Economics is a broad discipline that encompasses a wide variety of theoretical and empirical lines of inquiry. The Department of Economics encourages you to explore this variety through study abroad. Wherever you decide to go, consider taking courses of local, national, or regional interest, and courses that offer perspectives that are new and different to you.
Academic Planning Recommendations
Best Time To Go Abroad
- BA in Economics students can study abroad during any term but it is recommended to plan ahead with an Economics Undergraduate Advisor
- BAQ and BS versions of the major need to plan more carefully due to the sequential nature of these programs. Summer is often recommended over fall and spring.
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
- Meet with an Economics Advisor to explore course equivalencies and create a major plan around your intended study abroad experience.
- Once a declared major, we recommend that you complete intermediate micro and macroeconomics (Econ 3101 and 3102) on campus at UMTC before you study abroad.
- Majors can count one “country/area studies” course towards their major, students who are considering study abroad may want to refrain from taking UMTC Econ “country/area studies” courses (Econ 3960, 4311 & 4317).
- Majors can take two of their upper-level Economics major courses outside of UMTC. These limits don’t apply to prerequisites or courses from Mathematics and Statistics.
Internships Abroad
- The Economics department grants credit for an internship only if it involves significant academic work.
- If you wish to use an internship from a study abroad program toward the major, consult with Economics Undergraduate Advising at [email protected].
College of Liberal Arts Language Requirement
Courses taken abroad for the CLA Language Requirement (for BA degrees) must be at least 4 credits. CLA college advisers can approve courses that are clearly identified in a syllabus or online course description as first-, second-, third-, or fourth-semester language courses. If a course level is not explicitly stated, you must work with your CLA adviser to have the course evaluated by the appropriate language department. Advisers cannot approve these courses.
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 college 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.
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. A chance to reflect on economic theory and grassroots realities.
- Past internship placements include social work agencies, youth projects, women’s groups, health clinics, community centers, community economic development, and many more.
- Instruction is in French. Fall or Spring semester.
Americas
Argentina
Study & Intern in Buenos Aires
- Program type: Study Abroad Center
- Explore the urban landscape of Buenos Aires, a city of 13 million.
- Take Spanish language courses at any level along with area studies courses. Sample area studies courses include Latin American Economy-The Argentine Perspective and Politics & Society in Latin America.
- Area studies courses taught in English; no prior Spanish required. Fall or spring semester, academic year, or summer.
Universidad de Buenos Aires (available through IFSA Argentina)
- Program type: University Study (mostly)
- Huge, prestigious institution in the Argentine capital (population 14 million), one of South America’s great port cities. Opportunities also for internships or community service.
- Sample economics courses: Structure of the Argentine Economy; Economic & Social History of Argentina; Epistemology of Economics; History of Economic Thought.
- Instruction is in Spanish; 4 semesters (IES) or 5 semesters (IFSA) of prior Spanish are required. Fall or spring semester, calendar or academic year.
Chile
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (available through IES Chile)
- Program type: University Study
- Santiago-based university especially strong in social sciences. A wide variety of economics courses offered, including a number on development economics and Latin American economies.
- Additionally, IES offers more center-based courses (including internships).
- Instruction is in Spanish; 4 semesters of prior Spanish are required. Fall or spring semester, calendar or academic year.
Ecuador
MSID—International Development in Ecuador
- Program type: Field Study
- Academic program built around grassroots development internships. Homestays and research further enrich cultural immersion. A chance to reflect on economic theory and grassroots realities.
- Past internship placements include rural women’s empowerment, literacy, public health/nutrition, sustainable agriculture, community economic development, fishing or handicraft cooperatives.
- Instruction is in Spanish. Fall or Spring semester.
Asia and Oceania
Australia
Monash University (available through IFSA Australia)
- Program type: University Study
- Located in a suburb of Australia’s second city, Melbourne, Monash is one of Australia’s largest, most comprehensive, and most prestigious universities.
