“Students come back from studying abroad highly enriched by the wonderful new perspectives on culture and design that they have been exposed to—study abroad is a great educational opportunity for designers.”
Eugene Park, Graphic Design Faculty
Department Recommendations
- Talk with your advisers and faculty to discuss how a study abroad experience aligns with your personal, professional, and academic goals.
- Observe how graphic designers in other countries view their discipline.Listen to other students' perspectives on their own study abroad experience to have a sense of the range of experiences.
- Consult your four year plan for the best time to study abroad:
Academic Planning
Prospective Graphic Design Students
Make sure the graphic design courses you propose taking abroad meet UofM graphic design course requirements, as some may not. Graphic Design Portfolio Review takes place at the end of the first year and after completion of the foundation courses for the major. Passing Portfolio Review is required in order to become a full major and progress to upper-level graphic design courses.Portfolio review assures that students have acquired an understanding of essential design knowledge and are prepared to move on to more advanced coursework.
Your academic adviser will work to help you obtain approval for study abroad courses once you are admitted to the graphic design program.
Fulfill Requirements
Be sure to meet with your academic adviser to fill out an Academic Planning Form.
Liberal Education Requirements
Search the U Credit Abroad Search to select from more than 2,000 study abroad courses that have already been pre-approved for liberal education requirements. You may also submit any liberal education course not yet evaluated for approval online.
Core Major Courses
Graphic Design Program
Students may be able to take major required courses abroad. Some courses have been pre-approved for equivalencies in your major. If coursework has not already been pre-approved, you may work with your academic adviser to approve the courses prior to departure or evaluate them upon return, especially for studio courses, which will be evaluated on the basis of portfolio work shown. Meet with your academic adviser to learn how to obtain academic approval.
We recommend that no more than two of the Graphic Design professional sequence courses (Typography, Text and Image, Identity and Symbols, Packaging and Display, Advanced Typography) be substituted with courses taken outside of the college (either transfer or study abroad). Major program electives and the business core can be done abroad.
Note: There is some specific coursework in Packaging and Display that may or may not be covered in a study abroad course, so it is important to confer with your academic adviser and Eugene Park in the study abroad academic planning process. Only design courses will be considered for major program electives. Courses that are strictly fine arts (i.e. drawing, sculpture, ceramics) will not count towards the major.
Internships
All internships must be approved by your academic adviser in order to use them to fulfill requirements. This should be done during the planning process prior to the study abroad experience.
College of Design Study Abroad Programs
The College of Design offers a variety of learning abroad opportunities.
While Abroad
Contact your academic adviser about a permission number to register for your next Graphic Design sequence course(s).
Upon Return from Study Abroad
Meet with your academic adviser upon your return to discuss the study abroad return process and to go over re-entry resources to help you make your learning abroad experience a meaningful component of your academic and career pathway. Be sure to let your adviser know when your final grades are in so you can request to have your APAS reports updated.
Programs
Americas
Chile
Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, and Valparaiso (available through IES)
- Term: all and spring semester, academic year, and calendar year
- Students may study art alongside local students at the host university
- Course listings and course availability are not determined until immediately prior to the start of university classes in a given semester. Students should review the courses taken by U.S. students in the past
- Minimum of six semesters of college-level Spanish required
Asia & Oceania
Australia
- Term: Fall and spring semester, academic year, and summer
- Students complete a 6-credit internship, which allows them to integrate with Australians, experience the local culture first-hand, and gain professional skills
- Students to focus on job training, career networking, and resume building in an international setting
Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne (available through IFSA Australia)
- Term: fall semester, spring semester, and academic year
- Students may choose from courses throughout the university, including those in the School of Art: Drawing, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, and Sculpture
- Note that fine arts classes may not count as Graphic Design electives.
