Firsthand geographical learning through experiences in diverse parts of the world is a valuable ingredient in the formation of an educated person in our globalizing world. Learning abroad is designed to provide you with these experiences. Whether your area of emphasis is on culture, the environment, GIS, or some combination, learning abroad can enrich your educational experiences. You will understand your own cultural area better for having shared in and with another. Learning abroad will help you understand the discipline of geography more thoroughly, because like many other disciplines, it originated outside of the United States and is continually influenced by ideas and methodologies from all over the world.
Academic Planning
When should I go abroad?
- There is no “best” time for everyone. It depends both on the individual student and on the type of education abroad experience.
- Introductory short-term programs and language study can be great as freshmen or sophomores. This gives you time to follow up with a longer-term experience abroad before you graduate.
- For semester or full-year programs the sophomore or junior year tend to be best on the whole.
- Senior-year study abroad may require additional planning. When are graduate school applications due? Do you need to take exams given only at particular times of year, or only in the US? Will the grades from your study abroad arrive in time for graduation? Is there any danger that the study abroad will impede timely completion of the major paper?
Choosing a program
- The department is especially partial to programs that get you into regular classes at a host university and programs where you can be out of the classroom and into the community
- Seek to study in a culture that contrasts with your own. The department encourages students to consider study in countries outside of Western Europe. There are programs that are appropriate for all focus areas within geography including physical geography, environmental studies, globalization and development, and culture and place.
- Learn about other traditions and perspectives in geography. See how geographers in another country view their discipline; choose a program where your professors are from the host country
- Look for opportunities to study how the geography of an area has affected its culture, environment, economy, and politics. Can you apply what you have learned in class here to understanding your new environment
How will a study abroad program fulfill my Geography major requirements?
- The departmental adviser will screen courses you plan to take abroad and help you fit appropriate courses into your major requirements.
- Courses must have significant geographical content, although they need not be listed under Geography (other departments have included history). For exact course substitutions to fulfill requirements (Geography 1301, 3401, 3371, 3561, 4001, 4002) the course needs to be equivalent.
- It may be easier to apply study abroad courses to your track electives or to liberal education requirement (see below)
- For pre-approval of a course taken abroad, provide a syllabus (or at least a good course description) to the geography adviser for review at least a month before departure
- Only courses accepted by the University of Minnesota at the upper division level can count toward the major.
- Internships abroad might apply toward the elective component of the major, but the academic documentation must be persuasive. Although the department encourages internships, you may be able to use them only toward elective credit outside the major. Your chances of counting the credit in your major will improve if you work with the Geography adviser before departure.
Conduct fieldwork for your senior project
- With the consultation of an appropriate faculty member who will act as your senior project adviser, you may be able to use fieldwork as the basis for your senior project; however, the actual senior project must be completed for 2-4 credits once you return to the University.
- You may be able to pursue independent research, research through an internship or volunteer opportunity, or research through your study program. Use the Learning Abroad Center program search to identify study abroad programs that include these kinds of opportunities.
Fulfill liberal education requirements
- Consult the U Credit Abroad Search for classes that have been approved for Liberal Education. If a course is not listed, it may still meet a liberal education requirement. We encourage you to submit your course(s) for evaluation.
College/Department Scholarships for UofM Students
- CLA students can apply for CLA Study Abroad Scholarships in addition to other Learning Abroad Center scholarships.
Programs
The Department of Geography has identified the following programs as examples of options of potential interest to its majors and minors. These are for illustration only, and you need not confine your search to those on the list.
Africa and the Middle East
Senegal
MSID—International Development in Senegal
- Program Type: Field Study
- Focus on international development and globalization
- Combines coursework, research, field placements, and internships in this program that focuses on development, globalization, and social justice.
- Past internship placements include social work agencies, small business lending organizations, women’s groups, orphanages, housing organizations, community centers, and many more.
Argentina
Study & Intern in Buenos Aires
- Program Type: Study Center
- Focus on social and cultural geography
- Take Spanish language courses while also learning about Argentine society through courses taught in English
- Explore Latin American culture with courses such as Politics & Society in Latin America and Buenos Aires: City of the Arts
Ecuador
MSID—International Development in Ecuador
- Program Type: Field Study
- Focus on international development and globalization
- Combines coursework, research, field placements, and internships in this program that focuses on development, globalization, and social justice.
- Past internship placements include social work agencies, small business lending organizations, women’s groups, orphanages, housing organizations, community centers, and many more.
