“My year abroad in the People’s Republic of China was the single most important element of my undergraduate education. It demonstrated the value of communication to every facet of life: personal, professional, and political.”
Ronald Greene, Communication Studies faculty
Whether you are interested in media production and analysis, communication theory, or public discourse, study abroad will challenge your assumptions, deepen your knowledge, and broaden your understanding of communication.
Academic Planning Recommendations
Understand communication studies from an international perspective and within a variety of different contexts by exploring communication practices from different cultural, national perspectives, and sociocultural contexts. Broaden your academic horizons, increase your self-confidence, and expand your cross-cultural communication skills.
Liberal Education Requirements
Search the U Credit Abroad Search. You may also submit any liberal education course not yet evaluated for approval online.
Major and Minor Requirements
- Consider programs with courses that will satisfy your Core or Elective credit requirements.
- Students who complete credit-bearing internships in Communication Studies can earn up to 4 credits, equivalent to COMM 3896
- Only upper-division courses will fulfill requirements in the Communication Studies major.
Who will advise me and help me with course approvals?
Learning Abroad Center advisers can help you find program and course information to help you prepare for your study abroad academic planning discussion with your academic adviser. Once you have narrowed your options, use the Academic Planning for Study Abroad (APSA) form to structure your academic planning.
College/Department Scholarships for UofM Students
- CLA students can apply for CLA Study Abroad Scholarships in addition to other Learning Abroad Center scholarships.
- Communication Studies scholarships
Programs
Africa and the Middle East
Senegal
MSID—International Development in Senegal
- Program type: Field Study
- Academic program built around grassroots development internships. Homestays and research further enrich cultural immersion.
- Past internship placements include social work agencies, youth projects, ethnographic research, women’s groups, orphanages, health clinics, literacy projects, community centers, many more.
- Instruction is in French. Fall or Spring semester.
Americas
Ecuador
MSID—International Development in Ecuador
- Program type: Field Study
- Academic program built around grassroots development internships. Homestays and field research further enrich cultural immersion.
- Past internship placements include rural women’s empowerment, literacy, public health/nutrition, community environmental conservation, education, literacy, community development.
- Instruction is in Spanish. Fall or Spring semester.
Peru
Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (available through IFSA Peru)
- Program type: University Study (and Study Abroad Center)
- Located on a campus in Lima, PUCP is Peru’s oldest private university. IFSA supplements university courses with 2 required center courses.
- Relevant courses (see Sumillas in the online catalog) are scattered in departments of Comunicación para el Desarrollo; Ciencias de la Información; Periodismo; and Sociología.
- Instruction is in Spanish and requires five prior semesters of Spanish. Fall or spring semester, calendar or academic year.
Asia and Oceania
Australia
- Program type: Study Abroad Center
- Area studies program with a multidisciplinary curriculum focused on Australia. Sample courses include Intercultural Communication and Analyzing & Exploring the Global City: Sydney.
- Program centerpiece is an outstanding internship option (6 credits in semester program, 3 or 6 credits in summer program), for which an astounding variety of placements are possible.
- Fall or spring semester, calendar or academic year.
University of Wollongong (available through IFSA Australia)
- Program type: University Study
- Located in a seaside city an hour south of Sydney. Wollongong’s School of Social Sciences, Media and Communication offers courses in media studies, cultural studies, and film studies.
- Sample course titles: Digital Communication, Regulation & Social Action; Global Television & Cultural Identity; Convergent Asian Mediascapes; Media Audiences; and Media, War & Peace.
- Fall or spring semester, calendar or academic year.
New Zealand
University Study in New Zealand: University of Otago
- Program type: University Study
- Otago (enrollment 20,000) is located in Dunedin on New Zealand’s South Island, a great location for students interested in outdoor activities. It is renowned for its vibrant campus lifestyle.
- Otago’s Communication Studies department offers majors in Communication Studies and in Film and Media Studies, in addition to participating in an interdisciplinary program in Visual Culture.
- Instruction is in English. Fall or spring semester, academic or calendar year.
Victoria University of Wellington (available through IFSA New Zealand)
- Program type: University Study
- VUW is located in Wellington, New Zealand’s political capital strategically situated on the North Island at the ferry crossing to the South Island.
- In addition to Communication Studies, Film, or Media Studies, check out relevant courses in History, International Business, Linguistics, Pacific Studies, and Political Science & International Relations.
- Instruction is in English. Fall or spring semester, calendar or academic year.
South Korea
University Study in South Korea: Korea University
- Program type: University Study
- One of the oldest and most prestigious universities in East Asia, Korea University offers the opportunity to study alongside Korean and international students in the rising metropolis of Seoul.
- The School of Communication and Media offers coursework, taught in English.