- A portfolio is required
Europe
Denmark
Study Abroad in Denmark - Graphic Design Studio Program
- Term: Fall and spring semester
- The Graphic Design Studio focuses on Graphic Design in the context of the built environment
- Students apply for this program and select classes before they arrive at DIS. Your academic adviser and Eugene Park will work with you before you leave to determine which GDes courses taken abroad will count for your GD program requirements
- Term: summer
- The Graphic Design Studio focuses on Graphic Design in the context of the built environment
- When students apply for this program, they select all classes at the time of application. Your academic adviser and Eugene Park will work with you before you leave to determine which GDes courses taken abroad will count for your GD program requirements
Greece
Capturing Greece: Color, Light, & Form
- May Term 2025, Athens & Greek Islands, Greece; open to all students
- Immerse yourself in Greece’s unique cultural environment to expand your vision and creativity. Travel to Athens and Tinos to observe and experience water, stone, and structure in a fresh way
- You will explore ancient architectural forms, uniquely evolved historic villages, and references to mythological and symbolic imagery
- This program is led by Frances (Fancy) Trice is the Graphic Design Program Director in the College of Design, and is approved for the Arts & Humanities Liberal Education Core
- Consult with your academic adviser to see if this program will meet major or minor degree requirements
Italy
- Take a Graphic Design Studio course alongside courses like Drawing, Painting, Photography, and Sculpture in a 17th century palazzo in the heart of Florence
- Other courses of interest are Art History, Retail Merchandising, Entrepreneurship, etc.
- Experience the vast array of art in Florence through excursions to exhibitions, collaborating with contemporary Florentine artists, and walking the same streets as historical artists such as Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci
- Note that fine arts classes may not count as Graphic Design electives.
- No previous Italian language required
- The Design in Sicily is a 7-week program offered in Siracusa, Italy during Summer Session. A College of Design instructor accompanies the program and teaches a 3-credit studio course open to all students. Earn 6-7 credits as you make Sicily your classroom. Consult with your academic adviser to see if this program will meet major or minor degree requirements
- Engage in the design process with local and international designers through coursework and a collaborative practicum
- Create visual projects in response to your Italian experience, honing your own sensibilities as a designer in the rich visual culture of Italy
- Engage with the theme of how meaning is created through both the still and the moving image, and you will engage in hands-on explorations through a variety of forms of visual representation including drawing from observation and imagination, illustration, photography, video, and collage
United Kingdom, England
- Term: Fall and spring semester, academic year, and summer
- Students may take coursework plus a for-credit internship to fulfill the GD Internship requirement in a learning abroad context
- Past placements include AdVision, British Tourist Authority, Cartoon Art Trust, Global Healthcare Communications, London Property Brochures, Simply Games, Wine & Spirit Association, and Tugboat Graphics
Central St. Martins, University of the Arts London (available through IFSA United Kingdom)
- Term: Spring semester and academic year
- Students submit a portfolio and select the Graphic Design course; your academic adviser and Eugene Park will work with you before you leave to determine which of your GDes courses this course will count for
London College of Communication, University of the Arts London (available through IFSA United Kingdom)
- Term: Spring semester and academic year
- Students must submit a portfolio for the subject area they wish to study
United Kingdom, Northern Ireland
Ulster University (available through IFSA United Kingdom)
- Term: fall semester, spring semester, and academic year
- Students may choose from courses throughout the university, including those in the Art, Design, and the Built Environment faculty
United Kingdom, Scotland
Glasgow School of Art (IFSA United Kingdom)
- Term: Fall semester, spring semester, and academic year
- Students may choose from courses throughout the university, including those in graphic design, illustration, and photography
- This is a competitive program
University Study in the UK: University of Glasgow
- Students who attend the University of Glasgow can take 1 full course (or 2 half-courses) at the Glasgow School of Art
- Glasgow School of Art does not have a design program, however, students can fulfill graphic design electives and course requirements in film and media, journalism, and computer science
- University of Glasgow offers courses with Scottish cultural themes including literature, Celtic studies, history, and archeology
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.