A Tradition of Education and Service Abroad

Education Abroad, as a defining educational component, provides meaningful and diverse cultural lived experiences to enhance global citizenship and prepare thoughtful leaders committed to transforming the world.

The Mission of Education Abroad opportunities at The College of St. Scholastica is to deepen appreciation of the Catholic Benedictine Values through meaningful international educational and service experiences:

Community

Education Abroad builds community by providing opportunities to welcome the stranger, value the uniqueness of others, and strengthen knowledge of social responsibility and critical global issues.

Stewardship

Through a balance between study and experience, Education Abroad provides opportunities to experience the importance of a wise use of resources and the global environment.

Hospitality

By observing, listening and responding sensitively to others, Education Abroad puts hospitality into action. Participants not only share hospitality, but experience it through the lens of other cultures.

Respect

Education Abroad participants will learn to interact with cultural fluency, value the uniqueness of others, and treat all with dignity and respect.

Love of Learning

Through research and scholarship abroad, students’ curiosity will be peaked, instilling an openness to learning and an appreciation of global issues and concerns

St. Scholastica’s oldest and only semester long program, students travel with two St. Scholastica faculty to Louisburgh, Ireland, a small village on the west coast of Ireland.

Students live in furnished holiday cottages on the edge of the village, a brief walk away from the center of Louisburgh and miles of beautiful beach. The program consists of four 4-credit courses; topics and faculty change yearly. Irish guest lecturers and a combination of both day trips and multiple-day trips ensure that participants visit almost all of Ireland and gain firsthand knowledge of the people, history and culture.

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The biennial program will focus on theatre, literature and history in England, immersing students in the environment that inspired the plays and literature they are studying. Students choose one of the following courses: CTA 3950: London Arts and Culture (2 cr.) or ENG 3950/HON 3950: London Arts and Culture (2 cr. with a required 2 cr. course in the Spring as well for a total of 4 cr.) While abroad, students will be able to visit such historical sites as Stonehenge, the Roman Baths and Abbey, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and more!

The program includes private airport transfers and in-country transportation to itinerary items, group welcome and farewell dinners, a proper British Tea and hot breakfast every morning. Also included is shared housing in centrally located hotels throughout the program, group excursions and entrance fees, and pre-departure organizational program materials.

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This Education Abroad program is a collaboration between the Psychology and Nursing Departments focused on the Psychology of Happiness and Global Public Health in Denmark, Finland and Norway.

The purpose of the Science of Happiness psychology program is to study the science of happiness, an area of positive psychology and overall health. Students will learn about the current scientific knowledge regarding happiness and have an experiential learning opportunity to immerse themselves in Danish, Norwegian, and Finnish culture, all known to be the world’s happiest countries according to the United Nations’ rankings at World Happiness Report.

The Recipients of Care III: Global Public Health Experience program for nursing students will study the science of happiness, as an area of positive psychology and overall health as well as public health.

This is a collaborative program: The two groups will have both shared and separate activities.

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St. Scholastica’s nursing program has multiple opportunities to study abroad in the Philippines. Opportunities are available for Traditional Undergraduate Nursing, Post Baccalaureate Nursing, Doctorate Nursing Practice, and Doctorate of Physical Therapy.

The Philippines International Clinical Experience aims to develop cultural awareness and sensitivity through experiential learning, intercultural exchange, and collaboration with healthcare professionals in the Philippines.

Students utilize learned theories and concepts in providing care and understanding of differences and similarities with other cultures. Students participate in a three-week, in-country clinical experience that provides different perspectives and enhances sensitivity to the needs of patients with different cultural beliefs and traditions.

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This study abroad is an immersive 14-day study away experience in Anchorage and Homer, Alaska. Students will explore healthcare, culture, and elder care in one of the most unique regions of the U.S. This program offers hands-on learning with healthcare professionals, visits to tribal health organizations, and connections with Alaskan residents and professionals about aging in remote and indigenous communities.

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This study abroad immersive experience in Finland allows students to explore and compare business, government, leadership, quality of life, economy, education, and overall happiness in Finland versus the United States.

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Spend your break serving the San Lucas Mission in San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala.

