Bring a global perspective to your education.
Students who study abroad discover that stepping outside of their cultures to live and study in a foreign country influences their careers and educational choices, increases self-confidence, enhances cultural tolerance and understanding, and facilitates lifelong friendships.
The MSU Office for Education Abroad offers more than 260 programs in more than 60 countries on all continents. There are options offered as long as an academic year or as short as a winter break. And students are able to go as early as their first year or as late as senior year.
Steps
- Research program options
- Visit the Education Abroad Expo and Broad College Education Abroad Fair
- Search for programs online
- Attend Program-Specific Information Sessions
- Visit the Education Abroad Advising Center and schedule an advising appointment with a Broad advisor to discuss how studying abroad can fit into your academic plan
- Research Financial Aid and Scholarship Opportunities
- Understand the various costs associated with individual programs
- Research financial aid options
- Research scholarship options
- Apply to a program
- Complete an interview with a Broad Study Abroad Coordinator (Select semester-long programs only)
- Apply for a Broad College Education Abroad Scholarship (you must do this after you have applied to a program, as the application will require you to identify the program in which you intend to enroll)
- Receive an admission decision and accept your seat on the program
- If necessary, complete the Course Approval Form (CAF) and submit it to the Office of Education Abroad and the Broad College Study Abroad Coordinators before leaving for the program (Select semester-long partner programs only)
- Prepare for departure
- Obtain a valid passport and check visa requirements
- Complete Pre-Departure Orientation on D2L
Types of Programs
Semester-long (Partner) Programs
Students participating in a partner program enroll in courses with an international institution, transferring credit back to Michigan State. Typically, a semester in length—though there are some summer or full academic year options—these programs are a great opportunity for students to fully immerse themselves in the culture of their host country. Student support services in-country are provided by the host institution, at varying levels depending on location, as well as through MSU when needed. Partner programs are divided into three categories:
Exchange
Students pay MSU tuition and fees just like a semester on campus in East Lansing. Because of this cost structure, exchanges are often ideal for students paying in-state tuition. Course equivalencies should be discussed with an advisor to ensure the validity of credits.
Direct Enroll
Students pay the tuition and fee rates of the host university, typically through a program fee from MSU. This model is often a great financial option for out-of-state and international students. Course equivalencies should be discussed with an advisor to ensure the validity of credits.
Customized
Students pay a program fee, which includes tuition for the semester, as well as accommodations. For programs with home stays, this also includes most meals; cultural excursions may be included on a program-specific basis. Open to admitted business students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Students will earn a set number of credits on this program, from a pre-determined course mix. For example, students may earn credit for two business core courses, MKT 310 and MGT 315, the upper level IAH requirement, and a language course (all levels welcome with no prior language proficiency required). Customized programs do not allow flexibility in courses, but allow students to plan exactly what credits they will earn while abroad.
Locations:
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Florence, Italy
- Shanghai, China
Faculty-Directed Programs
Faculty-directed programs are short-term education abroad experiences with coursework taught by MSU faculty. These programs are offered during winter break, spring break, or during the summer session and typically offer 1-6 credits. Faculty-directed courses use the setting overseas to complement and enrich the academic content, often building in excursions to popular sites in their host countries. Specially designed programs allow faculty to teach content differently than on main campus, making the most of the location. Having smaller groups and faculty accompanying students ensures built-in support for students and a great opportunity to get to know the professors. Program directors may require pre- or post-departure meetings or coursework.
Service Learning
These programs combine learning goals and overseas community service with the objective of enhancing student growth, intercultural knowledge and learning, and the common good. These programs are generally located in countries which the IMF, World Bank, and other entities consider “developing,” and may include strenuous levels of physical activity.
International Internship Programs
International internship programs are one-credit, summer programs where students are placed in an overseas internship opportunity. International internships are unpaid experiences intended to enrich students’ understanding of the global business environment and provide career experience.
Locations:
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Shanghai, China
- Singapore, Singapore
Broad College of Business-Approved, Non-MSU Programs
Education abroad programs offered by peer institutions that may be of interest to Broad students and have been specifically vetted and approved by the college. Credits earned on these programs will transfer back to MSU; students should meet with academic advisors prior to enrolling in such a program to understand how the credits fit within the student’s degree plan.
Programs
The programs below are sponsored by the Eli Broad College of Business and tend to work well for Broad students. Students should still consult with an advisor to confirm that the courses available on any given program fits with a student’s course of study and major. A complete list of Broad College education abroad programs is also available in PDF.
Students may also work with the Office of Education Abroad and the Broad College to choose another study abroad program that better fits their needs. For information on education abroad for Hospitality Business, please visit Hospitality Business Education Abroad Programs.
