Study Abroad

Study Abroad

Go beyond your comfort zones and foster global citizenry by immersing yourself in other cultures through studying abroad. You can select from a wide range of options, which range from three weeks to an entire academic year. Here are some of the most popular programs. 
 
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British Studies Program

For British Studies, London becomes the students' classroom as they experience their subject first-hand and conduct research supervised by their professor. The program offers ten to fifteen different courses in various disciplines. Students experience lectures taught by British scholars, artists, business leaders, and government officials, and field excursions to various locations in and around London. 

International Exchange Program

Students experience student life at one of USM’s partner universities including National University of Ireland, Galway, Université d’Orléans or University of Birmingham, and more!

Language majors have the incomparable opportunity to spend a semester or a year abroad though our low-cost, top flight exchange programs with elite international institutions and universities in Bonn (Germany); Brussels (Belgium); Orléans (France); Cádiz, Jaén and Madrid (Spain); and Lima (Perú). You will study at a university and take classes either at a language institute affiliated with the university or at the university itself.

French in France

As the birthplace of the French language, France is the ideal location for you to learn its language, experience its customs, and discover its history and art. You will visit several museums with Madame Keltoum Rowland as your tour guide during the first days of the program. Join us to actively participate in every facet of France’s rich culture and heritage!

Spanish in Spain

Immerse yourself in Spain's rich culture and heritage. You will study language and culture at the Universidad de Cádiz, located in the capital city of Spain’s southernmost province while learning about the life and culture of Andalusia and communicating with Spanish people.

Semester in Spain


Get a taste of life in Cádiz—land of flamenco, rugged mountains, white villages, pristine beaches, and ancient civilizations. Through an active-learning culture course in Spanish with Dr. Carmen Carracelas-Juncal, you will study the rich history of Cádiz, explore its natural beauty, meet its people, and experience its culture. On your free time, you get a taste of its colors, flavors, sounds, and smells, surrounded by the ocean and basking in the sun of the Costa de la Luz. 

Château Program: Semester in France

Jet off to France and spend the first week exploring and learning in Paris, before checking into your new home at an 18th century château in Strasbourg. There, you will study French and history with program director Madame Keltoum Rowland and faculty leader Dr. Courtney Luckhardt, all while fully immersing yourself in the culture.

Church and State in Italy

Get to visit Rome, the historical cradle of Christendom, and examine the dynamic relationship between Church and State in Christian political thought. You will explore how Rome transformed from a capital of a global empire in the ancient period to the seat of Christian power and thought in the Middle Ages.

Guided by Dr. Troy Gibson, program director and associate professor of political science, the story of this relationship is told in a variety of key locations, including the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Vatican City, Florence, and more. All along the way, you will be immersed in ancient, traditional and contemporary Italian architectural, religious, and culinary culture!

Italian Interiors and Design

This 18-day Intersession course will immerse students in an intensive exploration of Italian culture, design, and architecture spanning a 2,000-year period. Site visits will focus on the works of two highly influential designers, Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) and Carlo Scarpa (1906-1978) while in Venice and the Veneto region of Italy. Students will experience ancient ruins, medieval villages, and exceptional sculptural and architectural masterpieces of the Renaissance while in Florence with day trips to Siena and San Gimignano in the Tuscany Region. Optional weekend excursions will be offered to Rome and Pompeii.

Tropical Ecology in Belize

The program will consist of two weeks in the field during the January intersession in Belize,  where you will study tropical flora and fauna in several different ecosystems: coral reefs, pine savannahs, rainforests, and mangrove swamps. You will interact with groups working on the conservation of plants and animals in Central America and with locals who practice subsistence farming.

Vienna: City of Music 
 
The three-week music course introduces students to the history and culture of one of the world’s greatest musical cities. Through regular excursions to local cultural venues and daily class discussions with Dr. Ed Hafer, students gain insight into the music, working environment, and legacy of the First Viennese School. They will follow in the footsteps of the masters, visiting their homes, their churches, significant concert halls, and ultimately, their final resting places. Students experience first-hand the more human side of the humanities while studying music history from inside the world of its creators. 

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