Climate change, water scarcity, species extinctions and social inequity are part and parcel of our modern world, and business leaders are recognizing both the opportunities and threats posed by these and other sustainability issues. Wise managers are now actively seeking out ways to integrate sustainable business practices into their organizations to drive strategic and competitive advantage.

Business organizations in Germany and Switzerland have long been leaders in this space, their activities facilitated by a more environmentally-conscious population, stronger government regulation, an ecosystem of smaller and more nimble companies (the Mittelstand) and other factors. Several intellectual concepts key to the achievement of a sustainable future, e.g., the precautionary principle, sustainable yield and life cycle analysis, were first identified/developed by citizens of these countries.

This program offers students the opportunity to learn and demonstrate their understanding of cutting-edge sustainable business practices and technologies currently in use in Germany and Switzerland.

For more information: https://apps.educationabroad.virginia.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs....

This January Term course offers students the chance to study and to study in one of the world’s most rapidly growing countries. Looking through the lens of ecological economics, we will focus on whether and how relationships between human and natural systems produce outcomes that are sustainable, just, and efficient. Through field visits, experiential learning/citizen science, and interaction with policy, development and environmental practitioners, students will see these relationships in all their complexity and use problem-based learning to gain skills in evidence-based policy analysis.

For more information: https://apps.educationabroad.virginia.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs....

Inspired by Homeric poems and Odysseus’ travels, as well as current sustainability challenges in the Aegean, this experiential learning and sailing program introduces students to both past and present ways of life in Athens, the Saronic and Argolic Gulf islands of Aegina, Poros, Hydra, Spetses, Dhokos, and the Peloponnese peninsula. Greece offers unique environmental and cultural resources to support student learning about changing human-environmental relations, culture, and settlement patterns from antiquity to the Anthropocene. 

In the process of passing one of the EU’s most ambitious climate laws, Greece plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions 55% by 2030 and intends to be fully net zero by 2050. Ten types of single-use plastic products were banned in 2021, 12% of electricity demand is generated by wind turbines and 7% by solar, and sustainable water initiatives are underway. Greening its’ 200 inhabited islands will create Europe’s largest network of sustainable off-grid communities. While most current development consumes vast amounts of water and energy, traditional Greek settlements and buildings were simply, effectively, and beautifully designed for their specific climate and provide important sustainability lessons.  

In ancient Greece important settlements were connected by water. The ocean was a divinity and source of all seas, rivers, and streams. From it rose the sun and dawn, the constellations, and in it they set. Students will experience the Greek islands more akin to how Odysseus saw them—from the sea in sailing vessels. For two weeks we will live aboard 45 to 50 foot monohull yachts and sail with highly experienced, professional Greek skippers from Poros-based Greek Sails and Profs. Crisman and Petrus, who also skipper yachts in Greece. Sailing offers a sustainable way to travel by harnessing wind energy, while managing limited water supplies, wind and solar energy, and waste reduction strategies. Lectures, reading discussions, research reports, visits to significant sites, and cultural exchanges with Greek locals will provide opportunities for students to gain valuable knowledge and experiences. Daily academic field journal entries will require students to reflect on their learning. 

For more information: https://apps.educationabroad.virginia.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs....

The Community-based Learning and Practice (CLAP) program is the product of an ongoing partnership between the Self-Employed Women's Association of India (SEWA) and Global Studies at the University of Virginia. The CLAP program is a fourteen-day public health practicum run out of the SEWA office in Ahmedabad, Gujrat that promotes learning through exposure to grassroots public health work among SEWA's women workers and their families.

For more information: https://apps.educationabroad.virginia.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs....

Study in Hanoi this summer 2023 with Vietnamese students and local experts. We will be exploring and developing applied, action-oriented research related to plans to redevelop a 40-km stretch of the Hong (or Red) River running through the capital city of Hanoi.

Multidisciplinary teams will tackle issues related to the ecology, social and political dynamics, the economy, and even the geopolitics of this complex system. We are looking for students with diverse interests, backgrounds, and skills from across the University. Virginia students will join with counterparts from Vietnam National University for a truly cross-cultural learning experience. Together, we’ll learn and use GIS, systems modeling, and other quantitative and qualitative research methods. Instructors include UVA and VNU professors, and local practitioners (architects, NGO leaders, and community development experts).

For more information: https://apps.educationabroad.virginia.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs....

