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Cornell recognizes that students are looking for diverse international experiences to globalize their degree. Here in CALS and at Cornell, we offer a variety of programs including semester programming, short-term faculty-led courses, and international internships and research. 

 

Visit the Get Advice page to learn more about upcoming international programming sessions and the schedule, as well as making advising appointments. 

Watch this short video to hear about your study abroad options. Transcripts and audio files are also available.

 

Semester Programming

CALS Exchange: Since 1954, CALS has offered their students unique opportunities to study abroad via the CALS Exchange program. CALS students are able to integrate themselves into a partner university abroad, taking classes and living alongside degree-seeking students. The CALS Exchange programs are rooted in, and in many cases designed by, CALS faculty affiliated to an international academic institution or university department that complements your academic program. Students who have previously gone on exchange have found it to be a rewarding experience as it has added an international dimension to their degree, challenged them academically and facilitated the development of new skills, and enhanced their personal growth and self-confidence. 

Cornell Global Hubs: If you're an undergraduate, you'll find life-changing experiences at Hubs locations around the world, with classes that return to your Cornell degree, curricular pathways through majors, and hands-on field experiences. You’ll be embedded in life at a world-class university, where you’ll study with local students and international students like you.

Office of Global Learning: The Office of Global Learning offers additional semester opportunities around the world that align with student interest and Cornell academics. 

 

International Internships and/or Research

Semester programs are not your only option to internationalize your degree. Internships, research, or service learning projects abroad are also available to CALS undergraduate students. Below are some options available to you.    

CALS Global Fellows Program:  The CALS Global Fellows Program supports CALS undergraduate students from any major to pursue professionally-focused summer internships/research. Acceptance to the program is highly competitive and a limited number of students are selected each year. Fellows receive professional development, logistical, and may qualify for some financial support.

Mario Einaudi Center Programs: Eight regional and thematic programs are the heart of the Einaudi Center. Our programs promote new ways of understanding people and places around the world. 

Laidlaw Scholars Program: The Einaudi Center administers the Laidlaw Scholars Program at Cornell, leveraging its faculty expertise and international partners to support student research and global networking.

Student Multidisciplinary Applied Research Teams (SMART): A unique service learning initiative for students across the university. It is geared towards helping both, small businesses and students, and has impacted over 400 students and 80 organizations over the last decade.

Kessler Fellows Program: Kessler Fellows is an entrepreneurship program rooted in the College of Engineering. The program is open to all juniors at Cornell University that have a strong interest in entrepreneurship.

 

Students interested in exploring more options, are encouraged to schedule an appointment.

 

Short-Term International Programming

Cornell Faculty-Led Programming: Faculty-led programs offer a short-term abroad experience that is organized and led by Cornell faculty. Generally speaking, a faculty-led program is an academic course that combines traditional classroom learning with experiential learning abroad. The experience abroad can be as short as one week or span over an entire summer. For students who have never traveled internationally, study tours can be a good way to get one’s feet wet in a safe and supervised setting. 

Other Options: Students may also find more opportunities independently through other organizations or provider programs that offer summer courses, internships, and/or research opportunities.  

Choosing Your Life.Changing. Experience

Choosing an international program does not need to be difficult. You may want to consider the following:

  • Location: What part of the world are you most interested in? Do you want to learn a new language or improve language proficiency in a language you are already studying? Would you consider a location based on your heritage?
  • Cost: Is cost something you need to consider? Refer to the Finances tab for more details on program cost. 
  • Credit Transfer (if applicable): How many specific course requirements do you have left to fulfill? Just CALS credits or electives? Do you have distribution or major requirements that you would like to explore completing abroad? Refer to the Academics tab for more information. 
  • Program Type: Are you interested in experiential hands-on learning, internships/research opportunities and/or semester studying abroad? Do you want a program focused on a specific discipline or theme? Do you want to take courses and interact with local students or would you prefer to be in a cohort of U.S. based students?
  • Career Goals: How will this abroad experience help you reach your career goals? Is there a faculty member leading one of the programs offered at Cornell that you would like to work with or possibly meet? 

