Junior Year Abroad Opportunities
Budapest Semesters in Mathematics
Study Abroad Adviser: Patricia Sipe
The Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program (BSM) offers mathematics majors and enthusiasts the opportunity to study and travel abroad and to broaden their mathematical horizons.
About the Program
The program offers a broad spectrum of intermediate– and advanced–mathematics courses taught (in English) by respected Hungarian professors, as well as courses in Hungarian language and culture and European history. Most of the classes focus on the Hungarian fortes of discrete math and analysis.
"Classes are interesting and challenging, and the problems are often more difficult than you would encounter at Smith, but the workload is lighter."
Students can choose to attend the program for either a semester or a full year. Although a year's stay offers the most opportunity to learn about the Hungarian language and culture and to take more of the great courses the program offers, it is really a semester–based program and one semester will give you the time to enjoy all the amazing aspects of Budapest. Students who cannot afford to go abroad for more than one semester due to other requirements or commitments should keep the one semester option in mind as a unique opportunity to study mathematics abroad and meet those obligations at the same time.
Preparing for Study
It is in your best interest to complete Modern Algebra and Intro to Analysis before you go.
Living in Budapest
Students live either with a host Hungarian family or in an apartment with another student from the program. Either choice of living arrangements has its benefits and adds a wonderful dimension to the experience.
Public transportation is cheap and excellent, there are even night buses along the main routes. The program schedule allows students the opportunity to travel around Hungary itself and to other nearby countries, such as Italy, Czech, Slovakia, Poland, and Germany.