- Department of Economics offers a number of courses on the Asian and Australian economies and the connections among them. Several economic history courses are also available.
- Fall or spring semester, calendar year or academic year.
- Program type: Study Abroad Center
- Area studies program with a multidisciplinary curriculum focused on Australia, including International Business & Trade: Australia & the Pacific Rim.
- Program centerpiece for most economics majors is an outstanding internship option (6 credits in semester program, 3 or 6 credits in the summer program); an astounding variety of placements 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 of about 250,000 just south of Sydney, Wollongong is a highly international university, with about 20% of its students from other countries.
- Courses from the standard economics curriculum are offered, including a number of courses in quantitative methods.
- Fall or spring semester, calendar or academic year.
Japan
IES Japan—Tokyo Society & Culture
- Program type: Study Abroad Center
- Multidisciplinary language and area studies (mostly social science) program for students with little or no Japanese language background. Includes course on The Contemporary Economy of Japan.
- Extensive experiential learning opportunities include field trips, cultural events, volunteer options. Especially recommended: participant observer field placement with a Japanese organization.
- Instruction is in English; no prior Japanese is required. Fall or spring semester, academic year, or summer.
Exchange in Tokyo, Japan—Hitotsubashi University
- Program type: University Study
- Experience Japanese life in the vibrant and dynamic city of Tokyo on this affordable and immersive exchange program.
- A broad range of economics courses offered.
- Instruction is in English; no prior Japanese is required. Spring semester or academic year.
South Korea
University Study in South Korea: Korea University
- Program type: University Study
- Korea University, located in Seoul, teaches many courses in English as a strategy to position Koreans for the global workforce; study abroad students take courses alongside Korean students.
- An extremely broad range of economics course offered, many focused specifically on Korea or Asia.
- Many courses taught in English; no prior Korean is required. Some additional courses available in Korean for students sufficiently proficient. Fall or spring semester, academic year, or summer.
Thailand
MSID—International Development in Thailand
- Program type: Field Study
- Academic program built around grassroots development internships. Homestays and internship/research further enrich cultural immersion. Based in Chiang Mai but with internship options outside the city.
- Internship placements have focused on such areas as arts and culture, sustainability and the environment, public health, education and literacy, entrepreneurship and alternative economies, and social service.
- Instruction is in English; no prior Thai language is required. Fall or Spring semester.
Europe
Austria
IES Austria—European Studies and Culture
- Program type: Study Abroad Center (and University Study)
- Large language and area studies program with an extremely broad curriculum. Courses on Austria Central and Eastern Europe, and Europe as a whole. Includes several economics courses.
- Features include internships and access to the University of Vienna, a respected university with a strong economics department.
- IES courses are taught in English; no prior German required. Internships and University of Vienna courses require two years of prior German. Fall semester, spring semester, or academic year.
Denmark
Study Abroad in Denmark and Summer in Denmark & Sweden
- Program type: Study Abroad Center
- DIS, one of Europe’s largest and academically strongest study abroad programs, offers a wide variety of courses on Denmark, Scandinavia, and Europe.
- Sample course offerings: Development Economics; Environmental Economics; Health Economics & Health Policy in Europe.
- Summer in Denmark & Sweden offers you the opportunity to explore one or both countries and build your summer experience abroad.
- Instruction is in English; no prior Danish is required. Fall or spring semester, academic year, or summer.
France
IES France—Paris Business & International Affairs
- Program type: Study Abroad Center (plus University Study)
- Program permits you to combine courses through the IES Center with university courses taught in French at the Institute Catholique, whose disciplines include economics.
- English-taught IES courses include Political Economy of European Integration and International Political Economy, plus many in business, international relations, etc. Internships also available.
- No prior French required for program or its IES courses; two years of prior French required for Institute Catholique courses or internships. Fall semester, spring semester, or academic year.
Université Paul Valéry through Language & Culture in Southern France
- Program type: University Study (there is also a Study Abroad Center track)
- Paul Valéry’s Faculty of Economic Sciences offers courses in economic history, methodology, economic geography, and more.
