Study Abroad Process

In an interconnected world, global awareness is critical.

When Considering Study Abroad…

For some of you, study abroad is a given and all you need to do is choose where and when. Others will have valid concerns and issues to work out before making a decision. It is the job of the Champlain Abroad Office to help make study abroad work for you, so come and talk to us if you have concerns.

• Curriculum

  Students need to consider their program of study and its curriculum before deciding on a study abroad program, location and term. Champlain has worked hard to make study abroad work for every major, but choices are impacted by available courses.

  The links below will take you to general information about study abroad, programs and locations for each major based on the curricula. There is a lot of information on each sheet so if you find it confusing, just make an appointment to speak with a study abroad coordinator who can help you narrow it down.

  Division of Information Technology & Science	School of Social Innovation	Stiller School of Business	Division of Communication & Creative Media	Degree Design Lab
  CNCS CSIN DATS DIGF GPRO MATH	ASUS CRIM EDUC LAW PSYC SOWK	ACCT BUSA FINA GMBP GPMG IBUS MRKT	ANIM BRMP COMM CREM FILM GDES GMRT GMSD INAR IXDS MKCM PWRT VCDS	INPS

• Internship Possibilities

  Many students participate in a professional experience abroad to help their career prospects. However, not every location can offer an internship. Please visit our international internship page to find out more about the possibilities.

• Locations

  Champlain College has worked to provide a straightforward path for all game majors to be able to study abroad in Montreal their junior year. Computer and information technology students along with business students have an easy path to Dublin fall of their junior year. Creative studio and social innovation students find classes in Dublin spring of their junior year.

  All majors have at least one exchange possibility available to them – see the links under the curriculum bar above to see which exchange works for your major. These exchanges have limited slots and specific semester availability. Additionally, exchange programs run under different academic and student life expectations, so they are not suited to everybody. Meet with us to discuss whether an exchange will work for you.

  That being said, many of us have a specific location where we have always wanted to go. For example, many students want to spend time in Japan. However, there are limited opportunities to take university level courses in English in Japan. Business students and a few other majors can find third-party semester programs with relevant courses but many majors will not find the curriculum that they need for their specific program. Students who fall into this latter category should consider non-semester study abroad. There are many summer opportunities both for classes in language and culture and for internships.

• Finances

  Dublin, Montreal and our Exchange semester programs (New Zealand, Scotland, The Bahamas and the Netherlands) should cost the same or possibly even less than studying in Burlington while living on campus and eating in the dining hall. Financial aid should look the same for these semester programs minus work study grants.

  Third-party summer and faculty-led programs all have very different finance structures and can work out to cost much less or much more than studying in Burlington depending on the specific situation of each individual student.

  Check out the limited additional scholarship opportunities for students studying abroad.

• Term & Timing

  Most students study abroad for a semester during their junior year. Some majors require students to go during a specific semester. For example, education majors can usually only study abroad in the spring of their junior year. Other majors, like the Degree Design lab, may allow chances in the sophomore or senior year.

  Short-term study abroad such as faculty-led and summer programs offers opportunities outside of these restrictions.

  We have excellent summer programs in Montreal and Dublin that have Core courses for all students but you will need to plan ahead to take advantage of them.

• Support Abroad

  We offer very robust support to students on our own programs in Montreal and Dublin. Our staff abroad understand Champlain students and the supports to which they are accustomed. Many supports like RAs and tutoring through the Smart Space continue in Montreal and Dublin.

  Our exchange programs offer the support that is required in the country where they are located and this is often less robust than the support students find in Burlington. For this reason, there are increased eligibility requirements for exchange programs.

  Third party programs usually cater to US college students and, therefore, come closer to what our students expect. However individual needs should always be considered when choosing a location.

• Help Navigating the Above Choices

  This is a lot of information. The Champlain Abroad Office has experience helping students make these decisions and consider all the possibilities. You do not need to do it on your own. Drop by our office or make an appointment to ask questions and see what will work best for you.