Learning Abroad Center

Customized Programs

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Learning Abroad Center Customized Programs provide education abroad professionals and faculty/staff from your institutions with the opportunity to utilize UMTC Learning Abroad Center study centers for short-term, instructor-led programming.

All centers are staffed by local professionals who have experience working with US students and are well connected within the local community.

You would work closely with experienced University of Minnesota-Twin Cities' Learning Abroad Center staff. We are able to assist from the early stages of program development and design through to evaluation and reentry. Ideally, program development will begin at least 12 month prior to a program start date.

"The LAC played a pivotal role in shaping our students’ study abroad experience in Montpellier, France, in March 2024 to be both educational and meaningful. From the early stages of planning, the LAC took the time to understand our learning goals and what we hoped to achieve during our group’s time in France. Additionally, communication throughout the process was frequent and clear, enabling me as program leader to focus on other aspects of planning."

—Program Manager from The Ohio State University

Features

Academic Excellence and Strong Support Behind You

You’ll have the support and academic excellence and breadth of a world-class University.

Local On-Site Experts and Established Centers

You’ll have experienced on-site staff at established program centers in each host city.

Focus on Health and Safety

You’ll have the support of the University’s International Health, Safety, & Compliance team, including a comprehensive orientation and a robust insurance plan.

Flexible Program Options and Timelines

You’ll have multiple program term options and innovative program design options including community engagement or volunteer placements.

Personalized Support Tailored to You

You’ll have personalized service from our dedicated Customized programs team, as well as the ability to customize your program to best suit your needs.

Getting Started

Submit an interest form or contact Lindsey Lahr, Assistant Director, Instructor-led Programs

If you have a formulated program idea, submit the Customized Program Request Form, and someone from the LAC Customized team will contact you. Planning takes approximately one year.

Submit an interest form

Site Locations

The UMTC Learning Abroad Center has well-established centers in the following locations.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

The elegance of Europe and the spirit of South America live side by side in Buenos Aires. Founded by immigrants along the shores of the Rio de la Plata, Buenos Aires built its identity on Spanish, Italian, and French influences, which appear in the grand boulevards, expansive parks, and magnificent architecture.

Particularly good for programs focusing on: 

  • economics
  • global studies
  • language & culture
  • political science
  • psychology

Available terms:

  • Fall Semester
  • Winter Break
  • Spring Semester
  • Spring Break
  • May Term
  • Summer

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Thailand, the only southeast Asian country not colonized by European powers, serves as a multicultural hub for manufacturing, agriculture, and tourism. Chiang Mai, the former capital of the Lanna kingdom, is located in mountainous northern Thailand.

Particularly good for programs focusing on:

  • agriculture
  • architecture
  • development
  • entrepreneurship
  • health
  • environmental studies
  • food systems
  • Hmong/Southeast Asian studies
  • human rights
  • social justice
  • sustainability
  • Thai language

Available terms:

  • Fall Semester*
  • Winter Break
  • Spring Semester*
  • Spring Break
  • May Term
  • Summer
    • *These terms may not be available.
    • August is not available.

Dakar, Senegal

Senegal has long been seen as a crossroads where black African, Islamic, and European civilizations have met, clashed, and blended.

Particularly good for programs focusing on:

  • African studies
  • entrepreneurship
  • development
  • Francophone studies
  • health
  • human rights
  • literature
  • social justice
  • sustainability
  • Wolof language

Madrid, Spain

Madrid is a culturally rich, cosmopolitan, European capital. Working with the prestigious Fundación José Ortega y Gasset Gregorio Manañón opens opportunities in many areas.

Particularly good for programs focusing on: 

  • architecture
  • business
  • computer science
  • history
  • language & culture
  • psychology
  • social sciences

Available terms:

  • Fall Semester
  • Winter Break*
  • Spring Semester
  • Spring Break
  • May Term
  • Summer
    • This term may not be available.

Montpellier, France

Within easy reach of both mountains and the Mediterranean, and home to 100,000 university students, Montpellier is a young, vibrant city with a centuries-old history of intellectual advances and social tolerance.

Particularly good for programs focusing on:

  • business
  • education
  • French language
  • immigration
  • literature
  • psychology
  • sustainability

Available terms:

  • Fall Semester
  • Winter Break*
  • Spring Semester
  • Spring Break
  • May Term*
  • Summer
    • These terms may not be available.

Nairobi, Kenya

Kenya's geographic and cultural diversity make it a microcosm of the African continent. It includes hot coastal plains, vast plateaus, Africa's largest lake and highest mountain, and hundreds of miles of the great Rift Valley.

Particularly good for programs focusing on:

  • agriculture
  • conservation
  • ecology
  • health sciences
  • kinesiology
  • natural resource management
  • Swahili language
  • sport

Available terms:

  • Fall Semester
  • Winter Break
  • Spring Semester
  • Spring Break
  • May Term
  • Summer

Quito, Ecuador

Few countries as small as Ecuador contain such remarkable geographic and biological diversity. Geographically, it ranges from coastal deserts to temperate mountain valleys to Amazon forests. Culturally and racially, its population includes a mix of indigenous, Spanish, and African elements.

Particularly good for programs focusing on:

  • cultural studies
  • development
  • entrepreneurship
  • environment
  • indigenous studies
  • health
  • human rights
  • sustainability

Available terms:

  • Fall Semester
  • Winter Break
  • Spring Semester
  • Spring Break
  • May Term
  • Summer

Toledo, Spain

Declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations, Toledo is a living museum, a preserved part of Spanish history where people still live, work, and play.

Particularly good for programs focusing on:

  • archaeology
  • architecture
  • healthcare
  • history
  • public health
  • Spanish language

Available terms:

  • Fall Semester
  • Winter Break*
  • Spring Semester
  • Spring Break
  • May Term
  • Summer
    • This term may not be available.