Roughly 63% of students will choose to study abroad during their academic experience in college.
The study abroad program at Utah Tech is an opportunity for students to learn about different places around the world and the cultures that come with it while getting to travel to the places they are learning about.
There are two different options for students to experience the study abroad program which include the faculty-led and affiliate programs.
Annie Sorensen, a senior media studies major from Syracuse, said, “Just do it. Do whatever you can to possibly get out there because it is seriously such a life-changing experience, and it makes you really focus on things that you have. It opens a whole new perspective within yourself and within the world around you.”
Faculty-Led Programs
These programs are a chance for students to be able to take a trip to one of the nine options available including:
- Greece and Italy—intercultural communication
- Japan—creative writing
- The Amazon—Peruvian Amazon natural history
- Thailand—peace-building and reconciliation
- London, Paris and Amsterdam—art travel study
- Costa Rica—community global health nursing clinical
- Florence, Italy—dance travel study
- Uganda—population health
- England and Scotland—Community Global Health Nursing clinical
The trips can last from one week to 10 weeks. The students who attend will take a course a semester before the trip and then travel to the destination of their choosing during the summer months.
Dr. Alicia Booth, a communications professor running the study abroad program, said: “We’re not going just for the Instagram photos. We’re going to experience and understand the history behind it and then come back with a broader perspective and understanding as to where this civilization was founded and look at how far we have come.”
Booth will be hosting a meeting Oct. 18 from 5p.m.-6 p.m. over Zoom which will give students who are interested more information on the program as well as be able to answer any questions that they have. If students have any direct questions, they can contact Booth through email.
Affiliate Programs
The Affiliate programs are similar to the Faculty-Led programs, but in this case, students have the choice to go for a summer, semester or full-year trip. Students who attend this program will take classes in universities and academic centers chosen by the affiliation. Those classes and the credits students get from them will automatically get put on their transcript for credit.
The study abroad snapshot online booklet offers more in-depth information on the step-by-step instructions on how to apply as well as the details of the destinations that are available.
The programs that the university offers have requirements to qualify to apply which include:
- being 18 years or older
- having a 2.5 GPA or higher
- being enrolled in a degree-seeking program while abroad
- in good academic, disciplinary and community standing.
- meeting any additional prerequisites of the program to which they are applying
Mallory Lemmon, a former Utah Tech University student, said: “One benefit I found from this experience was cultural immersion. I got to learn all about Greek culture firsthand, and I learned so many things I had never even thought to ask about. I also found that it broke a lot of ideas I had about the way the world is perceived by those outside of the United States.”
This yearly opportunity is an immersive and inclusive way for students all over campus to learn firsthand about the world.
