The fall program begins in mid-August and concludes around the last week of November. The spring program begins early January and ends late April. Program dates are subject to change according to local holidays and festivals, flight availability, and other logistical considerations.

SITA begins with an intensive social, cultural, and linguistic orientation at a secluded location outside Madurai. After locating to Madurai, students move in with their host families, and courses led by Indian faculty are scheduled for the next six weeks of the program. Exams and final papers are punctuated by field trips to other parts of South India, where students are exposed to the major contrasts in environment, culture, and lifestyles of the region.

The final month of the program is reserved for field research projects, and the semester concludes with a final seminar in which students present and discuss their field research projects.

After the program, some students return home and others choose to travel in small groups to other parts of India or South Asia. Some fall semester students may also opt to stay in India for a second SITA semester. A second semester with SITA offers students the opportunity to go further with the language and knowledge base they established in their first semester, and second-semester students are offered the opportunity to live independently, do an internship, and arrange tutorial courses with their favorite professors based on their specific interests.