How can science (and pre-health professional) undergraduates acquire an international educational experience?  One way would be for students to enroll directly in a university in another country for a semester or two, although there are a number of very serious deterrents (<i>e.g.</i>, language, prerequisites, calendar, approval of courses, transfer of credits and grades).  Another would be for them to engage in a summer research internship abroad, although there are financial and logistical problems associated with that.  This talk will explore the academic-year study-abroad option, in which science undergraduates have historically been extremely underrepresented.  They do not believe study abroad during the academic year can be done within their seemingly inflexible programs of study, they fear a delay in graduation, the administrative obstacles appear daunting, and science faculty are not necessarily supportive of the idea.  The Boston University science study abroad programs in Dresden, Germany (since Fall 2006), Grenoble, France (since Fall 2009), and Madrid, Spain (since Fall 2012), are models that afford students the opportunity to study abroad for a full semester as science majors (<i>e.g.</i>, chemistry, biochemistry, biology, pre-health professions, etc.) while avoiding the common real and perceived obstacles.

International educational experiences for science undergraduates: Study abroad during the academic year

251st National Meeting (2016)

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