Africa and the Middle East
- Israel
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Spring Semester
- 15 credits, direct enroll program (at least sophomore status)
- Spend a semester exploring the fascinating corners of Jerusalem while studying Israeli history and culture, Hebrew, and other courses of interest.
Tel Aviv University
- Spring Semester or Summer Semester
- 15 credits, direct enroll program
- The program is in English and includes a wide choice of courses. Tel Aviv University, the largest university in Israel, is situated only a short distance from the magnificent Mediterranean coast and in Israel’s cultural, financial and industrial heartland.
StartUp Nation: Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Israel
- Spring Break
- 3 credits, faculty-directed
- Students will gain first-hand exposure to entrepreneurial initiatives and the startup nation culture in Israel, while also having the opportunity to visit such culturally significant sites as Jerusalem and the Holocaust Memorial Museum of Yad Vashem.
- Senegal
Service Learning in Senegal: School Building with buildOn
- Program anticipated for 2020-21
- Spring Break
- 1 credit, faculty-directed, service learning program
- Travel to a Senegalese village and work side-by-side with MSU students, and Senegalese villagers, under the auspices of buildOn, an international nonprofit organization that builds schools in developing countries.
- South Africa
Doing Business in South Africa
- Summer Session
- 1-3 credits, faculty-directed program, open to members of Multicultural Business Program only
- Spend 17 days learning about South Africa’s increasing position as a major partner in U.S. and world trade. Site visits will provide students with insights into the corporate and social cultures of South African companies.
- 2019 Program Syllabus: 2019 – South Africa – MGT890_490
Americas
- Argentina
Semester in Buenos Aires
- Spring Semester
- 13 credits, customized program
- Spend a semester in the capital of Argentina while earning credits for business core classes and being immersed in a Spanish-speaking environment. No prior language proficiency required.
- Brazil
Business and Culture in Brazil
- Spring Break
- Faculty-directed, open to all majors; preference for members of the Residential Broad Community
- This program to Rio de Janeiro provides students with the opportunity to expand their understanding of Latin America, and specifically the Brazilian business environment and culture.
- Canada
U.S. and Canada: Great Lakes Supply Chain Tour
- Summer Session
- 2 credits, faulty-directed program (at least sophomore status)
- Students will view the Great Lakes region from industrial, government and transportation perspectives gaining understanding of the core principles in supply chain management.
- Guatemala
Grassroots Tools of Sustainable Development: Service Learning in Guatemala
- Spring Break
- 1 credit, faculty-directed, service learning program, preference for members of Spartan Global Development Fund (SGDF)
- This program provides an opportunity for participants to interact with recipients of SGDF loans in and around Antigua, Guatemala, and Lake Atitlan, Guatemala.
Asia and Oceania
- Australia
Business of the Olympics: Winter & Summer Olympic Venues Explored
- Summer Session
- 6 credits, faulty-directed program (at least sophomore status)
- Students will learn how individual businesses, government agencies, and public and private industries create and follow different business plans before the Olympics; during the Olympics; and after the Olympics to sustain profit.
- 2018 Program Syllabi: 2018 – Australia
Monash University in Melbourne
- Spring Semester
- Minimum 12 credits (at least sophomore status)
- Direct Enrollment
- Exchange
- Experience the Australian lifestyle and take classes from a wide array of subjects while living in southeast Melbourne, the second largest city in Australia
Watch this video to learn more about studying at Monash!
University of New South Wales
- Spring Semester
- 12 credits (at least sophomore status)
- Direct Enrollment
- Exchange
- Take a variety of classes and explore the largest city in Australia while living on a campus bordered on one side by the ocean and the other by mountains and great open plains.
University of Sydney
- Spring Semester
- Minimum 12 credits (at least sophomore status)
- Direct Enrollment
- Exchange
- Live in Sydney for a semester while taking classes at Australia’s first university and exploring Australian culture.
- China
City University of Hong Kong
- Fall, Spring, or Summer Semester
- Minimum 12 credits, Exchange
- City University is known for its professional programs that combine real-world experience with research and study. Study on a campus with high rise dorms and tech savvy classrooms.
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
- Fall, Spring, or Summer Semester
- Minimum 12 credits, Exchange (at least sophomore status)
- HKUST is situated on a lovely seaside campus above Clear Water Bay in the New Territories. It also offers exchange students a Buddy system, where domestic students will assist exchange students with airport reception, settling in on-campus, and various other matters to help students adapt to their new environment during the semester.
