Study Abroad

Alicia Wilson
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Student: Alicia Wilson, BS 2017
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!"
Alicia Wilson
Caption
Student: Alicia Wilson, BS 2017
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!"
Alicia Wilson
Caption
Student: Alicia Wilson, BS 2017
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!"
Zoua Thao
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Student: Zoua Thao, BS 2015
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."
Randy Jacoway
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Student: Randy Jacoway, BS 2015
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.

There are many programs and universities that are already approved by the University of Minnesota for study abroad. Take the first step toward studying abroad by meeting with our study abroad advisor, Brigitte Mussack. Brigitte will help you identify courses and programs, and be your guide through the study abroad process.

We highly recommend that you plan your study abroad experience for your sophomore or junior year. You should meet with both our undergraduate and study abroad advisors to make sure your academic path allows for study abroad as well as timely graduation.

“My favorite part about studying abroad was how much I learned about myself while I was there.”

Joanne Steinhofer

Learning Abroad Center

The Learning Abroad Center has more information specific to studying technical writing & communication abroad.

For general information on programs, advising, financial aid, scholarships, policies, and application materials, please visit the Learning Abroad Center.