This program's Comparative Healthcare Systems course examines the structure of health care systems in different countries focusing on financing, reimbursement and delivery systems, as well as their effects on cost, quality, efficiency and equity of health care services. Social, ethical, cultural and political issues that affect the delivery of health care services are critically analyzed. Roles of health care providers, consumers of health care services, and private/public interests within different health care systems are examined. We will examine health system models and health outcomes worldwide, as well as investigate Spain's approach to healthcare, ranked seventh in the world, through visits to local health organizations and health care sites.

Through living with a host family, the Spanish language course, and cultural activities and trips offered during the summer students will improve their fluency in Spanish and get to experience firsthand the vibrant culture of Spain.

For more information: https://apps.educationabroad.virginia.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs....

Complete a year's worth of Arabic in 8 weeks, or one semester in 4 weeks! Based at AALIM, the Arab American Language Institute in Morocco, participants enroll in Arabic Language and Colloquial Arabic, taking classes alongside students from around the world.

For more information: https://apps.educationabroad.virginia.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs....

Participatory development entails the empowerment of local communities and stakeholders to identify needs, priorities, and projects to achieve locally-defined goals of transformation. The High Atlas Foundation (HAF), a non-profit organization based in Marrakesh, has operated as a leading proponent of participatory development in Morocco since its founding in 2000 by former Peace Corps volunteers. The HAF acts as a bridge between local communities and institutional partners (governmental, non-governmental, and private business) that can provide needed resources to achieve desired outcomes. Check out the HAF blog for details about recent initiatives.

This 8-week hybrid internship-study abroad program offers the unique opportunity to pair academic learning about global approaches to community development with an actual experience of work in this professional field, all within the fascinating national context of Morocco. Students will have the chance to develop first-hand understandings of the participatory approach to development by cultivating skills (as facilitators and participants) in its methods, within both the classroom and community settings, and by documenting its practice.

In the course of the program, students will be exposed to a range of themes relating to development through the work of HAF, including women's empowerment, conflict management, environmental conservation, cooperative-driven entrepreneurism, migration, and more. This opportunity is particularly relevant for, but not limited to, students interested in environments and sustainability, women’s studies, global culture and commerce, security and justice, public health, and development studies.

In previous terms, UVA student interns with the High Atlas Foundation found that writing was an important aspect of their internships. They drafted grant proposals, articles, and blog posts which were then disseminated widely across media outlets in Morocco, Africa, and beyond. HAF has created a whole webpage to feature the work of UVA students; visit it to get a sense of the breadth of issues and subjects with which student-interns can engage.

For more information: https://apps.educationabroad.virginia.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs....

The aim of this program is to provide students a mentored experience in the practice of public health advocacy, learning valuable skills though engagement with a local organization focused on addressing issues of broad public health concern in a community setting in Cape Town.

Students will work in groups with local mentors to develop and present projects that will be useful in the local context. While activities will be carried out primarily in English, the program will also provide students with a rapid but intensive introduction to isiXhosa, one of the local African languages in Cape Town.

For more information: https://apps.educationabroad.virginia.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs....

UVA Global Internships, along with the Global Studies undergraduate major, is excited to offer Spanish-learning students a new opportunity for cultural, linguistic, and professional growth in South America. This academic global internship program will provide students from diverse academic backgrounds a pathway to embed themselves as interns at high-performing businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies in Argentina’s cosmopolitan capital city of Buenos Aires.

Our on-the-ground partner, Puentes Abroad, works with students on an individual basis to secure placements across a wide range of fields; all internships feature project-based work and close supervision. Program participants will connect their personal experiences in their Argentinian workplaces to broader themes of work, culture, and globalization in a Global Studies course while they are abroad. In addition to gaining unique entry into the society of Buenos Aires through their internships, students on this program will be challenged to strengthen their identities as life-long experiential learners and globally-aware budding professionals.

To complement their internships and course, program participants will have the chance to engage in cultural activities, such as a city tour of Buenos Aires, a tango class with a professional tango dancer, as well as a day trip to a typical ranch (“estancia”). Puentes Abroad will also coordinate professional development workshops and seminars on key themes of global work and Argentinian culture. Students will also have an orientation to Argentinian Spanish by a local language instructor.

For more information: https://apps.educationabroad.virginia.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs....

Students from diverse academic backgrounds secure customized internships prior to their arrival in Ireland through an individualized placement process led by our on-the-ground partner in Dublin, EUSA. Internships are available with various types of professional organizations, including private sector businesses, political parties, law firms, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), hospitals, advocacy groups, professional associations, and more. Internship placements are shaped by students’ interests, studies, experiences, and professional and academic plans. See the Academics and Internships tab for details on internship placements, hours, and more.

