Department of Media Studies

STEP 1: Attend a General Info Session: All students MUST attend a GIS before meeting with Study Abroad Advisors. Tuesdays: 4-5 and Wednesdays: 1-2 (Minor Hall 225)

STEP 2: Meet with Study Abroad Advisors: Walk-in hours only. Monday to Thursday (10:00-12:00 / 2:00-5:00)

STEP 3: Fill out Application Packets and Meet Deadlines: Materials

Click here for a brief list of study abroad programs.

Media Studies encourages our students to study abroad during the second semester of their 3rd year, or first semester of their 4th year. Below is some information regarding studying abroad through the University and helpful links to programs around the world.

Online Guides

http://www.iiepassport.org
http://www.petersons.com/stdyabrd
http://www.studyabroad.com

To find communications related programs in all countries start first with iiepassport.org, then Petersons. Studyabroad.com requires you first choose a country as well as a discipline, which might result in your overlooking interesting options.

On these three sites you can search by country; by subject; by language; and more, so you should be able to find very interesting options. Please don't consider only the "famous" places, like Oxford , for example. There are wonderful direct enrollment programs in less famous schools where one might get more attention. And there are great specially designed programs in other countries that will do the same.

The best place to start looking for a good study abroad program is at the Study Abroad office on your campus. It can be especially important to check about programs if you want to study during the regular school year and if you want to use financial aid or scholarships to help pay for it. And you should always confirm with the study abroad office you will get credit for your program.

Language and Location

There are many excellent programs from which to choose. If you do not speak a foreign language you will find very good programs, taught in English, in most countries and you are not limited to studying in an English speaking country. There are many places where one can study in English, even while learning another language.

There are other programs where you need at least two years of college level foreign language to be admitted and where you can study either partly or fully in the foreign language.

Do not restrict your search to a single country or famous university. This is like an overseas student saying they want to come to the United States , but only to study at Harvard or live in New York City . Explore -- find out what is out there that best fits your needs and challenges your experience and interest.

Program Types

Generally there are three types of study abroad programs: direct enrollment in an overseas institution as a regular student during the school year; enrollment in a specially designed overseas program where foreign faculty teach courses designed for visiting students with specific interests; and "island programs" where American faculty take American students overseas.

• If you are studying in English in an English speaking country for a semester or year, or if you speak a foreign language very well, you might consider direct enrollment. On rarer occasions there are overseas universities which teach substantial amounts of their curriculum in English to their own students, offering you increased options for direct enrollment.
• If you are going to an unusual or difficult location and/or you would like to travel with faculty from your own school who have special expertise and are able to offer you unique opportunity, you might consider an island program.
• If you would like to study in a non-English speaking country, but in English, learn a new language, or have some fluency in a language but don't want to be plunged into regular courses taught solely in the foreign language, you should consider a specially designed program.

Program Themes

Another issue to consider is the disciplinary focus of the program. You may want a program which offers courses only in your field - a single topic program. These are offered in all the types described above. Sometimes, it is important to note, when you do a direct enrollment you may only take course in a single discipline, since many world higher education institutions do not subscribe to the diversity of topics offered in the U.S. undergraduate education model.

A different option, and the option most frequently offered overseas in any specially designed program and in some direct enrollment settings, is to choose a program which includes courses in your field of interest (film studies or journalism for example), but also offers a wide range of other courses, both directly related to your interest or new entirely to you, from which to choose. These programs offer a diversity of study topics and sometimes offer you the opportunity to build an inter-disciplinary program tailored to your academic and professional goals.

Other options to look for in a study abroad program include internship components; field visits and field study options; study tours outside your city or country of study that incorporate academic visits in your discipline into the study tour agenda; independent study options which allow you to build your own program; and comparative field study options which allow you to do comparative research in more than one location or country as part of your program. All these options often allow you to help create your own content in your study abroad program.

Some study abroad programs focus almost entirely on internship placement. This may especially be true for shorter term summer program options. In these programs your primary activity is work placement while you also have supporting coursework to establish a theoretical and analytical foundation for your experience. These are excellent options, too. But confirm with your study abroad office if you can transfer academic credit for part or all of these programs.

Education Abroad vs. Study Abroad

Study abroad programs are offered for a summer, semester, and year or for special short-term options like January or May terms. They are grounded in academic coursework and offer credit toward your baccalaureate.

There are other great opportunities for overseas exposure as well, in the form of volunteer or work abroad opportunities. These are often lower cost options. They may or may not guarantee you placement directly in communications related fields, or they may require your initiative to find communications related placements. They are exciting and worth examining.

Work Abroad Programs usually require you pay a fee (usually under $400) to secure a legal visa, in-country advising, job search guidance, and emergency as well as social and cultural support; and these programs allow you to earn money, usually enough to cover your living expenses, while overseas. It is difficult to get professional level jobs! But you can often find low-level service related jobs and the possibility exists to find jobs in fields in which you have some interest. You learn about life in another country and how to live it, as well as exploring differences in work values and policies, all while getting to know another environment. Please remember, these are really worth investigating, but there is no guarantee you will get a job in your field of interest.

Volunteer Abroad Programs are also low cost, usually under $500.00. You typically will join a group of other international volunteers at an established and ongoing volunteer site, where you will live and work for two to four weeks typically. Your housing and usually your meal expenses are covered in these programs, though they can vary. Often you and your group do your own cooking. Sometimes you live in bare housing; other times in castles you are refurbishing. Again, and perhaps especially, it may be difficult to find programs specifically communications-related, but it is worth investigating, and also checking to see if some of your communications skills could be used in these settings.

Cost

Study abroad programs range from one week to one year and cost ranges accordingly. Look for programs which offer scholarships and work with your financial aid office to accept financial aid transfers. Look closely at what your fees include. In some programs, fees include travel costs - though this is usually for short term programs. In some programs fees include housing and meals. In others they do not. In some programs fees include field visits and study tours, on other not. Make a list of what is excluded and what is included in the programs in which you have interest to do a realistic comparison of cost between programs.

Evaluating Programs

Look for programs which describe what courses are available; who the faculty are who teach them; what special academic features are offered as part of the program; what orientation information is provided; what housing options exist; what tuition and fees cover or exclude; what cancellation policies are; and programs which provide extensive information online about course content, academic policies, housing policies, and financial polices.