UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN River Falls

Office of International Education

Sp21 Virtual EA Fair Banner

Welcome!

We're so glad you could stop by our virtual education abroad fair today. While our world is operating differently due to COVID-19, the Office of International Education (OIE) is still working to support your future international experiences. You may not be able to travel at this minute, but it’s never too early to start planning for how to incorporate education abroad into your time as a UWRF Falcon. 

Our fair today offers you an opportunity to explore the many international options available to you through program overview videos, pre-recorded interviews with our faculty leaders, and our online brochures. Additionally, live Q&A sessions will be offered throughout the day so you can speak directly with faculty leaders and program representatives about your specific questions. A schedule of these sessions is below, and a button to each session is also linked directly in the additional information below each program title.

Interest List

Add your name to our education abroad interest list to:

  • indicate programs you are interested in
  • receive important communication relevant to the programs you are interested in (application opening dates, upcoming info sessions, etc.)
  • receive invites to future OIE events

Add my name to the interest list!

Semester-length programs

Are you an independent, self-directed junior or senior who would enjoy developing a research project and/or applying your major/minor abroad? This 12-15 credit program allows you to design a project proposal, in conjunction with an advisor, and complete the project in Europe.

Program overview videoFaculty leader interview video
Online brochure & application buttonSemester Abroad live button

The International Traveling Classroom (ITC) is an innovative, one-of-a-kind education abroad program that allows UWRF students to live and learn for one full spring semester in multiple locations throughout Europe. You will travel and take courses with UWRF faculty in several countries, earning at least twelve credits, with each European-focused exploration consisting of lectures, discussions, debates, itneractive field trips, and hands-on projects.

Program overview videoFaculty leader interview video
Online brochure & application buttonITC live button

J-term programs button

Bangalore, the capital of the state of Karnataka, in southwest India, ranks as one of the fastest growing cities in Asia. Its pleasant climate, friendly people, and highly educated population have made this the Silicon Valley of India. Centrally located, our hotel will make for convenient travel and exploring of nearby cultural, shopping and entertainment venues.

Mysore is a vibrant city known the world over for its exotic sandalwood and rich silks, its grand palace, majestic temples, and gardens are unforgettable. Students will stay at the Hotel Regalis, adjacent to the Central Food Technology Research Institute.

Students will enjoy visiting research farms, plantations, wildlife park (with elephants!), sericulture facilities, women's small business initiatives, as well as many places of social and cultural interest.

Program overview videoFaculty leader interview video
Online brochure & application buttonIndia live button

This program is only open to students who are working with Dr. Cheng-Chen Huang.

This is a science-based research/study/ecotourism education abroad J-Term program to Taiwan with a theme of searching for potential heart failure drugs from Chinese medicine and marine species. The unique features of this program include:

  1. the connection between Dr. Huang at UWRF and the researchers at universities and research institutions in Taiwan
  2. the easy and low cost experimental model for heart failure drug discovery that Dr. Huang established with zebrafish embryos
  3. the rich and unique sources of Chinese herbs and marine species that Taiwan country offers

Therefore, this study abroad program provides undergraduate students with opportunities to study not only foreign cultures and language of Taiwan but also advanced biomedical research utilizing the unique sources from Taiwan. It also has the potential to build international research collaboration.

Program overview videoFaculty leader interview videoOnline brochure & application button

The Spanish 302-Composition and Conversation II-Ecuador is a 3 week study abroad in Quito, Ecuador, with field trips to the Andes. Students will travel to Quito and take classes at Fundación CIMAS, where they will  learn similar topics to what is taught in Spanish 302 at UW-River Falls. There are composition and conversation topics, as well as vocabulary and grammar units. Students attend classes daily for two and half hours and visit Quito as well as on excursions to the Andes for interaction and language immersion with local Spanish language speakers and to improve the Spanish proficiency of students.  

Other in-country programming includes homestays, an integral component of the learning experience. A homestay family provides not only housing and most meals but also a vital connection to Ecuadorian culture. Homestay families have been chosen for their genuine interest in sharing Ecuadorian life.

