The Bologna Center offers a pre-term program in languages, economics, and the core areas of IR Theories and Comparative National Systems. Pre-term runs from the end of August through September and is reserved for admitted students. Details on the pre-term program (including dates and times) are available here in pdf format.

Pre-Term Intensive English (80 hours)
This course is designed to help students who are not native speakers of the English language achieve the academic level necessary to get the most out of a graduate-level SAIS education. The course seeks to facilitate sufficient fluency for students to follow lectures, participate in discussions and write papers in English. It includes: academic writing, vocabulary building, short lectures by faculty, oral presentations, a research paper and an introduction to the use of library resources. The course is oriented towards the subjects taught at the Bologna Center and aims to give the students the confidence necessary to participate actively in the Bologna Center program. Students with a TOEFL score below 105 or an IELTS score of 7.5 or below are strongly advised to participate in the Intensive English course. Classes meet four hours a day and the course is considered to be as much of a work commitment as Intensive Italian. Hence, while Intensive English may be combined with a CORE or economics course, the workload is likely to be so heavy that such a combined program of study is discouraged.

Pre-Term Intensive Italian (approximately 100 hours)
Intensive Italian is the mainstay of the pre-term program. It is the best way to learn Italian and so get the most out of living in Italy. Only beginner level classes are offered during pre-term. The course is intended to give those with no previous background in Italian the chance to take the Italian Proficiency exam at the end of the academic year. It may be combined with a CORE or economics pre-term course, but the workload is likely to be so heavy that such a program of study is discouraged. Participants are divided according to previous language background and aptitude through a placement test on the first day of class. Classes meet five hours a day for a total of approximately 100 hours. Student spouses and partners are also welcome to participate in this course. Regular attendance is required, and the course is recorded on the transcript with "S" for students who pass the final test. The course will be dropped from the transcript of students who do not attend regularly and pass the final exam.

Pre-Term Survival Italian (approximately 40 hours)
This course is reserved for students taking a pre-term economics and/or core course. It introduces students to the basic structures of the Italian language and facilitates participation in Italian daily life. Only beginner level classes are offered during pre-term. Classes meet two hours a day for a total of approximately 40 hours. It is not recorded on the transcript. This is a much lower time commitment than the intensive course and so it can be combined more easily with a CORE or economics course.

CORE AND ECONOMICS COURSES
Pre-term CORE and economics courses are designed to be followed individually. Each course involves an intensive program of study that would ordinarily take place over a complete semester. Students may enroll in a combination of these courses, but the workload involved is likely to be considerable and so a combined program of study is not recommended.

Pre-Term Microeconomics
This pre-term course is the equivalent of the standard one-semester course at SAIS. It gives students with a limited background in economics the opportunity to receive in advance a systematic presentation of microeconomics at an intermediate level. It satisfies the microeconomics requirement at SAIS and also enables students to take classes with a microeconomics prerequisite (for example, International Trade Theory) during the first semester in Bologna. Topics include individual decision-making in situations of scarcity; consumer behavior and demand; labor supply and demand; theory of the firm; production, cost and supply; market structure and resource allocation; factor prices and distribution; market failure and the role of government. Students should be aware that the pre-term course, like the microeconomics course offered during the academic year, requires recent familiarity with basic algebra, functions, graphical analysis and basic calculus.

Pre-Term Macroeconomics
This pre-term course is the equivalent of the standard one-semester course at SAIS. It gives students with a limited background in economics the opportunity to receive in advance a systematic presentation of macroeconomics at an intermediate level. It satisfies the macroeconomics requirement at SAIS and allows students to take more advanced courses having macroeconomics as a prerequisite (for example, International Monetary Theory). Topics include national income accounting and the balance of payments; output determination in an open economy; models of inflation and unemployment; fiscal and monetary policy; exchange rate determination; and international interdependence through trade and investment flows.

CORE Theories of International Relations
This course aims to provide a set of tools for explaining basic patterns of international conflict and cooperation. The course examines leading schools of thought, including Realism, Liberalism and Constructivism and surveys topics such as: strategic bargaining among states, nuclear deterrence, international change, international institutions, international economic forces and their impact on national policies, domestic political regimes and foreign policy, decision-making, the future of international relations.

CORE Comparative National Systems
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to comparative politics. The focus is on advanced industrial societies, but the models and concepts are broadly applicable. The course begins with an introduction to the state as an organizing principle. It then considers politics, political economy, and the current challenges presented by recent changes both within states and between them.