Australia
University of Melbourne (available through IFSA Australia)
- Program Type: Host-University Study
- Melbourne has a strong geography department
- Development and globalization-focused courses include Development and the Third World, Development & Urban Environments, Indigenous Peoples & Resource Management, and Geopolitics of Peace & Development
- Cities/urban planning-focused courses include Australian Urban Planning, City in History, Shaping the Metropolis, and Transport & Land Use Planning
University of Wollongong (available through IFSA Australia)
- Program Type: Host-University Study
- A stunning natural environment, thriving industry, and blend of big and small city characteristics make Wollongong an ideal place to study
- Courses in human and physical geography, aboriginal studies, environmental science, social science, and other areas provide a variety of options for geography majors
New Zealand
Victoria University of Wellington (available through IFSA New Zealand)
- Program Type: Host-University Study
- With an enrollment of about 20,00 students, Victoria University of Wellington is a thriving community of learning.
- GIS, development, environmental, and other geography courses can be complemented with courses in anthropology, development, environmental studies, and Maori studies
University Study in New Zealand: University of Auckland
- Program Type: Host-University Study
- The University of Auckland was established in 1883 and is one of New Zealand’s oldest and largest institutions.
- Geography department offers several courses in physical, human, environmental, and urban geography
- Related coursework can also be taken in other departments, such as environmental science, urban design, planning and Pacific studies
University Study in New Zealand: University of Otago
- Program Type: Host-University Study
- The University of Otago, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the southern hemisphere, is located in Dunedin, on New Zealand’s South Island.
- offers diverse coursework in both physical and human geography as well as GIS related courses
Thailand
MSID—International Development in Thailand
- Program Type: Field Study
- Focus on international development and globalization
- Combines coursework, research, field placements, and internships in this program that focuses on development, globalization, and social justice.
- Past internship placements include social work agencies, small business lending organizations, women’s groups, orphanages, housing organizations, community centers, and many more.
Iceland
- Program Type: Host-University Study
- Study at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik on this partial scholarship exchange
- Relevant courses include Small States and European Integration, The New European Union, Icelandic Society, and Icelandic Folk Tales, Folk Beliefs & Folk Culture
Ireland
University College Cork (available through IFSA Ireland)
- Program Type: Host-University Study
- Environmental geography focus
- Based in Cork, the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and home to a thriving arts and cultural scene
- Explore environmental issues in an Irish context, through courses such as Geography of Agriculture & Food, Environmental Policy, Marine Environments, and Climatic Change & Society
Netherlands
- Program Type: Host-University Study
- This program gives you the chance to explore Dutch society and culture through coursework with Dutch university students
- Cities/urban planning focus courses include Relevant courses include Cities of Diversity, Planning International: Europeanization of Spatial Policy & Planning, and Amsterdam: A Unique Metropolis
- Social and cultural geography courses include Human Geography of Europe, Dutch Society & Culture, Amsterdam- A Unique Metropolis, European Societies & Politics: History and Politics of European Integration, and Social Movements & Collective Action
United Kingdom
Queen's University, Belfast (available through IFSA United Kingdom)
- Program Type: Host-University Study
- Environmental geography focus
- Learn about environmental issues from an Irish perspective while exploring vibrant Belfast and the beautiful surrounding countryside
- Environmental courses include Water, Atmosphere, and Society, Sustaining the Biosphere, Vegetation Studies for Conservation, and Coastal Environments
University of Ulster (available through IFSA United Kingdom)
- Program Type: Host-University Study
- The University of Ulster offers the most comprehensive course selection in Northern Ireland
- The Coleraine campus offers geography courses as well as area studies, cultural studies, economics, environmental science, and sociology
University Study in the UK: University of Glasgow, Scotland
- Program Type: Host-University Study
- Experience the vibrant urban feel of the UK's third largest city while studying at one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the United Kingdom
- Take courses in literature, comparative literature, and Scottish literature
- Fall or spring semester, academic year
- Program Type: Study Abroad Center
- This program offers courses in a wide variety of topics, complemented by credit-bearing internships.
- Consider an internship at a library, writing or editing for a magazine, in a theater or in a variety of other placements.
- Fall or spring semester, academic year, summer
University of East Anglia (available through IFSA United Kingdom) Norwich, England
- Program Type: Host-University Study
- UEA teaches and researches English and American literature, comparative European literature, creative writing, drama, American history, film, and television.
- Study modern and postmodern literature, creative writing, women’s writing, 18th-Century studies, and romanticism.
- Fall or spring semester, academic year.
University Study in the UK: Queen Mary College, University of London
- Program Type: Host-University Study
- Study in London’s East End and experience its rich ethnic diversity in language, foods, culture, and literary studies.
- Queen Mary’s School of English and Drama offers both traditional literary studies and forward-looking, innovative literary, theoretical, and interdisciplinary studies.
- Fall or spring semester, academic year
- 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.