Europe
Denmark
Study Abroad in Denmark and Summer in Denmark & Sweden
- Program type: Study Abroad Center
- Copenhagen-based DIS, one of Europe’s largest and academically strongest study abroad programs, offers a wide variety of courses on Denmark, Scandinavia, and Europe.
- Program tracks available in Communication. Relevant courses are listed under Communication; Journalism; Film Studies; and Media Studies.
- Instruction is in English; no prior Danish is required. Fall or spring semester, academic year, or summer.
- Summer in Denmark & Sweden offers you the opportunity to explore one or both countries and build your summer experience abroad.
France
Language & Culture in Southern France
- Program type: University Study and Study Abroad Center (two tracks)
- Two-track UofM program that permits a mix of special language and culture courses with regular French university courses in a proportion suitable to each student’s language proficiency.
- Advanced students select from courses with international students, the regular curriculum at Paul Valéry University (including media and communication courses), and an internship option.
- Instruction is in French; one year French prerequisite for center track, two for university study track. Fall or spring semester, academic year, or a summer intensive language program.
Ireland
University Study in Ireland: University of Limerick
- Program type: University Study
- One of Ireland’s leading institutions for business, science, and engineering, the University of Limerick enrollment 12,000) is located in western Ireland 125 miles from Dublin.
- Department of Communication Studies offers a wide array of courses. Samples: Analyzing Media Discourse; New Media, Language & Globalization; Current Issues in Irish Media.
- Fall semester, spring semester, or academic year. Summer (with limited curriculum) also available through Arcadia.
Italy
Universitá di Bologna (available through Bologna Consortial Studies Program, BCSP)
- Program type: University Study (and Study Abroad Center)
- UB’s Communication Science department offers a broad curriculum in such areas as media studies, communication and society, and interpersonal communication.
- BCSP supplements UB courses with courses designed for US students in such fields as Italian art history, film studies, history, language, and literature. A pre-session strengthens language skills.
- Instruction is in Italian; at least two prior years of language study are required. Fall semester, spring semester, or academic year. (Academic year option highly recommended.)
Netherlands
University of Amsterdam (available through Exchange in Netherlands: University of Amsterdam or IES Netherlands–Direct Enrollment)
- Program type: University Study, Study Abroad Cetner
- Study at the University of Amsterdam’s International School for Humanities and Social Sciences. Classmates are mostly international students from throughout the world.
- Offerings include many media studies courses. Samples: Ethnic Diversity & Popular Culture; Intercultural Communications; Changing Television in Europe; Money & Media.
- Instruction is in English; no prior Dutch is required. Regular courses in UA’s Department of Speech Communication, Argumentation & Rhetoric are available to students proficient in Dutch. Fall semester, spring semester, or academic year.
Spain
- Program type: Study Abroad Center
- UofM program located in Spain’s medieval capital and one of Europe’s most picturesque cities—a living museum of architecture that UNESCO has declared a World Cultural Heritage Site.
- No communication studies courses per se, but many relevant offerings in other social sciences and history. Internships available, as well as a community engagement course on immigrants in Spain.
- Instruction is in Spanish; four prior semesters of Spanish are required. Fall or spring semester, academic year, May term, or summer.
United Kingdom
- Program type: Study Abroad Center
- UofM area studies program in the heart of London. Courses include: British Broadcasting Today; Ethical Issues & the Media; and a community engagement course on contemporary London issues.
- Crown jewel is a 6-credit course-internship combination (3 credits in the summer) with an astounding variety of possible themes and organizations, including remarkable media placements.
- Fall semester, spring semester, academic year, or summer.
University of Ulster (available through IFSA United Kingdom)
- Program type: University Study
- In contrast to most universities listed on this sheet, little is available in the area of media analysis; instead, the curricular emphasis here is on learning to communicate effectively.
- Sample course titles: Interpersonal Communication; Communication in Groups, Communication in Relationships, Sociolinguistics; Organizational Communication, Political Lobbying.
- Fall semester, spring semester, or academic year.
Additional Options to Consider
- 3-week, 3-credit programs at the 3000-level led by University of Minnesota faculty and staff over winter break or May session.
- Explore an exciting location and topic, Fulfill Liberal Education requirements, or earn major/minor credit.
- Combine on-campus instruction during the spring semester with a study abroad component during spring break, on a 3 credits, 1xxx level Seminar.
- Freshman Seminars Abroad are designed specifically for first-year students as an introduction to study abroad, an opportunity to explore an exciting location and topic, and likely fulfill a liberal education requirement.
- Check out additional LAC Instructor-led Seminars that might run over winter break, spring break, May, and summer sessions. They vary in length, dates, and content so students can find one that best fits their academic and professional goals.
- Begin your language study or work toward completing requirements for a language minor.
- Complete a semester of language on a short-term program or explore options to complete two or more semesters of language on semester-long program.