Study Abroad
Location: Italy
"Studying abroad was an extremely eye-opening experience. You get the chance to live and be apart of another culture. In doing so you learn more about your own culture and gain a respect for new ideas and perspectives. My month in Italy was a whirlwind that was full of knowledge, adventure, friends and lots of gelato!"
Location: Italy
"Studying abroad was an extremely eye-opening experience. You get the chance to live and be apart of another culture. In doing so you learn more about your own culture and gain a respect for new ideas and perspectives. My month in Italy was a whirlwind that was full of knowledge, adventure, friends and lots of gelato!"
Location: Italy
"Studying abroad was an extremely eye-opening experience. You get the chance to live and be apart of another culture. In doing so you learn more about your own culture and gain a respect for new ideas and perspectives. My month in Italy was a whirlwind that was full of knowledge, adventure, friends and lots of gelato!"
Location: Korea
"Studying abroad was one of the greatest experiences I’ve had in life. Along with developing lasting relationships, I experienced a lot of things for the first time that has positively affected my life. Although I enjoyed all the traveling and sightseeing, I especially loved communicating with the Korean people. It was awkward at first because I was very self-conscious about using the right words and sentence structure, as well as how my tone sounded and how my behavior was affecting them. But they were all very nice and helped me correct my mistakes, making it more comfortable for me to speak Korean as time passed by. Many Korean people want to improve their English as well, so sometimes I would get someone who wanted to talk in English with me instead; it was like a language trade-off at times. Over the 2½ months that I was staying abroad, my Korean language skills improved immensely. When I returned, I also noticed that I picked up on some habits from living in Korea, such as quietly speaking in public places, setting my spoon and fork on the table when I’m not using them, and sharing my food when I’m eating out with family and friends. Although I thoroughly enjoy learning new languages, immersing myself into the culture has showed me a whole new side to the activity."
Location: Bonaire
Technical Writing & Communication Study Abroad Advisor
Brigitte Mussack
204 Nolte Center
muss0039@umn.edu
We highly encourage our technical writing & communication majors to consider studying abroad for a portion of their undergraduate studies.
Study abroad offers students rewarding cultural and educational experiences and can enhance their understanding of global contexts for technical communication. Technical communication increasingly involves intercultural tasks such as translation of documentation and virtual teamwork involving collaboration across the globe. The cultural experience that students gain through study abroad can help sharpen student sensitivities to language and perception in other cultures.
Getting Started
- Attend a First Step Session with the Learning Abroad Center. You will learn how to research program options, get started with academic planning, and look into finances for study abroad, including financial aid and scholarships.
- Select a study abroad program. Find suggested programs on the Learning Abroad in Technical Writing & Communication page.
- The courses you take abroad may count towards WRIT course credit or sub plan course credit. Complete the Learning Abroad Center’s Academic Planning Form then meet with Brigitte Mussack, the Technical Writing & Communication Study Abroad Advisor, to review your requests and receive course approval.
“My favorite part about studying abroad was how much I learned about myself while I was there.”
Joanne Steinhofer