Studying Abroad involves participating in university-level classes in a country outside your home country. Students travel to another country and begin taking classes at a school as an international student. Visa and government authorization are often required. Classes are typically taught in the local language and the students will typically live amongst the native students and/or host families. One of the many advantages to study abroad programs is the flexibility. Students can design a program to fit their needs, goals and desired destinations and programs of study from hundreds of accredited programs. It is all really up to you. Want to study Java in Australia? Art History in Italy? Finance in Hong Kong? Spanish in Mexico? All of these programs are possible with a little research and planning. This “study abroad” website, designed specifically for CTI students at DePaul University, will assist you in preparing and planning for such an experience.

Why would you go?

Study Abroad offers students the opportunity to expand ones’ education by placing them in a setting that differs immensely from their own. This alone can introduce students’ to foreign languages, cultural exchange and understanding as well as increased knowledge of the chosen region of the world. Spending time abroad opens a window to a world of new experiences. Students who incorporate overseas study into their academic programs deepen their knowledge and understanding of international, political, and economic issues. Like other students, you may return from your sojourn abroad with a better perspective on world affairs and a broader understanding of your own country and its way of life. Study abroad does more than promote academic enrichment and personal growth. It also enhances your employment prospects. Employers are increasingly looking for graduates who have studied abroad. Why? Because students who have returned from a successful study experience abroad possess skills that are valued in today’s competitive workplace: not just international knowledge and second language skills — important as those are — but also cross-cultural communication skills, flexibility, resilience, and the ability to adapt to new circumstances and deal constructively with differences. Study abroad returnees have demonstrated that they can thrive in new and often challenging environments. Many educators believe this aspect of study abroad is critical to all disciplines, including computer science.

“No matter what the initial purpose of their quests, students who study abroad return with a larger view of the world and their place in it, For the thoughtful students, the more important wandering has been internal, the more important learning has been about themselves," he says. Even more recently, the hard sciences and engineering disciplines realized the value of international experience. "It is more difficult for the science students to make their way abroad," admits Lewis Fortner, Associate Dean of Students in the College, University of Chicago, because of their less flexible curricula and the sequential nature of their courses. But he maintains that with the growth of choices these days, nearly any major can study overseas. "Sequential courses do create obstacles, but things are changing to accommodate them," adds John Boyer, Dean of the College and Professor of History, also at the University of Chicago

The School of CTI is evolving as well and we are creating opportunities for CTI students to study abroad without missing any time or delaying their graduation date. Study Abroad within the Technology degrees offered at CTI had not been typically seen as viable options for most students. Most believe that Study Abroad is mainly for Liberal Arts degrees. While that may have been true in the past, it is no longer the case. CTI students can fulfill many of the Liberal domain courses as well as some computer science courses while studying on a foreign campus.

How does one start?

The first step is to decide why you want to study abroad and meet with a CTI faculty advisor to discuss these ideas. Not only are the faculty members capable of answering questions regarding your curriculum needs, they also have tools that will confirm your readiness for study abroad. While study abroad programs are great educational experiences, they are not for everyone. If you can’t imagine yourself getting lost in a city where you do not know the language or being stranded on a train station platform having missed your connection to Prague (for example), then perhaps a study abroad experience should be postponed for a quarter or two. As one can imagine, you are away from all of the basics that we take for granted here in the States. This includes, but is not limited to, specific foods that may not be available, the level of privacy will vary greatly, family members will be a greater distance away etc. If any of these examples are too hard for you to leave behind, then perhaps you should remain in classes here. Ask your friends if they think you are ready. Ask your parents or siblings or other family members who know your day-to-day actions. They will present of side of you that may surprise you. So, once you have made the personal decision to study abroad, think of where you would like to go. Again these conversations can be done with your faculty advisor, a CTI student advisor or with the Study Abroad office, located on the Lincoln Park campus. http://studyabroad.depaul.edu.

Computer Science Programs

There are now two programs designed with CTI students in mind. Both of these programs offer computer based courses as well as a Liberal Arts class or two so that students will not skip a quarter (or two) from taking computer science based courses. Currently, the two programs offered is the University in Sheffield in England (Click here for Sheffield course equivalencies) and Unisul in Brazil (click here for Unisul equivalencies) Both Unisul and Sheffield offers quarter long programs (Fall quarter is preferred) with classes in various computer disciplines. Currently, you must speak Portuguese to take classes at Unisul. If you speak fluent Portuguese, there are scholarship opportunities to study in Brazil for a longer period of time.

Other than these two, there are also many other excellent study abroad/CTI type programs available. A great source is the book Peterson’s on Study Abroad available in the reference section of the Richardson Library on DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus. This book breaks down specific programs by curriculum that allows a student to search for Computer Science specific classes. While these programs may entail more legwork in order to get classes approved, they can really make for a great experience!

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program reduces barriers to study abroad through providing assistance to those undergraduate students who demonstrate financial need. This program is offered through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and is administered by the Institute of International Education. Selected recipients are awarded up to $5,000, depending on the length of their program, to defray the costs associated with studying abroad. http://www.iie.org/gilman/.