Studying abroad for a semester or two teaches students more about themselves, their culture, and their country than they learn in the corresponding amount of time at UMass. Students carry these experiences and new ways of thinking about themselves and the world with them long after they have forgotten the details of their coursework.
Over 40 Communication majors study abroad each year. In the last two years, Communication majors have studied in Australia, Germany, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, England, France, South Africa, and Ireland, but many other options are possible. Consult the International Program Office website and the Education Abroad Advising Center (455 Hills South, 545-5247) for information and counseling on study abroad.
Important variables in choosing a study abroad location are 1) the language spoken in that country, 2) the language of instruction in the study abroad classes (which can be English, even in non-English speaking countries), and 3) the cultural and economic similarities or differences between that country and the US.
We encourage students to consider study abroad options in developing (i.e., poorer) countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia and in countries where English is not the main language. The economic, cultural, political, and linguistic differences between these countries and the US lead students to understandings of themselves and the world that they would never otherwise have.
Students who take study abroad classes in English are typically able to take multiple courses that count for the Communication major. The Communication Department allows 15 of the required 36 major credits to be taken outside of the department. To see whether particular courses will count toward the Communication major and to receive prior approval for them for the major, make an appointment with the Chief Undergraduate Advisor (Machmer 407B). (In general, if a course description is similar to course descriptions in the UMass Communication Department or fits within the Communication Department areas of emphasis, it can count for the major.)
Both the London and Sydney programs have an internship option with a classroom component. Three credits from these internships--representing the classroom component of the internship--can count toward the Communication major as a 300-level course.
Students who take classes in languages other than English during study abroad are often able to count multiple courses toward their Global Education requirement.
