"Studying UX design abroad isn’t just about design—it’s about understanding global technology, diverse users, and the cultural and business landscapes that shape innovation. The best UX comes from a world-sized perspective."
—McLean Donnelly, UX Design Program Chair
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 UX 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.
- There is no "best" time to study abroad. Discuss with your academic adviser your intended courses to structure your academic and career plans.
- Consult your four year plan for the best time to study abroad.
Academic Planning
Prospective UX Design Students
Studying abroad during your junior year is a viable option, but you and your academic advisor should review course availability each term and assess scheduling flexibility. You may choose courses in UX design, computer science, or strategy that fulfill program requirements or program electives. Consult with your academic advisor to confirm course alignment, and they will coordinate with the UX Design Program Director.
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
UX Design Program
You can take any major course abroad. Some courses may 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.
The applicability and transferability of study abroad credits are determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on the institution and coursework. Generally, up to 3 courses can count toward program requirements or electives. You are encouraged to explore coursework in UX design, visual design, computer science, digital communications, marketing, and strategy. You must consult with your academic advisor to determine credit approval.
Internships
You are encouraged to explore internship-based courses or study abroad programs. However, these credits must be reviewed and approved in consultation with your academic advisor and the program director. Gaining global internship experience can provide valuable cross-cultural perspectives, enhance professional skills, and expand career opportunities in the global job market.
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 UX sequence course(s).
Upon Return from Study Abroad
Meet with your academic adviser to discuss the study abroad return process and to go over reentry resources to help you make your learning abroad experience a meaningful component of your academic and career pathway.
Programs
Africa & the Middle East
United Arab Emirates
American University of Sharjah (available through ISEP United Arab Emirates)
- Sharjah is the third-largest emirate of the seven that comprise the country and has been deemed the cultural capital of the UAE
- AUS has approximately 6,000 students, with over 100 nationalities represented among the student population.
- You can take a variety of courses in design alongside computer science, liberal education requirements, and Arabic language.
- You are required to submit a portfolio to be considered for courses in AUS’s College of Architecture, Art, & Design
Europe
Denmark
- Term: Fall and spring semester
- This program offers a range of electives in design & computer science.
- Apply for this program and select classes before you arrive at DIS. Your academic adviser and McLean Donnelly will work with you before you leave to determine which courses taken abroad will count toward your UX program requirements.
- Term: summer
- This program offers a range of electives in design & computer science.
- Apply for this program and select classes before you arrive at DIS. Your academic adviser and McLean Donnelly will work with you before you leave to determine which courses taken abroad will count toward your UX program requirements.
Ireland
University Study in Ireland: University of Limerick
- Located in western Ireland on the banks of the Shannon River, The University of Limerick is known for its innovation and excellence in the sciences.
- The University has extensive course offerings in computer science, design, communication, and marketing.
- Semester, academic year, and summer terms available.
Italy
- 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 advisor 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, as well as hands-on explorations through a variety of forms of visual representation including drawing from observation and imagination, illustration, photography, video, and collage.
- Take a Graphic Design studio course during the fall or spring semester alongside courses in Drawing, Painting, Photography, and Sculpture in a 17th century palazzo in the heart of Florence.
- Fulfill Liberal Education requirements in Literature, Arts & Humanities, Historical Perspectives, and Social Sciences.
- 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.
- No previous Italian language required.
The Netherlands
Dutch by Design: Innovation in the Netherlands
- Term: May 2026
- Travel to The Hague, Delft, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Tilburg, and Gouda, Netherlands via bike, tram, and train to experience how design is embedded into all aspects of life.
- Participate in a team project working with students at either TU Delft or TU Eindhoven. This will be an early-stage design challenge asking you to research, ideate, and design concepts for a given prompt.
- Visit with local businesses and companies, Kinderboerderij (children's city farm) and Haagse Bos (forest), tour Rotterdam’s architecture, visit local markets, and take an overnight trip to Efteling (theme park).
- Receive credit for PDES 3790.
United Kingdom, England
London College of Communication, University of the Arts London (available through IFSA United Kingdom)
- Term: Spring semester and academic year
- You must submit a portfolio for the subject area you wish to study
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.