Program overview videoFaculty leader interview videoOnline brochure & application button

Spring Break Programs button

Imagine: Crystal clear waters...fantastic coral formations...huge fish, stingrays, sharks...and you sharing the protected habitat of a national marine park...Mayan temples thrusting out of the forest...monkeys howling in the jungle canopy...orchids and toucans...the second largest cave system in the world...a 1,000 ft. waterfall...and cultures of the indigenous, African, and European traditions.This is Belize! The goal of the study adventure is to increase each student's appreciation of the importance of the conservation of diversity. Belize protects its lands, its wildlife, its marine environments. Yet how can this tiny nation, the size of Massachusetts, afford to devote resources to conservation when its people also struggle to survive? In Belize, conservation pays. It is by the very protection of Belize's natural treasures that the government, private sector, and public together strive to achieve a balance between the needs of people and the needs of the ecosystem. Belize does not trade off one for the other. Each visitor to Belize is witness to the special bond being created among all of nature's beings.

The Belize study adventure is unique, for nowhere else this close to home can students immerse themselves in such astonishing biological and cultural diversity. Hike the rainforest, canoe wild rivers, explore caves, climb Mayan temples, sail, snorkel, and scuba. Students will also explore the jungle and sea while experiencing wildlife, environmental, and cultural diversity. The group will be based at a jungle lodge for six days, venturing out to climb classic Mayan temples, float rivers, explore caves, hike jungle trails, and observe tropical wildlife unparalleled in the northern hemisphere. A day trip is planned to Guatemala to witness fabulous Tikal. All activities are led by experienced guides, educators, or researchers who teach students about Belize history, geology, flora and fauna, cultural traditions, and the remarkable conservation-first posture that guides Belize's approach to sustainable development.

Program overview videoFaculty leader interview video
Online brochure & application buttonBelize live button

This year the Department of Agricultural Economics is inviting you to visit Ghana and learn about its agriculture and agribusinesses sector. What does agriculture look like in Ghana? What is the role of agriculture in the Ghanaian economy? What kind of opportunities and challenges are agribusinesses facing in Ghana? We will explore those questions during  this 10 day trip by visiting farms in different part of the country (including export oriented crops like coco, and local staple food production like maize), and visiting different agribusinesses including a financial institution, a research facility, and processing facilities. We will also discover some aspects of the local culture and history through National Park visits and a visit at a slavery castle.

Program overview videoFaculty leader interview video
Online brochure & application buttonGhana live button

This course examines the culture, history, and politics of Germany and German-speaking Europe.

Culture and history will come alive as you explore Germany. You will sample traditional “German” foods, ride the German rail system, visit museums, meet new people, and explore key historical sites. In 2021 we plan to tour the Reichstag, the former Berlin Wall, and the German Historical Museum in Berlin; experience the Hofbräuhaus; reflect upon the weight of human history at a concentration camp; see life in the Middle Ages; visit Austria; and more.

Program overview videoFaculty leader interview video
Online brochure & application buttonGermany live button

This course prepares students to understand the foundations of Resilience Planning for communities facing natural hazards, particularly those related to climate change. The Netherlands is internationally recognized for their work in resilience planning and students will have the opportunity to tour a number of locations in the Netherlands to study examples of practical implementation of resilience principles. The course includes tours of infrastructure and other features used to manage physical hazards, along with lectures / presentations from local planning staff. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to explore issues of cultural and social resilience through experiences at local sustainable farms, farmers markets, and agricultural communities. Students will discuss the impacts of natural hazards on local businesses and importance of resilience planning to promote sustainable businesses. The course will be an immersion in resilience best practices that will provide students a broad understanding of issues and opportunities in the field.

Program overview videoOnline brochure & application buttonNetherlands (Holtkamp) live button

May Programs button

The Costa Rica program is built around the theme of Sustainability and Eco-Tourism. Costa Rica is the premier international model of a country focused on the preservation of natural resources for the sake of environmentally-based tourism, both for the study and intimate experience of tropical biodiversity, but also adventure recreation.

This study program is a broad mix of activities and travels. Students experience everything from snorkeling and diving (scuba certification necessary) on the Caribbean and/or Pacific, as well as zipping along cables in the canopy of tropical forests, white water rafting, hiking in preserves and national parks and horseback riding. Also included are tours to coffee and banana plantation, visits to world-class birding, butterfly, and hummingbird sites, shopping in traditional arts and crafts markets, visits with traditional families and indigenous representatives and one-day excursions.

Program overview videoFaculty leader interview videoOnline brochure & application button

This course examines the culture, history, and politics of Germany and German-speaking Europe.

Culture and history will come alive as you explore Germany. You will sample traditional “German” foods, ride the German rail system, visit museums, meet new people, and explore key historical sites. In 2021 we plan to tour the Reichstag, the former Berlin Wall, and the German Historical Museum in Berlin; experience the Hofbräuhaus; reflect upon the weight of human history at a concentration camp; see life in the Middle Ages; visit Austria; and more.