Program participants connect their personal experiences in their Irish workplaces to broader academic themes of work, culture, and globalization in a Global Studies course while they are abroad. This program challenges its participants to strengthen their identities as life-long experiential learners, to gain appreciation of key aspects of life in contemporary Ireland, and to critically reflect upon their development as globally-aware budding professionals.  

For more information: https://apps.educationabroad.virginia.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs....

UVA is partnering with HoGent University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Ghent, Belgium and several of their research centers to offer internships for students with diverse interests. While primarily a teaching-oriented institution of professional studies and the arts, HoGent also promotes applied research aimed towards the realization of positive outcomes for Belgian, European, and global society.

This academic internship program will pair experiential learning about the realities of cross-cultural work in internships supervised by HoGent faculty members, all within the rich socio-cultural context of Belgium. In their placements, students will have the chance to develop first-hand comparative understandings of Belgian approaches to the provision of social services, education, and other fields. 

UVA students with wide-ranging academic/professional interests are likely to trace connections between their coursework and the ongoing projects led by HoGent faculty. These students may include (but are not limited to) those majoring in: Education, Psychology, Global Studies, Youth and Social  Innovation, Sociology, Politics, Anthropology, Public Policy, Political and Social Thought, and Philosophy. Because internships at HoGent will be writing- and research-intensive (dealing with both primary and secondary sources), students in the social sciences and humanities may find this program to be an especially welcome opportunity to explore the value of their academic skills/knowledge in an applied context. 

For more information: https://apps.educationabroad.virginia.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs....

UVA Global Internships, along with the Global Studies undergraduate major, is excited to offer French-learning students a new opportunity for cultural, linguistic, and professional growth in France’s storied capital. This academic global internship program will provide students from diverse academic backgrounds a pathway to customized internships across a range of professional fields. Our on-the-ground partner in Paris, EUSA, will lead program participants through an individualized placement process prior to their arrival in Paris, based on students’ interests, aims, studies, and experiences. Internships are available with various types of professional organizations, including private sector businesses, arts and culture organizations, research units, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), social support centers, and more.

Program participants will connect their personal experiences in their French workplaces to broader themes of work, culture, and globalization in a Global Studies course while they are abroad. In addition to gaining unique entry into everyday life in globalized Paris through their internships and homestays, students on this program will be challenged to strengthen their identities as life-long experiential learners and globally-aware budding professionals.

For more information: https://apps.educationabroad.virginia.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs....

This online education abroad program offers UVA undergraduates the chance to extend their relationships with “the global” through virtual internships with international organizations. We began this program as an experiment in the thick of the COVID-19 crisis; at that time, we were forced to reckon with difficult questions regarding how we might strengthen our motivations and abilities to work across cultures while physical travel was challenging. As time has gone on, we have understood that virtual work across boundaries will forever be an aspect of our working lives and it pays to practice it wisely.

We are proud that this program is made possible by engaging international partners both inside and outside the University. We all work with the hope that we should practice new modes of learning, growing, contributing, and thriving as conditions unfold, in world which inevitably continues to be characterized by global interconnections and flows.  

The program provides direct UVA credit through the Global Studies undergraduate program. We believe strongly in the value of establishing an academic scaffold around international internships in order to enhance students’ personal, professional, cultural, social, and intellectual development. Ultimately, we hope the Virtual Global Internships academic program will serve to:  

• Provide critical encouragement for students to continue to cultivate their “global”-orientation and to expand their knowledge of conditions abroad (social, cultural, economic, environmental, professional, etc.), even while not physically experiencing "another" cultural context
• Assist students in gaining perspective on what skills, qualities, motivations, and competencies can be developed and reinforced through “global” virtual work, as well as further understanding of recent trends related to remote work
• Enhance students’ abilities to develop relationships with international colleagues and gain exposure to diverse professional and life pathways
• Provide our valued partner organizations with enthusiastic student manpower to accomplish work under challenging professional conditions

For more information: https://apps.educationabroad.virginia.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs....

In partnership with the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, UVA is offering a science-focused program for semester and year study abroad. This track is designed for students who are in the sciences and/or those in a pre-health profession track. Students may enroll in the fall and/or spring term at St Andrews in specific science classes, which will yield UVA credit and a grade on the UVA transcript. (This applies only to students accepted to St. Andrews via this partnership. Students on the exchange program are not eligible for direct UVA credit in these science courses). The courses available to take for direct UVA credit are linked on the Academics tab.

For more information: https://apps.educationabroad.virginia.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs....