Please visit the UMD Study Abroad site for the latest COVID-19 updates.
Here are some reasons to do a short-term program:
- All U of MN students are welcome
- Learn how to travel abroad from experts
- Instructors can assist with travel prep and tips/support along the way
- Tour guide included in trip which guarantees an intense and personal experience
- Tour tickets/passes included
- English language woven into the program
- Room/board included
- Safety in a group
- Potential to stay longer and travel with friends, family or on your own
- Scholarships are available!
China - CHIN 1399 (summer 2023)
Denmark & Sweden - ART (summer 2023)
Ecuador - ANTH 3200
England - ENGL 4300
Germany - GER 2040
Germany - GER 3040
Germany, Netherlands, Czech Republic - IS 3180
India - COMM or GEOG 3800
Ireland - ENGL or ESCI 3605
Italy - ART, ARTH, MU
Jamaica - AAAS 3005 (summer 2023)
Morocco - UST 4916, 4917 (summer 2023)
Panama - HIST 3313
Peru - SPAN 3890
Poland - HIST 3575
Spain - SPAN 3894, 3190 or 3290 (summer 2023)
Search for other UMD Short-Term Programs available to most students. Use the Advanced Search to search for all types of programs (one term, full year programs, etc.).
Application Deadlines
Most WINTER BREAK 2023 programs:
October 15, 2022
NOTE: Winter Break programs apply to spring term.
for SUMMER 2022 programs:
February 1, 2023
Program Highlights - CHIN 1399, 6 cr
- CHIN 1399 Language and Culture in China (prereq is at least 24 credits, no Chinese language required)
- Immerse in Chinese language and culture
- Experience and understand the Eastern wisdom and Chinese ideology
- Study Mandarin Chinese from beginning level to advanced level depending on proficiency
- Travel to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Qingdao, and Beijing to gain knowledge of Chinese civilization and its people
- Stay on campus at Ocean University in Qingdao, a beach city on the Yellow Sea
Program Highlights - HIST 3313, 4 cr
PANAMA - Study Abroad Brochure (postponed at this time)
- HIST 3313 Global Surf Culture (no prereq)
- Applies to the United States geographical area in the history program
- Analyze the history of surfing and past U.S. involvement in Latin America
- Explore how past wars and how current surf tourism coincide
- Learn how to surf
- 2018-19 Winter Break trip recap
Program Highlights - ART, 3 cr
DENMARK & SWEDEN - Study Abroad Brochure
- Art and Design in Denmark and Sweden (prereq is at least 24 credits)
- Study Scandinavian art and design through a variety of artistic styles, media, practices, traditions, and innovations.
- Explore ideas of interactivity and play in fostering creativity within art and design.
- Investigate the cultural goal of ”art for all’ in art, art in the marketplace, art education, design, and art history.
- Actively use, interact with and critique various design and wayfinding systems while traveling by various means through multiple countries
- Visit art and design studios, glassworks, galleries, schools, art museums, public landmarks, and sculpture parks to learn first-hand how traditional and contemporary art and design is integrated into Scandinavian society.
Program Highlights - ANTH 3200, 6 cr
ECUADOR - Study Abroad Brochure (postponed at this time)
- ANTH 3200 Exploring Sustainability (no prereq)
- Learn about the diversity and complexity of Latin American cultures
- Explore the practice of sustainability in an international context
- Take part in a service learning experience in Ecuador, grounded in participatory research
- Interpret social, political and economic issues now and in future Latin America
Program Highlights - ENGL 4300, 4 cr
ENGLAND - Study Abroad Brochure (postponed at this time)
- ENGL 4300 Shakespeare in England (no prereq)
- Applies as a Genre elective
- Experiential exploration of theatre history in England such as the literary and cultural context of plays you’ll see abroad
- A two-week online course in Duluth and then depart for England to view professional productions
- Major examples of dramatic literature spanning the Roman era to the present, with an emphasis on English traditions
- Understanding the relationship between theatre and society in England
- Exploration of theatre’s historical and cultural settings through architecture, artifacts, and live performances
Program Highlights - GER 2040, 4 cr
GERMANY - Study Abroad Brochure (postponed at this time)
- GER 2040 Berlin - Legend, Myth, Reality
- The city becomes your classroom as you explore the tumultuous history and vibrant culture of this European capital
- See and touch the Berlin Wall, the Reichstag building, the Brandenburg Gate, the Turkish Market, Checkpoint Charlie, and more
- Experience the cutting-edge arts and culture scene in a multicultural metropolis
- Learn to understand connections between place, history, memory, and identity
- All students are welcome!
Program Highlights - GER 3040, 4 cr
GERMANY - Study Abroad Brochure (postponed at this time)
- GER 3040 German Culture in Germany (prereq is GER 1202)
- Study German history, culture, literature and politics while enhancing your language skills in the classroom and on field trips to museums, historic sites and other points of interest
- See the Berlin Wall, Museum Island, Checkpoint Charlie, the Bundestag and the Turkish Market
- Hike and bike through the heart of Berlin, through the green forests and near the blue rivers and lakes surrounding Potsdam
Program Highlights - IS 3180, 3 cr
GERMANY, NETHERLANDS, CZECH REPUBLIC - Study Abroad Brochure (postponed at this time)
- IS 3180 Women's Health and Policy (prereq is 45 credits)
- Compare and contrast the disparities in women’s health between the U.S. and three EU countries, Germany, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic,
- Compare and contrast economic policies impacting women (e.g., maternity leave policies, housing policies, food availability) in the U.S. and three EU countries
- Describe the broad historical and cultural contexts for women’s healthcare with a look at public health initiatives that promote women’s health.
- Describe sexuality education programs for youth in each country and how those inform sexual health services and beliefs.