- Students in the University Study track may also take language and culture courses from the Center track, although these include no economics offerings. Internships are also available.
- Instruction is in French; one year French prerequisite for the center track, two for university study track. Fall semester, spring semester, academic year, or a summer intensive language program.
Germany
IES Germany --Freiburg Language & Area Studies
- Program type: Study Center
- Highly rated university located in an extraordinarily picturesque medieval city, and center of environmental activism, at the foot of the Black Forest near the French and Swiss borders.
- The university’s Faculty of Economics offers many courses in the standard economics curriculum, taught at an advanced level.
- Instruction is in German. Spring semester or academic year.
Ireland
University College Cork (available through IFSA Ireland)
- Program type: University Study
- Situated in the city of the same name (population 200,000) on the south coast of Ireland 160 miles from Dublin UCC has an enrollment of 17,000.
- Broad range of Economics courses offered in both the College of Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences; and the College of Business & Law
- Fall semester, spring semester, or academic year.
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.
- Sample course offerings: Economics of Tourism; Small Business Economics; International Monetary Economics; Globalization & International Economic Issues.
- 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
- Bologna, the oldest university in Europe and arguably the most prestigious in Italy, has a strong economics department.
- BCSP program supplements UB courses with courses designed for US students. A pre-session intensive Italian course strengthens your language skills before UB classes begin
- Instruction is in Italian. Fall semester, spring semester, or academic year. (Academic year option highly recommended.)
United Kingdom
London: Economy, International Trade, & Brexit
- Term: May Session
- Instructor: Fahima Aziz, lecturer in the Economics Department
- Examine the role of international trade in London and how it has affected everyday London socio-economic life. Examine trade from the beginning of the British Empire through the colonization period to its pre-Brexit and post-Brexit years.
- Visit politically and economically significant locations such as the houses of parliament and the Canary Wharf financial sector.
- Receive credit for: ECON 4428
London School of Economics & Political Science (available through IFSA United Kingdom)
- Program type: University Study
- One of the world’s leading institutions for the social sciences, LSE offers many economics courses. Look at Economic History as well as Economics in the online course catalog.
- Sample course offerings: History of Economics—How Theories Change; European Economic Policy; Economic Analysis of the EU; Public Economics; Africa & the World Economy.
- Academic year or summer (summer through IFSA only).
Queens University Belfast (available through IFSA Northern Ireland)
- Program type: University Study
- Founded in Ireland in 1845, Queens holds to principles of non-denominational teaching and equality of opportunity. A small number of American students (ca. 300 out of 23,000) facilitates immersion.
- Economics course offerings include a standard fare plus such options as Applied Econometrics; Managerial Economics; Economics of Organizations; and Regional Economics.
- Fall semester, spring semester, or academic year.
- Program type: Study Abroad Center
- UofM area studies program located in the heart of London and offering a multidisciplinary array of course offerings, some on Europe as a whole, the majority on Britain or specifically London.
- Attractions include an International Economics course and several international business courses. Crown jewel is a 6-credit course-internship combination(3 credits in the summer).
- Fall semester, spring semester, academic year,three-week May term, and/or summer.
University of Edinburgh (available through IFSA United Kingdom)
- Program type: University Study
- Highly rated university, with a highly rated Economics department, in a beautiful city. Check the online course catalog under not only Economics but also Economic & Social History.
- Sample course offerings: Economic Transformation in East Asia; Economics of Transition; Economics of Technical Change; New Zealand & the World Economy; U.S. Economy Since 1918.
- Fall or spring semester, academic year, or summer.
University Study in the UK: University of Glasgow
- Program type: University Study
- Adam Smith was once a professor at UG, which has one of the strongest economics departments in the UK and offers an unusually broad range of courses, both standard and unusual.
- Sample course offerings: Environmental Economics; Natural Resource Economics; Regional Economics & the Scottish Economy; Economics of Housing; Economics of Team Sports.
- Fall or 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.