Programs

Finding a Program

USF Education Abroad offers several program types to help you find the program that meets your needs. Click below for a brief description of each kind of program, or check out our Program Discovery to browse available programs.

Our Program Discovery Search Tool is a great way to find a program that will fit your academic needs. There are several ways you can use the tool:

  • Search by a country or city - i.e. "London".
  • Search by term - i.e. "Spring".
  • Search by subject matter and courses - i.e. "Biology"

Program Discovery

Our Course Search Tool is a great way to search for courses we offer abroad.  All transfer credits taken abroad must first be approved by the student’s academic department and given a USF equivalent course code. Students can use our Course Search to see if the courses they wish to take abroad have already been granted a USF equivalency. Students can search by program, country, foreign course code, or even USF course equivalent. The Course Search is a database of courses that have already received equivalencies, but if there is a course a student wants to take that is not in the Course Search they may still be able to do so. Students should make an appointment with the USF Education Abroad for more details.

Course Search

 


Types of programs at USF

Faculty-Led

These are programs that are designed and facilitated by USF. They offer direct USF credit (sometimes in combination with transfer credit) and are led by USF Faculty/Staff.  Examples would be USF in London and Paris Spring Break programs.  Click here for more details.

Exchange

These are programs where we have bilateral reciprocal exchange agreements with universities around the world. Students pay their home tuition and are not charged foreign tuition from the hosting institution. Credit is brought back as direct USF credit. These are the most economical type of programs available, and allow for USF students to take classes alongside the host institution students. There are often limited slots dependent upon the number of incoming exchange students from our partner institutions. They are usually semester long programs, although there are a handful of summer programs that are also operated under exchange agreements. USF Exchange partners include University of Exeter (UK), Deakin University (Australia) and Yonsei University (Korea), among many others.  Click here for more details.

Affiliate

These are programs that are organized by recognized study abroad providers institutions with which USF has an agreement. These programs significantly expand the number of opportunities available to USF students, both in terms of destinations, as well as subject matter. The list of featured programs have been identified by the Education Abroad Office and academic units, and most, if not all, courses on the chosen programs have been assigned a USF course equivalency. However, all programs offered by an affiliate partner are available to USF students.  Click here for more details.

Internships

These are programs that are organized by recognized study abroad providers institutions with which USF has an agreement. These programs significantly expand the number of opportunities available to USF students, both in terms of destinations, as well as subject matter. We even have Virtual Internships!  Click here for more details.

Non-Affiliate

These are programs that may be offered by other US or foreign universities, study abroad organizations with which USF does not have an affiliation agreement. Students should always discuss their interest with a member of the Education Abroad Office before depositing funds with an organization that is not affiliated with USF.  Click here for more details.


Selecting the program that's right for you 

When should you go?

No matter the end result, it is always best to plan early. Everyone's schedule is different so this is something you really need to think about. It is always a good idea to go to your major's academic adviser and talk about your desire to go abroad so this person can help you make room in your schedule. The earlier you have this conversation, the easier it is to make sure you stay on track for graduation. This includes saving some of your electives for the semester or summer you want to go and researching the schools for ones that offer your major.

Students looking to go abroad for a semester must have at least sophomore standing the first semester they are away. Graduating seniors may not go abroad in their last semester as grades often take two or more months to properly transfer from overseas. Sophomore and junior year are the most popular times for students to study for a full semester.

Students interested in summer programs are welcomed at any stage or level of their education, so long as the student is at least 18 years old at the time of participation (certain exception can be made with parental consent for younger students enrolled at USF).

Graduate students are advised to check with their departments as required courses are often only taught on campus during certain parts of the year. Scheduling and logistics for alternative-calendar programs such as independent research, field work, medical rotations, special projects and internships should be a collaborative effort between the student, their department, and the Education Abroad Office.

What should you study?

The academic requirements you are looking to fulfill can greatly influence the program you select. Our summer programs have a variety of available courses, but they are limited by which faculty are going and the classes the institute overseas is willing to teach. Most summer programs will have a short-list of one to six classes offered (the average being two). Students should check the individual program pages and descriptions to see which classes are offered on these short programs. Students should always speak with the academic department from which they are looking to get credit to be certain they understand how these summer courses will transfer back to USF.

Semester programs offer students the greatest selection of courses as the entire course catalog of the foreign school is normally open to students studying for a semester or a year. That being said, students may be limited in language of instruction in the case of countries where English is not the primary language; in most cases courses are available in English, but students should investigate their school of choice.

Deadlines

Applicants should check with the individual program website for program-specific deadlines. Deadlines can be as much as 5-6 months prior to the program date. Please note that non-USF providers of study abroad programming may have much earlier deadlines. Generally, summer program applications are accepted on a rolling basis, however, there again students may find that certain programs have specific acceptance deadlines. Students are urged to apply early!

Non-USF Students

Non-USF applicants who wish to participate in an Education Abroad outgoing program must first be accepted as a non-degree seeking student at USF.  Click here for more details.