Watch this short video (transcript included) to learn more about choosing a program and where to begin your search. Explore the variety of options available to you at Experience Cornell.

Watch this short video (transcript included) on how to search for programs. 

There are many factors that go into choosing a program. Students may choose a program based on location, language, academics, or a variety of other interests. With semester programs, a common theme is course selection and how credit will be attributed to major and college distribution requirements. Below you will find information regarding credits for each major, minors, pre-health, and CALS distribution. Note: Seniors planning to study abroad their final semester should reference the Apply webpage for more details. 

 

Use the course approval database (coming soon) to reference courses that have already been approved for major or college distribution. Please note, some courses only qualify for general elective credit (hours towards graduation). Watch this short video (coming soon) on how to use the database.

Access the database here. 

Students can earn college distribution through abroad coursework. Humanities and CALS credits are the two most requested and commonly earned credits from abroad. While you may earn credits for written/oral expression, they are more difficult to get approved as they must meet certain guidelines. If you would like to submit a class for review, before submitting for review, please check the written expression guidelines (FWS guidelines) and the oral expression guidelines. 

 

Students should not attempt to fulfill their diversity requirement while abroad. External diversity credit will not be reviewed unless the additional criteria outlined in the CALS Distribution Requirements has been met.  

Pre-Med:

 

Pre-Vet:

Students on the pre-veterinary track are not recommended to take veterinary school prerequisites abroad.

Students seeking to transfer credit from abroad toward a minor should reach out to their minor department directly. CALS Student Services, cannot approve for minor credit. 

Agricultural Sciences will accept approved courses for major core and concentration requirements. If a student wishes to meet core requirements with abroad classes, they will need to seek additional approval with Kari Richards (ksu2 [at] cornell.edu (ksu2[at]cornell[dot]edu)). There is no limit on the number of courses/credits that may returned as for major requirements from abroad (approval required). 

 

If a student is on the pre-veterinary track, it is recommended they do not take veterinary school prerequisites abroad.

 

When to go Abroad: Students can go abroad any semester. If students are on a pre-veterinary track and plan to attend vet school right after graduation, they are strongly encouraged to meet with  to plan coursework accordingly to ensure they meet all major requirements and prerequisite coursework before graduation. 

 

Major Advice: Get excited, start planning/exploring, be flexible, and let us collaboratively help to connect you with fellow abroad students and opportunities. 

 

The following programs are academically aligned for Agricultural Sciences majors; however, there are other options if you are not focusing on your major. 

Animal Science will accept approved courses for concentration requirements. If a student wishes to meet core requirements with abroad classes, they will need to seek additional approval with Lindsay Glasner (lig27 [at] cornell.edu (lig27[at]cornell[dot]edu)).

 

If a student is on the pre-veterinary track, it is recommended they do not take veterinary school prerequisites abroad.

 

When to go Abroad: Students can go abroad any semester. If students are on a pre-veterinary track and plan to attend vet school right after graduation, they are strongly encouraged to meet with Lindsay Glasner to plan coursework accordingly to ensure they meet all major requirements and prerequisite coursework before graduation. 

 

Major Advice: Going abroad is absolutely an option for any student, but planning is vital. Work closely with the Office of Global Learning as well as Lindsay Glasner for major requirements.

 

The following programs are academically aligned for Animal Science majors; however, there are other options if you are not focusing on your major. 

Contact Annmarie Card (ac2666 [at] cornell.edu (ac2666)ac2666 [at] cornell.edu (@cornell.edu)) for Atmospheric Science abroad course approvals. 

 

The following programs are academically aligned for Atmospheric Science majors; however, there are other options if you are not focusing on your major (coming soon).