Semester in Shanghai
- Spring Semester
- Minimum 13 credits, Custom Program (at least junior status)
- Earn credits for business core courses while studying in one of the world’s great megacities, Shanghai, where gleaming skyscrapers and ancient alleys and temples share space. No prior language proficiency required.
Marketing in China
- Summer Session
- Minimum 7 credits, faculty-directed program
- This two-and-a-half-week program allows students to experience several locations in China.Activities will include visits to businesses, guest lectures by local business leaders, and historical and cultural excursions.
- 2019 Program Syllabi: 2019 – China
Internships in Asia (Shanghai)
- Summer Session
- 1 credit, international internship placement, open to admitted Broad College students only
- This eight-week, unpaid international internship placement allows students to gain international career experience and enhance their understanding of what it’s like to live and work in another culture. Proficiency in Mandarin is not a program requirement, but select placements within Shanghai may only be open to students with Mandarin proficiency.
- India
Managing Strategy in a Growing Economy
- Winter Break
- 3 credits, faculty-directed program
- Visit three major cities: Mumbai, the business center; Bangalore, the tech hub; and Goa, the tourist destination while visiting about a dozen firms across several industries.
- 2020 Program Syllabus: 2020 – India
- Japan
Business and Culture in Japan
- Spring Break
- 1 credit, faculty-directed program
- Spend a week in Tokyo exploring key differences between Western and Japanese culture and business practices that require utilization of culturally appropriate marketing approaches/strategies.
- 2019 Program Syllabus: 2019 – Japan
Japan Center – Entrepreneurship in Japan
- Summer
- 3-credit, faculty-directed program
- This program we will focus on generating great ideas and developing great plans for action by creating and testing viable business models through customer discovery and market research. Working in teams with Japanese medical students, participants will develop a concept for a medical product, device or service and marketing strategy. Teams will have the opportunity to present their work to Japanese entrepreneurs and businesspeople.
Japan Center – Semester Business and Japanese Language
- Semester-long
- Minimum 12 credits, including MKT 310, MGT 315, and intensive Japanese language study. Students may also elect to enroll in IAH211b.
- Spend a semester studying the Japanese language and unique business culture of Japan in Hikone City, a scenic castle town in the Kansai region—the cultural and historic economic center of Japan.
- New Zealand
University of Waikato
- Spring Semester
- Minimum 12 credits, Direct Enrollment (at least sophomore status)
- Explore the New Zealand society and educational system while studying on a campus that is spread out on 166 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds with extensive sporting and recreational areas surrounding three ornamental lakes.
- Singapore
Internships in Asia (Singapore)
- Summer Session
- 1 credit, international internship placement, open to admitted Broad College students only
- This eight-week, unpaid international internship placement allows students to gain international career experience and enhance their understanding of what it’s like to live and work in another culture.
- Thailand
Chulalongkorn University
- Fall or Spring Semester
- Minimum 12 credits, Exchange (at least sophomore status)
- Spend a semester living in central Bangkok while taking core business course and learning Thailand culture.
Europe
- Belgium
Global Finance Studies in Belgium
- Summer Session
- 9 credits, faculty-directed program (at least sophomore status)
- Study global challenges and opportunities in the field of finance while experiencing life in a small historical, French speaking town.
- 2019 Program Syllabus: GFS syllabus
University of Namur
- Fall or Spring Semester
- Minimum 12 credits, Exchange Program (at least junior status)
- Spend the semester studying finance in the heart of French-speaking Belgium. Students may elect to remain in Belgium and complete an internship in Brussels in the summer months.
- Greece
Business Law, Ethics and Sustainability in an Emerging Global Market
- Summer Session
- Minimum 8 credits, faculty-directed program (at least sophomore status)
- This program offers a unique opportunity to explore Greece and learn its deep history and richly diverse culture while earning academic credit. Activities include international site visits, cultural and business field trips, experiential learning activities, and multinational business content.
- 2019 Program Syllabi: 2019 – Greece Syllabi
- Hungary
Corvinus University of Budapest
- Fall or Spring Semester
- Minimum 12 credits, Direct Enroll (at least sophomore status)
- Live in a city rich in history and cultural achievement while taking a variety of courses from business, Hungarian language & culture to international relations.
- Italy
American University of Rome
- Fall Semester, Spring Semester, or Summer Semester
- Minimum 12 credits, Direct Enroll (at least sophomore status)
- Housed in a beautiful villa located on the crest of Rome’s highest hill and on the right bank of the Tiber River, students will be taught by multinational faculty in an international setting.
- Fall or Spring Semester
- Minimum 12 credits, Exchange Program
- Spend a semester studying at one of the premier business schools in Europe while living in the heart of Milan, Italy.