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• Service is part of the ABE trips as students work alongside the host community to address human, social and environmental needs. Whether working with children at a low-income daycare, doing home repairs, or sifting dirt for a reforestation project, service is an opportunity to directly touch the lives of others. This service is the starting point from which we can begin to understand the needs of our brothers and sisters and the culture of the host community.
• Stewardship invites us to reconsider our habits, examine the difference between “needs” and “wants,” and consider the implications of our lifestyle choices. Through valuing simplicity in stewardship the ABE experience invites students to recognize the conveniences and luxuries that fill our lives. The ABE teams decide together how to pack only what is truly needed and how to be good stewards during the trip. At your site, your choices may be limited by geography, money, transportation and safety.

  “Live simply so that others may simply live.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

• Spirituality is part of the ABE experience as it is expressed by the ABE teams. Spirituality in the context of ABE brings together participants’ faith traditions, the Catholic Benedictine tradition of social justice and the Gospel call to service. The ABE program welcomes any student who is open to exploring and sharing issues of faith. Spirituality is how we express our own faith, beliefs and convictions, and the Benedictine tradition of St. Scholastica. Nightly reflections will give you the opportunity to share your own spirituality and learn from others in the light of the day’s experiences in the trust-filled setting of your ABE team.

  “Prayer disarms the human heart.” ~ Edward F. Gabriele

• Solidarity recognizes that we are all part of one human family despite national, racial, religious, economic, or ideological differences. Solidarity respects the value of the individual while affirming the common good. There are many communities involved in ABE trips: the ABE team, the host community, the St. Scholastica community, and beyond. Participants are not simply individuals who experience ABE trips on their own, but rather they are a community that is there to support and challenge each other throughout the experience. ABE teams reflect together in challenging support of one-another, and grow as a community through shared work. Through ABE, the ABE team and host community mutually benefit from the presence of each other.

  “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” ~ Margaret Mead

• Social Justice challenges students to recognize that it is not enough to simply do service. For example, when someone is hungry, we need to feed him/her. We also need to ask why the person is hungry and seek to change the social systems that create such issues in the first place. The dignity of the human person calls us to create social conditions that enable all people to achieve their full potential. Beyond direct service (e.g. serving a meal or roofing a house) ABE teams discover the political, economic, social, historical and religious issues which impact all of us. Through presentations, guest speakers, storytellers and educational opportunities, ABE trips seek to guide students to understand the interconnection between personal and societal responsibility.

  “If you want peace, work for justice.” ~ Pope Paul VI

The College of St. Scholastica Social Work program has a formal exchange agreement with the Alice Salomon Hochschule (ASH Berlin) in Berlin, Germany. ASH Berlin offers Social Work courses in English and German language courses for students with limited language experience. The International Office at ASH Berlin provides support for students and organizes a diverse cultural program and regular international get-togethers for exchange and international students. Students have the opportunity to come together, network and get to know Berlin.

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The National Student Exchange (NSE) provides accessible and affordable collegiate study away among member colleges and universities throughout the United States, Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. NSE students exchange across state and provincial borders of North America to take advantage of diverse academic offerings, cultural opportunities and regional differences of our member colleges and universities. Options for special programs, honors and study abroad are also available. Students may exchange for a semester or academic year.

St. Scholastica partners with the Washington Semester Program at American University in Washington D.C. This program provides substantive real-world experiences through internships in Washington D.C. Students expand their networks and gain valuable skills for a competitive edge in the job market. Courses offered through the program allow students to explore headline topics from a distinctly Washington D.C. perspective. Taught by experienced AU faculty, these courses make Washington D.C. your classroom, bringing students face-to-face with local, national and global experts in the government, non-profit, media and corporate sectors.

The College of St. Scholastica is an affiliate partner with CIS Abroad. St. Scholastica students can study or intern abroad with CIS.

The College of St. Scholastica is an affiliate partner with WorldStrides. St. Scholastica students can study or intern abroad with WorldStrides.

The College of St. Scholastica is a member of ISEP. St. Scholastica students can study abroad on ISEP Direct programs at over 60 institutions in more than 35 countries. ISEP Direct programs give students access to living and learning alongside locals for a uniquely immersive experience.