Program Highlights - COMM/GEOG 3800, 4 cr
INDIA - Study Abroad Brochure (postponed at this time)
- COMM/GEOG 3800 Community Empowerment in South Asia (prereq 3.0 GPA, 30 credits)
- Examine theories of social change at the Indian Social Institute, which is dedicated to empowering marginalized people in India
- Interact and learn from local communities involved in activism and advocacy efforts at the grassroots level
- Explore historical and cultural locations including the temples at Belur and Halebid and the Nrityagram Dance Village
Program Highlights - ENGL/ESCI 3605, 4 cr
IRELAND - Study Abroad Brochure (postponed at this time)
- ENGL/ESCI 3605 The Irish Landscape (prereq WRIT 1120 or equivalent, GEOL 1110 or 1610 or GEOG 1414)
- The foundation of myths and legends that helped shape the Irish literary tradition
- The beginnings of literacy in Ireland and written literary traditions like dindsenchas
- Irish nationalism from 1798 forward and the idea of Irish literature
- The Great Famine in literature, on the landscape, and in modern memorializing
- History of the glacial and post-glacial landscape development and climate
- Archaeological vestiges and their connection to landscape and culture
- Development and use of peat bogs, bog people, and sacrificial and ceremonial traditions
- The colonial landscape from the Normans to the Civil War
- The Little Ice Age, which culminated about 1850
- The landscape as a sacred expression
- The potato blight
Program Highlights - ART, ARTH, MU, 3-6 cr
ITALY - Study Abroad Brochure (planned for summer 2024)
- Experiencing Italy: Art, Art History, & Music
- Appreciate intersections between music history and performance, as well as art history and practice, while visiting important historical sites, intimate performance venues, and major museums
- Take an "off-the-beaten-trail" journey through medieval streets and lush countryside
- Visit Ferrara, Florence, Foligno, Pesaro, and Rome, with day-long excursions to Assisi, Mantua, Urbino, and Venice
- View works of art as the artist intended, hear music in the spaces for which they were composed and create digital work inspired by cultural and physical landscapes
- All students are welcome!
Program Highlights - AAAS 3005, 3 cr
JAMAICA - Study Abroad Brochure
- AAAS 3005 Roots and Rebellion (prereq is at least 24 credits)
- Spend part of your winter break studying abroad in this island country, situated in the Caribbean Sea!
- Explore Jamaican culture first hand by visiting cultural heritage sites that attest to the Jamaican experiences of oppression, resistance, and rebellion.
- Visit historic sites such as military forts, slave trading forts, Maroon villages, and historical and cultural museums.
- 2018-19 Winter Break trip recap
Program Highlights - UST 4916 & 4917, 10 cr
MOROCCO - Study Abroad Brochure
- URSA (Undergraduate Research Study Abroad)
- Set yourself apart by doing a research project abroad, supported by Moroccan and UMD faculty
- Live with a Moroccan family
- Visit the medina and souk and haggle over prices
- Visit ancient Roman ruins of Volubilis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Visit the 1,232-year-old city of Fes, another UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Live in Rabat, a cosmopolitan city on the Atlantic coast
- Do your work in Morocco in English, French, or Arabic
- UST 4916 (4 cr) The first part is a preparation class at UMD in the spring semester before going abroad. This class includes research and cultural preparation to prepare you for completing your project in Morocco.
- UST 4917 (6 cr) The second part is six weeks in Morocco. This part of URSA is designed to immerse you in Moroccan culture and assist you in getting your project/research done.
- The third part is returning home, analyzing your data, and/or writing your final project paper. This section continues until you have completed the final paper.
- Satisfies WRIT 31xx-Advanced Writing if both courses are completed.
Program Highlights - SPAN 3890, 5 cr
PERU - Study Abroad Brochure (postponed at this time)
- SPAN 3890 Language and Culture in Peru (prereq SPAN 1202)
- Study Spanish at the Universidad del Pacífico, an AACSB accredited business school.
- Immerse yourself in the Spanish language and improve your comprehension and speaking skills while staying with a host family.
- Experience Peruvian culture at its best while visiting art museums, theaters, concert halls, and historic locations.
- Visit Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Enjoy sunny days and cool nights on beautiful sandy beaches of the Pacific coast!
Program Highlights - HIST 3575, 4 cr
POLAND - Study Abroad Brochure (postponed at this time)
- HIST 3575 Jews & Poles: Entangled Lives (prereq is at least 24 credits)
- Come face to face with the history of the Holocaust by visiting and engaging with key sites in Hitler's killing grounds in Poland
- Tour the grounds of the Auschwitz concentration and death camp and explore the sites of the Warsaw Ghetto
- Study at Polin: The Museum of the History of Polish Jews
- Explore Treblinka, the site of the infamous death camp
- Visit Schindler's Factory, and Plaszow camp in Krakow, featured in the film Schindler’s List
- May 2019 trip recap
Program Highlights - 6 cr
SPAIN, Salamanca - Study Abroad Brochure (for all options below):
SPAN 3894-Spanish Language & Culture, 6 cr (prereq is SPAN 1202)
SPAN 3190-Spanish Language & Culture for Business - internship, 6 cr (prereq is at least 24 credits, no Spanish language required)
SPAN 3290-Spanish Language & Culture for Health & Science - internship, 6 cr (prereq is at least 24 credits, no Spanish language required)
- Study Spanish language, literature and culture at Universidad de Salamanca (University of Salamanca)
- Live with a Salamantine family to further cement language skills and be a part of Salamantine daily life
- Stroll through the urban environment of the Old City
- Practice language skills with Spaniards and international students alike in a diverse and multicultural city
- Travel on three excursions within Spain and several field trips within Salamanca