Study Abroad

What is study abroad?

Here at the University of Tennessee students have the opportunity to learn, network, and travel all at once. Study abroad is a fantastic way for students to gain life experiences and make connections with people outside of the United States. If there is somewhere you have wanted to go, there is a good chance you can go there through UTK study abroad programs. The University of Tennessee offers several different types of study abroad programs for students with different interests.

What types of programs are there?

There are five different study abroad programs listed on the University of Tennessee website. Each of the programs are different which gives the student more freedom in deciding the best option for them.

One of the most popular is the UT Faculty-Directed Program where students travel together in groups led by faculty members. This program is usually short-term and runs in the spring and summer. Another popular option is the UT Affiliate Programs which offer the biggest selection of universities and countries. A good example of an affiliate program would be the Semester at Sea program.

For students looking for more long-term options, the UT Exchange Program allows you to study at a foreign university while a student from that university comes to UT. Sometimes this program can have limited spots as it requires students from the other universities to come to UT. The UT Direct Program is very similar, however instead of paying UT tuition, you pay the tuition of the university you are attending. Finally, the last option, UT Academic Internships allow students to earn academic credits while working in a field that relates to your studies at UT.

Next Steps

If you are interested in studying abroad, you may be wondering what to do next. Firstly, it is important that you make a plan ahead of time and have somewhat of an idea about what you want to study and where. It would not be a good idea to look at a study abroad program as a vacation service and only look at the destinations. Remember your priority is the schoolwork and it’s important to work hard on it because otherwise you could waste your time, money, and hurt your GPA. In addition to that it could ruin your trip to a country you have always wanted to go to.

If you are someone who has a good idea about where and what you want to study, you could stop by the Programs Abroad office in Melrose Hall or email them at volsabroad@utk.edu. Even if you are unsure about what you think you want to study, the Programs Abroad office is open 11a.m. -5p.m., M-F for walk in peer advising. There you can talk with the advisors and they can help lead you in the right direction and answer any questions you may have about studying abroad.

References

“Programs Abroad”. University of Tennessee Knoxville. https://programsabroad.utk.edu/