CALS students majoring in Biological or Environmental Engineering will follow the Engineering curriculum requirements. Contact Brenda Marchewka (bee-ugrad [at] cornell.edu (bee-ugrad[at]cornell[dot]edu)) for course approvals. 

Biological Sciences will count up to two courses taken abroad toward the major. To count a course toward a concentration, students must get their faculty advisor's approval. For approval of any other Biological Sciences major requirement, or for other questions, please contact Jeff McCaffrey (jm298 [at] cornell.edu (jm298[at]cornell[dot]edu)) in the Office of Undergraduate Biology (OUB). Biology students should also reference the OUB Study Abroad page, for more detailed information. 

 

When to go Abroad: Biological Sciences can work with students to incorporate study abroad into any semester. Most of our majors go abroad during spring of junior year.

 

Major Advice: Most Biological Sciences majors will take concentration courses abroad because they don’t need to correlate with courses taught at Cornell. Courses like organic chemistry, physics, and biochemistry at Cornell sometimes require two courses taken in order. This can present a challenge when exploring abroad options. Students can meet with an OUB advisor to help with long-range planning. 

The following programs are academically aligned for Biological Sciences majors; however, there are other options if you are not focusing on your major. 

Contact David Ryan (bsoc [at] cornell.edu (bsoc)bsoc [at] cornell.edu (@cornell.edu)) for Biology and Society abroad course approvals. 

 

The following programs are academically aligned for Biology and Society majors; however, there are other options if you are not focusing on your major (coming soon).

Biometry and Statistics students can count abroad courses for BTRY major requirements on a case-by-case basis. Courses must be approved by the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Advising, Julia Aquadro (jra269 [at] cornell.edu (jrs269)jrs269 [at] cornell.edu (@cornell.edu)), and the DUS. Students should schedule a meeting with the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Advising to discuss their abroad courses. 

 

When to go Abroad: Biometry and Statistics students may go abroad any semester with the exception of their first year. Sophomore or Junior transfer students must be at Cornell for at least one full semester. 

 

Major Advice: Meet with Assistant Director of Undergraduate Advising early to discuss major requirement completion.

 

The following programs are academically aligned for Biometry and Statistics majors; however, there are other options if you are not focusing on your major (coming soon).

Communication major students are allowed credit from one upper-level elective. This class must not overlap with current Communication upper-levels (i.e., a student cannot take an intercultural communication class abroad AND take COMM 3720, Intercultural Communication). Contact Ashlee Cherry (ac2396 [at] cornell.edu (ac2396[at]cornell[dot]edu)) for course approvals. 

 

When to go Abroad: Communication majors can go abroad any semester with the exception of first year students. Sophomore or Junior transfer students must be at Cornell for at least one full semester. Students must be on track with their requirements. Most Communication majors go abroad Junior year. 

 

Major Advice: Meet with a study abroad advisor, attend an information session, and then meet with Ashlee Cherry (ac2396 [at] cornell.edu (ac2396[at]cornell[dot]edu)) to discuss course approval. 

 

The following programs are academically aligned for Communication majors; however, there are other options if you are not focusing on your major. 

 

Contact Annmarie Card (ac2666 [at] cornell.edu (ac2666)ac2666 [at] cornell.edu (@cornell.edu)) for Earth and Atmospheric Sciences abroad course approvals. 

 

The following programs are academically aligned for Earth and Atmospheric Sciences majors; however, there are other options if you are not focusing on your major (coming soon).

Entomology students may apply up to two courses per semester taken abroad toward satisfying their physical or life science requirements, in consultation with their academic advisor or DUS. Additionally, they may apply up to two upper level courses per semester similar to the Entomology Group A and Group B courses toward satisfying those requirements, again in consultation with their academic advisor or DUS.

 

When to go Abroad: Any semester is fine for that experience with the exception of first years. Sophomore or Junior transfer students must be at Cornell for at least one full semester.We have had students do all semesters from Sophomore to first semester Senior year. Since some of our more popular upper level entomology courses are only offered in alternate years, this requires a bit more planning and flexibility for the student and their advisor.