Program overview videoFaculty leader interview video
Online brochure & application buttonGermany live button

Explore beautiful windmills, blooming tulip fields and 17th century water canals in the Netherlands this spring. In this 10-day program, students will have a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture of the Netherlands, with a focus on food and agriculture. Once we arrive to Amsterdam we will travel by train to the historic village of Zaanse Schans, where we will learn the process of Dutch wooden shoe making and tour historic windmills.  Our first three nights of the study abroad program will be in Amsterdam where students can explore museums, such as the Ann Frank Museum or Van Gogh Museum or explore monuments and other historical points of interest.   Next we will travel by train to Dronten, home of Aeres University of Applied Science where we will meet Dutch students with similar interests and tour the campus farm. Students will also have an opportunity to tour a tomato greenhouse, orchid greenhouse, dairy product production facility and the Woudagemaal, the largest steam operating pump house in the world.  One of the last few days in the Netherlands will be spent in Gouda at one of the oldest cheese markets and touring a Gouda cheese facility. Finally, we will end the program with a bicycle food tour, a palace tour and visit to Alkmaar cheese market.

Program overview videoFaculty leader interview video
Online brochure & application buttonNetherlands (Farner) live button

Students will journey to Iceland and Norway, wherein they will spend two weeks immersed in and learning about the environments, agricultural practices, and cultures of both countries. Students will spend three days in Reykjavik, Iceland, discovering a distinctive environment composed of geothermal pools, volcanoes, and tectonic plates, as well as visiting a vegetable farm and riding the sturdy Icelandic horse. After, students will travel to and spend two days in Bergen, Norway, having a traditional meal at the Ovre-Eide Gard Farm, visiting the famous Bryggen fish market, and the home of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. Afterwards, students will travel east into the fjord region of Norway to Odda, learning about a unique environmental science case study and visiting a 13th century stave church in Roldal. Students will then travel by train to Oslo to spend the remaining days visiting the Viking Ships Museum, Norwegian Museum of Cultural History, Bygdoy Royal Manor, World War II Resistance Museum, Norwegian Consulate, and interacting with students and faculty at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.

Program overview videoFaculty leader interview videoOnline brochure & application button

Exercise Science Modalities in Poland: is designed to provide hands on experience with different therapeutic, training and sport/fitness modalities utilized in Poland.
 
The course is based in Poland’s fourth largest city, Wroclaw, with cultural and historical tours focused on introducing students to Polish culture and recent history. We will include a city-wide tour including famous Wroclaw locations and history.

Program overview videoFaculty leader interview videoOnline brochure & application button

Summer Programs button

Hangzhou, China is home to the University of Wisconsin-River Falls' Experience China program, where students throughout the University of Wisconsin system and beyond live and take classes during the summer session. Students live in a safe and well-supported learning community near the campus of Zhejiang International Studies University (ZISU). Classes are taught in English by American and Chinese professors. In addition to classes, students' experiences are enriched by educational excursions to local points of interest, such as gorgeous pagodas, or historic temples and gardens that have served as inspiration for Chinese poets and painters for centuries. 

Program overview videoOnline brochure & application button

The Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP) is located just two blocks from the lively Juarez Avenue and a few blocks from Puebla’s historic district. The location is ideal for the student who wants to experience and learn about Mexican life. UPAEP was founded in 1973 and strives to inspire thinking and form leaders that transform society. 

Online brochure & application button

This program offers required course work for education majors in Ireland during the summer. This 3 1/2 week, six-credit program offers an exciting chance to spend time in a local school and learn about local history and culture.

Program overview videoOnline brochure & application buttonSocial Care in Ireland live button

Additional Programs button

COST is an association of sixteen colleges and universities that places education students in schools in international locations to to student teach. 

Student teachers are placed in English speaking schools, which afford excellent opportunities to become acquainted with the culture and the education system of the host country. 

If you are adventurous, academically able, independent and ambitious, overseas student teaching offers an opportunity to broaden your outlook on the world and future professional possibilities. You will gain greater sensitivity to other cultures, a more informed perspective on the United States' role in the world, greater appreciation of your heritage, and increased self-confidence from having successfully dealt with new and challenging situations; qualities much needed in today's teachers.

Program overview videoOnline brochure & application buttonCOST live button

Contact Us

studyabroad@uwrf.edu
Dr. Robert B. Bailey III Office of International Education
715-425-4891

Education Abroad:
715-425-4891

International Student Services:
iss@uwrf.edu
715-425-4982

Fax: 715-425-0693
287 Rodli Hall

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