First Steps

1. Research your options:

• Search available options in the program tabs based on experience types
• Visit the Education Abroad Advising Center (International Center Room 108)
• Attend an EA 101 session or watch the video online
• Visit our frequently asked questions page
• Attend the Education Abroad Expo
• Attend program-specific information sessions

2. Talk with your academic adviser to discuss options that fit into your academic plan

3. Research financial aid and scholarship opportunities

4. Apply to an education abroad program

Study Abroad

Study Abroad Program Types

• Faculty-Directed Programs - Faculty directed programs are run and taught by MSU faculty members who lead a group of MSU students abroad. While on a program, students will directly earn MSU credit and pay the same rate in MSU tuition that they do on campus.
  
  
• Semester Partner Programs - Semester partner programs allow an MSU student to apply to and enroll in a foreign university as a student. Students take courses at the university with local and other international students. There are two types of Semester Partner Programs: Exchange and Direct Enroll.

Exchange Program: Students pay MSU tuition and fees just like a semester on campus.

Direct Enroll Program: Students pay host institution tuition and fees.

Note: All Semester Partner Programs require a student to complete a Course Approval Form (CAF) to earn academic credit. Students must submit a copy of the completed CAF, with all required signatures, to the Office for Education Abroad before leaving for a program. Students should save a copy for their records.

Study Abroad: Semester Partner Programs

University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences | Vienna, Austria
Terms: Spring
Required GPA: 2.75
Class Standing: Sophomore minimum
Enrollment Type: Exchange

Earth University | San Jose, Costa Rica
Terms: Spring and Summer
Required GPA: 3.0 
Class Standing: Sophomore minimum 
Enrollment Type: Direct Enroll

University College Dublin | Dublin, Ireland
Terms: Fall and Spring
Required GPA: 3.0
Class Standing: Sophomore minimum
Enrollment Type: Exchange

Wageningen University | Wageningen, Netherlands
Terms: Fall and Spring 
Required GPA: 3.0 
Class Standing: Junior minimum 
Enrollment Type: Exchange

Lincoln University | Christchurch, New Zealand
Terms: Spring
Required GPA: 2.75
Class Standing: Sophomore minimum
Enrollment Type: Direct Enroll

For approved equivalencies at partner universities, visit transfer.msu.edu and the Registrar's Education Abroad Partner Programs page. 

Note: The programs listed provide a sample of available program options. Use the Program Search to find more options available to you.

Service-Learning Abroad

Service-Learning Abroad

Global Service-Learning allows a student to pursue academic learning through ethical collaboration with communities outside of the United States. This collaboration focuses on the identification of the needs of a community and how the community's assets can be utilized to address the identified needs.

This type of learning employs structured reflective practices that facilitate and support better understanding of:

• Common human dignity
• One’s own culture and identities
• Intercultural awareness of partnering community
• Socio-economic, political, and environmental issues
• Power relations on interpersonal, intercultural, societal, and global scales
• Socially responsible citizenship

Entrepreneurship and Development: Agriculture & Environment Studies in Belize | Various Locations, Belize
Terms: Winter Break
Required GPA: 2.2
Class Standing: Sophomore minimum 
*Courses Offered: ANR 475

Sustainability and Civic Engagement in Costa Rica | Costa Rica & Panama
Terms: Spring and Summer
Required GPA: 2.0
Class Standing: Sophomore minimum 
*Courses Offered: RCAH 111, 202, 203, 292A, 292B, 395; IAH 211C; SSC 496; Multiple levels of SPN

A Fragile Fiji: Integrating Ecosystems and Human Dimensions in the Face of Climate Change | Various Locations, Fiji
Terms: Summer
Required GPA: 2.5
Class Standing: Sophomore minimum 
*Courses Offered: ANR 491

Community-Based Research and Engagement in the Peruvian Andes | Huamachuco & Trujillo, Peru 
Terms: Summer
Required GPA: 2.75
Class Standing: Sophomore minimum
Other Requirements: Two years of college-level Spanish or equivalent 
*Courses Offered: CSUS 418; CSUS 419; CSUS 490; ANR 490; ANR 493; SPN 490: SPN 493

*The courses listed for each program provide a sample of the courses available to students. All courses are subject to change. 

Internships Abroad

Internships Abroad

Internships abroad are designed to engage students in a variety of experiential opportunities that reflect their career interests and typically provide an academic component to reflect upon their professional development.

An internship abroad is a great way for students to:

• gain on-the-job experience in their field of study
• build a strong resume by adding an international dimension
• experience foreign work cultures firsthand
• build a global network to help support professional growth

Internships in Thailand | Chang Mai, Thailand
Terms: Summer
Required GPA: 2.5
Class Standing: Sophomore minimum 
Courses Offered: Speak with your academic adviser about available credit

Contact

For more information, contact:

Jean-Paul Sewavi
EA Program Coordinator
The Office for Education Abroad
sewavije(at)msu.edu

Rhonda Crackel
Director of CANR Study Abroad
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
crackel(at)msu.edu

Frances Kaneene
Senior Specialist, Adviser
Department of Community Sustainability
kaneene(at)msu.edu

Office for Education Abroad Advising Center
International Center | Room 108
(517) 353-8922
abroad(at)msu.edu