Semester in Florence
- Spring Semester
- Minimum 12 credits, Custom Program (at least junior status)
- Immerse yourself in the art, language, and culture of Italy while experiencing the single – and evolving – market that is the European Union. Earn credit for two core business courses while selecting from a variety of other courses to fulfill IAH or ISS requirements or CAS or ESHP courses and perfecting your Italian.
Watch a webinar by Florence-based program staff or see what other students studying in Florence have thought of their experience.
- Portugal
Internships in Europe (Lisbon)
- Summer Semester
- 1 credit, international internship placement, open to admitted Broad College students only
- This eight-week, unpaid international internship placement allows students to gain international career experience and enhance their understanding of what it’s like to live and work in another culture.
- Summer Semester
- Broad College-Approved, Non-MSU program; students apply for this program directly through U.C. Berkeley
- Students spend 4 weeks working in mulidisciplinary, international teams validating ideas, designing products and marketing plans, and pitching to a panel of Silicon Valley venture capitalists.
- Russia
Business and Culture in St. Petersburg
- Summer Session
- 6 credits, faculty-directed program
- This program offers a good balance between classroom instruction and the opportunity to experience all that the city has to offer, through visits to key businesses, instructional trips to historical museums, tours of the city, and interaction with Russian professors and students.
- 2019 Program Syllabus: 2019 – Russia – FI393
- Spain
Business and Culture in Spain
- Spring Break
- 3 credits, faculty-directed program (at least sophomore status)
- This program aims to deepen students’ understanding of international business while visiting Madrid and Barcelona. Activities range from corporate visits, cultural visits to architectural tours.
- 2020 Program Syllabus: 2020 – Spain
- United Kingdom
Business in Scotland
- Summer Session
- Minimum 6 credits, faculty-directed program
- This program focuses on managing people and operations in a global market. Students will be exposed to different employment relations models and begin to understand the impact of multinational corporations on the management of people and operations in complex organizations.
- 2019 Program Syllabus2019 – Intl Comparative Dimensions: 2019 – Scotland – MGT476
Marketing and Business in London
- Winter Break
- 6 credits, faculty-directed program (at least junior status)
- Study marketing and business in one of the great business and cultural centers of the world. This short program will involve interactive class sessions focusing on course content, group discussions, and exploration of unique marketing tools and strategies.
- 2019 Program Syllabi: 2019 – Marketing in London
Organizational Staffing in London
- Winter Break
- 3 credits, faculty-directed program (MGT 411 pre-reqs and eligibility apply)
- This program builds on the foundational components of MGT 411 to introduce basic elements of international staffing, expose students to challenges faced by Human Resource professionals working for multinational organizations, and broaden students’ career focus to include international assignments.
- Multiple Countries
International Business Studies in Europe
- Summer Session
- 6 credits, faculty-directed program (at least sophomore status)
- Students will study international business and marketing in Paris and Vienna.
Marketing and International Comparative Dimensions of Business in Europe
- Summer Session
- 6 credits, faculty-directed program (at least sophomore status)
- This program combines marketing and the international comparative dimensions of business into 22 days summer experience. Students will receive extensive contact with European executives and officials, while staying in the heart of cultural centers in France, UK, Germany and Switzerland.
- 2019 Program Syllabi: 2019 – Intl Comparative Dimensions
Internationalizing Your Degree
Minor in International Business
The international business minor is a great academic opportunity for students who plan careers with an international orientation and who wish to add breadth to their major. The minor is designed for students who desire to increase their understanding of various regions of the world and the global marketplace.
Connect with the Office for International Students and Scholars
The Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS) provides support to Michigan State University’s international students, scholars and families. There are a number of ways to get involved with OISS, including volunteer opportunities.
Join a Student Organization
There are more than 900 registered student organizations at MSU, many of which include an international focus.
The MSU International Business Organization (IBO) promotes a greater understanding of international business and fosters personal and professional development through networking events, speaker presentations and corporate trips. The student organization is committed to its members’ needs in order to be key innovators, core contributors and successful leaders in today’s global community.
The Spartan Global Development Fund (SGDF) is a student-run initiative working to expand awareness and support for microfinance while building lasting partnerships in the quest for permanent solutions to global poverty. SGDF helps promote the causes of sustainability and entrepreneurship by providing interest-free micro loans to small businesses in less-developed areas of the world.
Start Your Journey
Check out all the business education abroad options through the Office for Education Abroad.
Get Connected with Broad:
- Business College Complex
- 632 Bogue St
- East Lansing, MI 48824