). Montréal is situated on an island in the Saint Lawrence Seaway, and is located approximately 40 miles above the US/Canada border, directly above the intersection of New York state and Vermont. Montréal is easily accessible from the Eastern United States by rail, air, and automobile.

Director

Charles Dotas | dotascj@jmu.edu | Music

Accommodations

Students are housed in the Royal Victoria College dormitories on the campus of McGill University. Located in the heart of downtown Montréal, the RVC dorms are steps away from Montréal's excellent subway (metro) system, the Quartier des-Spectactles district (a car-free section of downtown that hosts festivals and street parties all summer long: http://www.quartierdesspectacles.com/en/), and beautiful parc Mont-Royal. Rooms are double occupancy.

Free wifi is available in all of the rooms and in the dormitory lobby. Restroom and shower facilities are available on each floor. Coin-operated laundry services and kitchen facilities with basic cookware are located on the ground floor, and all dorm rooms include a small refrigerator.

The dorm rooms are not air-conditioned, though the main lobby and the largest classroom are.

Students are given a weekly cash stipend to cover the cost of daily meals. Several group dinners at excellent local restaurants are also included in the program fee. We eat well in Montréal!

Additional Items to Consider

A valid passport is required to transit between the United States and Canada. Visas are not required, and no special immunizations are required. Calling/texting on one's mobile device works the same in Canada as in the US; no International Dialing Prefix is required (Montréal is a 514 area code). It is advisable to add a North America-inclusive calling plan to your current mobile phone contract for the duration of your time in Montréal to avoid International Roaming Charges. It is possible, though not necessary, to purchase SIM cards in Montréal for phone calls.

Canada uses the same electrical current (110 Volts and 60 Hertz) and electrical outlets as the United States, so no adaptors are needed.

If you have been convicted of a DUI offense in the United States, contact Program Coordinator Chuck Dotas (dotascj@jmu.edu), as this may create complications when attempting to cross the border into Canada, where a DUI conviction is considered a felony.

Applicant Criteria

Applicants must have a GPA minimum of 2.0.

Open to all majors and class levels, including graduate students.

Application Process

This list serves as an application preview. To apply, students will need to complete the following:

• Study Abroad Online Application ($40 fee)
• Short essay 
• List of academic references
• Interview with Program Director
• Official transcript required for non-JMU students

Further details and instructions about these application requirements will be available upon log-in.