 

Major Advice: Do it, and to make it work, start talking with your advisor in the first year/first semester (transfer students). That may seem premature, but it will help you plan which semester(s) to be away and what courses you may be able to take abroad so you do not need to take them here. Planning earlier than later may also allow you to take a couple of language courses, which could enrich the cultural aspects of your time abroad.

 

The following programs are academically aligned for Entomology majors; however, there are other options if you are not focusing on your major. 

Environment & Sustainability (E&S) majors are encouraged to engage in a study abroad experience either during the academic year or during summer break. The E&S curriculum is designed to be flexible. However, students seeking to meet a core or concentration requirement with an abroad course, will need to seek approval from Suzanne Wapner (sw38 [at] cornell.edu (sw38)sw38 [at] cornell.edu (@cornell.edu) or Environment [at] cornell.edu (Environment[at]cornell[dot]edu).

 

When to go Abroad: Environment & Sustainability majors typically study abroad Junior year or in summer. Occasionally a student will choose to study abroad as a Senior.

 

Major Advice: It is never too early to start to plan your abroad experience. Review your options, talk with your advisor, connect with your college Study Abroad staff or the Office of Global Learning. Keep in mind it is possible to fulfill E&S and college requirements without needing to use your study abroad credits. We encourage students to explore new fields of study to expand and enhance both your cultural and scientific interests.

 

The following programs are academically aligned for Environment and Sustainability majors; however, there are other options if you are not focusing on your major. 

Contact Garrett Downing (gmd83 [at] cornell.edu (gmd83)gmd83 [at] cornell.edu (@cornell.edu)) for Food Science abroad course approvals. 

 

The following programs are academically aligned for Food Science majors; however, there are other options if you are not focusing on your major. 

Contact Lynn Morris (lm747 [at] cornell.edu (lm747)lm747 [at] cornell.edu (@cornell.edu)) for Global Development/Development Sociology/IARD abroad course approvals. 

 

The following programs are academically aligned for Global Development/Development Sociology/IARD majors; however, there are other options if you are not focusing on your major. 

Contact DNS Student Services (dnsstudentservices [at] cornell.edu (dnsstudentservices)dnsstudentservices [at] cornell.edu (@cornell.edu)) for Global and Public Health Sciences  abroad course approvals. 

The following programs are academically aligned for Global and Public Health Sciences majors; however, there are other options if you are not focusing on your major. 

Please note:  GPHS students may request an exemption to take the Senior Fall Capstone Class NS4600 prior to completion of NS3600 if needed in order to study abroad in their junior Spring semester.  

Information Science students can take up to two courses to count as Info Sci electives, courses taken abroad need to be at the 3xxx level or higher, and meet the minimum requirement of 3 credits.

 

When to go Abroad: Spring junior year is the most common, some students who have completed a lot of their required coursework will go abroad fall senior year.

 

Major Advice: If looking to meet specific major requirements abroad, students should be looking for equivalent Info Sci courses at Cornell. Courses need to be similar in content but do not need to be identical to existing Cornell courses.

 

The following programs are academically aligned for Information Science majors; however, there are other options if you are not focusing on your major. 

Students can count abroad courses for any major requirement. Contact Maegan Puzas Kessen (map448 [at] cornell.edu (map448)map448 [at] cornell.edu (@cornell.edu)) for Interdisciplinary Studies abroad course approvals. 

 

When to go Abroad: IDS students may go abroad any semester with the exception of first year students. Sophomore or Junior transfer students must be at Cornell for at least one full semester.

 

Major Advice: An international experience is a great way to explore the world, foster creativity, and allow you to expand on your academics. Meet with a study abroad advisor, attend an information session, and then meet with Maegan Puzas Kessen (map448 [at] cornell.edu (map448[at]cornell[dot]edu)) to discuss course approval. If seeking major course approval, courses should align with major focus areas. 

