Study Abroad and Travel Seminars for the College of Arts and Sciences
Go far. Take your education to other corners of the world.
Studying abroad can be one of the most rewarding college experiences. You will see how other people live, work, and eat, understand cultures different from your own, and discover new perspectives, environments, and cultures. The people you meet abroad often become lifelong friends. Your knowledge will also lead the way, compelling you to evaluate familiar concepts in different contexts or try something less familiar (and often, entirely new).
True to Drake’s overarching mission, these experiences aren’t just eye-opening—they make you a better global citizen who is prepared to thrive in an interconnected world. Inspired by their travels, some College of Arts and Sciences students start their careers overseas or working for a U.S. company that operates across borders.
Curious about taking your studies beyond? Discover how you can explore the world and earn academic credit while studying abroad as a student in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Study Abroad Programs and Partnerships
Drake College of Arts and Sciences students study abroad in many different countries each year, including Italy, Japan, India, Peru, and France. Learn more about our partnerships and discipline-specific trips, as well as opportunities open to all Bulldogs.
Partnerships
Collaborating with the Drake Global Affairs Office, the College of Arts and Sciences forges partnerships with universities all over the world to provide a seamless, Drake-level academic experience. Current partnerships include the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education in Mexico, Qingdao University in China, and Harlaxton University in England.
Anthropology and Sociology
Engage with other societies and cultures through short-term programs and semesters abroad in countries such as Spain and Thailand, or join our alumni who have earned Fulbright Scholarships.
Environmental Science and Sustainability
Take short-term travel courses to study conservation, eco-tourism, and urban development in places like Indonesia, Belize, Ecuador, and Madagascar. Or gain research experience through our partnership with The School for Field Studies, which manages Programs in places including Peru, Australia, Costa Rica, and Cambodia.
Politics and International Relations
Whether you volunteer with a human-rights group or another non-governmental organization or study at a partner institution, you’ll discover that international issues are universal ones. We encourage International Relations majors to participate in at least one study abroad experience.
World Languages and Cultures
Develop your linguistic competence and cultural understanding by pursuing opportunities abroad. WLC students have studied in Argentina, Austria, Belize, Chile, China, Japan, Jordan, Morocco, South Africa, and Spain through intensive semester-long or short-term programs. Some time to practice their language skills abroad is recommended for all WLC majors and minors.
Funding
Every year, Drake provides over $100,000 in study-abroad scholarships, international research, or travel funds. All CAS students can draw from the Student Travel and Research (STAR) Fund, while fine arts students can also apply for assistance from the Friends of Drake Arts Student Travel Research Fund or the Jon N. Torgerson Scholarship Fund.
J-Term Trips and Travel Seminars
Join Drake faculty on one-to-three-week journeys that go far beyond tourism. Perform music in Mexico, teach STEM in Kosovo, or focus on sustainable business in Panama, among many other options.
Auditioning J-Term
See where your theatre talent stacks up on our annual Auditioning J-Term trip to New York City, where you’ll meet casting directors and agents, prepare audition materials, and show your stuff. Open to juniors and seniors.
Biology J-Term
“Art and Anatomy in Renaissance Italy” connects the confluence of art, anatomy, medicine, and culture with the development of modern medicine. You’ll visit anatomy museums and view Renaissance masterworks while guided by faculty experts.
Developing Democracy in India
Meet local scholars, visit mosques and temples, and travel to historic sites in India while considering the country as it stood on the cusp of democracy from 1945 to 1947.
Documentary Video Challenge
Work in small groups to research a social issue, conduct interviews, and complete a mini-documentary in a J-Term course that challenges you to be both a media critic and producer.
Philosophy and Religion Seminars
Travel with a group of students to India, where you’ll examine the country’s religious, social, and political issues on the eve of its independence in 1947. Other seminars visit South Africa, the Middle East, and China.
Environmental Science and Sustainability Seminars
See pressing issues through expert eyes as you preserve habitats in Belize, study eco-tourism in Ecuador and the Galapagos, or look at conservation development in Rwanda or Indonesia. Closer to home, ESS students have joined zoo conservation and endangered species management efforts led by Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines and Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida.
Literature and Writing Seminars
Explore the influences and locations behind classic works of literature in travel seminars that visit the U.K., India, South Africa, or France.
Sustainable Development in Africa
In the past, Drake students have learned about farming and economic practices, established a water supply system, taught at an elementary school, and even built a rural health clinic.
Washington, D.C. Travel Seminar
Meet elected officials, party leaders, issue advocates, and Drake alumni in this seminar, which has included attendance at Presidential inaugurations in past years.
World Languages and Cultures
Test your skills in Spanish, French, German, and Japanese through J-Term and summer travel seminars led by WLC faculty.
Research Trips
Research can happen in a nearby lab on campus or thousands of miles away. Environmental Science and Sustainability majors, for example, routinely conduct research overseas, either through study-abroad programs or stand-alone projects
Trips
Head to a fully staffed field station in places like Bhutan, Cambodia, Panama, or Tanzania through the School for Field Studies, where you can participate in research that addresses pressing environmental challenges.
Gishwati Forest
Work with ESS faculty and local officials on our ongoing chimpanzee conservation initiative in Rwanda, where development and hunting pressures threaten these primates.
Post-Graduation
It’s no surprise that after graduating, many of our students want to keep exploring. And they do, pursuing teaching and research opportunities around the world.
Fulbright Scholarships
The Fulbright program is one of the most competitive international exchanges in the U.S. Through our students’ achievements, Drake excels, routinely ranking among the top-performing universities.
Fulbright finalists receive a year of financial support from the federal government to either conduct research in another country or teach English to foreign students.
In recent years, College of Arts and Sciences students have completed teaching assignments in Spain, Mexico, Taiwan, Malaysia, and the Czech Republic.
Working Worldwide
Spend the year after you graduate teaching English for a partner institution in China or working for a local company in Kosovo, with assignments based on participants’ particular interests.
Student Testimonials
Take the Next Step
Studying in another country will open your eyes to different cultures and different possibilities for living your own life. Learn more about how to get started.