Because of the interdisciplinary nature of IDS, students are encouraged to schedule an appointment with a study abroad advisor to talk about interest and they can assist in finding an academically aligned program. However, there are other options if you are not focusing on your major and advisors can discuss this with you as well. 

Contact Kris Flahive (kf15 [at] cornell.edu (kf15[at]cornell[dot]edu)) or Kristie Milliman (klo28 [at] cornell.edu (klo28[at]cornell[dot]edu)) for Landscape Architecture abroad course approvals. 

 

The following programs are academically aligned for Landscape Architecture majors; however, there are other options if you are not focusing on your major. 

Contact DNS Student Services (dnsstudentservices [at] cornell.edu (dnsstudentservices)ksu2 [at] cornell.edu (@cornell.edu)) for Nutritional Sciences abroad course approvals. 

The following programs are academically aligned for Nutritional Sciences majors; however, there are other options if you are not focusing on your major. 

Plant Sciences majors are encouraged to go abroad at some point during their time as a student. Study abroad is an option to consider since the curriculum is designed to be very flexible. It is not necessary to take courses abroad for Plant Sciences major requirements. While abroad, it is more desirable to take courses that reflect the region you are in since plants are everywhere. For example, a course on local floristics could be used a broadening course in the curriculum, and a course on crop production might count towards a concentration in plant production or as a broadening course. More fundamental courses such as soils, physiology, genetics, pathology, etc. will transfer, but these are also offered at Cornell--so while abroad, take courses that are unique to the region you will be in.

 

If you do want to bring back one or two courses for PS major requirements, the PSCC will consider those on a case-by-case basis. A current and complete syllabus must be submitted with the petition for each such course; and if you take the course before approval is given, you should not assume that the course will satisfy PS major requirements. With just the title of a course, we cannot judge if it is equivalent to a Cornell course; hence, the need for the syllabus. 

 

When to go Abroad: Plant Sciences students generally go abroad in their junior year. If you elect to study abroad during your fall semester senior year, you will not be able to earn Distinction in Research.

 

Major Advice: The plant science curriculum has room to take courses outside the major. So, while abroad, take courses that you cannot take while at Cornell - even if they won’t count for the major.

 

The following programs are academically aligned for Plant Sciences majors; however, there are other options if you are not focusing on your major. 

Contact Kathy Arnink (kja1 [at] cornell.edu (kja1)kja1 [at] cornell.edu (@cornell.edu)) for Viticulture and Enology abroad course approvals. 

 

The following programs are academically aligned for Viticulture and Enology majors; however, there are other options if you are not focusing on your major. (coming soon)

There are a variety of options to help you fund your international experience. These can include, financial aid, grants, scholarships, loans, and paid experiences. You can watch a short video on finances here

 

Semester Study Abroad Programming: Students will pay their Cornell tuition. If you receive financial aid, your package for your semester abroad will travel with you and be adjusted based on the estimated cost of attendance for the program (housing, food, university sponsored excursions, etc.). If you do not receive financial aid, the CALS Global Experiences team has created a program cost comparison worksheet

 

International Internships/Research: Some programs have built in funding available to participants, for example; CALS Global Fellows Program, Laidlaw Scholars Program, Kessler Fellows Program to name just a few. Traditional financial aid is typically not available for these opportunities. Students are encouraged to seek additional funding through Cornell grants, outside scholarship opportunities or speak with the Office of Financial Aid regarding other options like loans. Students may look for funding opportunities at Experience Cornell

 

Short-term International Programming: Students participating in Cornell administered faculty-led programs should work with the faculty and financial aid directly. If participating in a program that is not a Cornell program, students are responsible for the full cost. Financial Aid will not cover the cost of summer/winter programs. Students are encouraged to seek additional funding through Cornell grants, outside scholarship opportunities or speak with the Office of Financial Aid regarding other options. 

 

To learn more about international programming finances go to the Office of Global Learning's finance webpage