The Global Education Office and the Business and Economics Department have compiled the following information for Business majors to assist in planning for a semester of study away. Students should let their Academic Advisor know as soon as possible about their plan to study away so they can help fit this experience into the student’s graduation plan.
Academic Planning Prior to Going Away
To be eligible to study away, students in the Business major must successfully complete the following courses at Allegheny prior to studying away: It is recommended that students in the Business major should study away in the fall or spring semester of their junior year. Students who are planning to graduate early in the fall semester of their senior year should study away in the fall of their junior year. Allegheny’s graduation requirements state that a student’s final 16 semester credit hours before graduation must be taken in academic residence on campus, therefore study away during the second semester senior year is not allowed without the permission of the Dean’s Exemption Committee. Junior seminars are usually offered in the spring of the junior year and fall of the senior year. Most students take the seminar in the fall of their senior year, with the senior project the following semester. They lead into the senior project in the spring of the senior year. Both the junior seminar and senior project cannot be undertaken while studying away, but must be taken in residence at Allegheny. Neither can they be transferred from study away or other institutions. Students are discouraged from taking both the junior seminar and senior project in the same semester. Exceptions are granted by the department Chair only under extenuating circumstances. Discuss with your academic advisor if this applies to you. Plan your study abroad so you have enough time to take the senior seminar and senior project at Allegheny. The following courses in the Business major cannot be taken during a study-away program: Successfully Complete the Following Courses Before Studying Away
When should I study away?
Plan Around Your Junior Seminar/Senior Project
Courses that Must Be Taken on Campus
How Studying Away Counts Towards the Major
Students in the Business major should focus on coursework for satisfying the requirements for electives at the 200 or 400 levels.
Review the course catalog of the study away institution in advance, to make sure there are elective courses that can transfer back to Allegheny to satisfy your graduation requirements. Discuss those courses with your advisor, as well as department Chair.
There is no limit on the number of credits from study away that can transfer back towards the Business major. However, the college requires students to take at least 64 credits at Allegheny.
Students may earn between 1-4 credits for an internship taken during study away. They will transfer as BUS 530, which can be counted toward the student’s graduation credits. BUS 530 cannot substitute for a regular course in the department.
Participation in a study away satisfies the “Experiential Learning Expectations” of the Business major.
Double majors and students participating in accelerated programs should consult with their advisors to discuss how study away fits into their plan.
Suggested Programs for Business Majors in the Business and Economics Department
The following is a highlighted list of sponsored study away programs that have approved coursework for the Business major:
Program Name
Distinguishing Features
Australia: James Cook University – Townsville
In this program, students directly enroll in classes alongside Australian and international students at this university in northeastern Australia. Economics majors can take courses in management, marketing, finance, accounting, economics, and more.
China: Business Language + Culture in Shanghai (CIEE)
No Chinese language requirement.
Courses are focused on contemporary business issues affecting China and the role of the world’s second-largest economy on international business today. Company site visits and other networking opportunities allow students to apply theories learned in class and contextualize the country’s economic rise within China’s largest business hub.
Ecuador: International Development in Quito (MSID)
This has a Spanish pre-req.
Business or Economics students can focus on entrepreneurship in this program run by the University of Minnesota. Entrepreneurship looks different in each cultural context. Examine the history, development, challenges, opportunities, and role of business and microfinance in the economic and social development of the local community. The theme includes an analysis of informal sector enterprises, the role of social entrepreneurship, and an overview of key aspects of microfinance. The program includes an in-depth internship or research project.
England: Lancaster University
In this program, students directly enroll in classes alongside English and international students at this university in northwestern England. Business majors can take courses in accounting and finance; economics; entrepreneurship; management, marketing; organization, work and technology; and more.
England: Queen Mary University of London
QMUL has fourteen academic schools and 950+ modules (courses) available to study abroad students. Of particular interest for Allegheny’s Public Humanities program, the English department, and the Communications, Media, and Performance department, QMUL offers specific English & Drama focused study abroad programs. These programs include a designed curriculum of courses around a particular academic theme. Also incorporated in these programs is the option to take 1-2 self-selected topics from across the general QMUL curriculum.
France – Internship in Paris (BU)
This has a French pre-req.
The Paris Internship Program provides eight weeks of intensive French-language study and liberal arts courses, followed by seven weeks of full-time internships with organizations in the greater Paris area. Serve in the marketing or research departments of French companies. Recent placements have included Finance Innovation, and La Chaire Gouvernance et Régulation de l’Université Paris Dauphine, Supervizor and Streaming. Or, serve in the growing field of start-ups. Past placements have included start-ups in business, tech/IT, and customer relations.
France – Business, Language + Culture in Toulouse (CIEE)
No French language requirement.
Explore business, economics, history, art and art history, international affairs, and culture while improving your French language skills. Students select from courses at CIEE’s partner schools, Toulouse Business School (TBS) and Institut Catholique de Toulouse (ICT), as well as CIEE Toulouse. The option to take part in an internship offers students hands-on experience in international business. All courses are taught in English and are complemented with CIEE co-curricular activities and excursions beyond the city to enhance classroom learning and provide intercultural understanding.
In addition to excellent offerings in computer science, UCC has course offerings within their College of Arts, Celtic Studies, and Social Science, College of Business and Law, College of Science, Engineering, and Food Science, and the College of Medicine and Health. Of particular note to Allegheny, there are undergraduate courses available to visiting students in computer science, data science and analytics, digital humanities and information technology, psychology and computing, public health, film, music and theater, government and politics, psychology; biochemistry; mathematics; physics, and more.
Ireland: University College Dublin
UCD offers courses in a range of disciplines including Business, Computer Science, Humanities & Social Sciences, Law, Health Systems, Agriculture & Food Science, Pre-Physical Therapy, International Studies, Natural Sciences, and many more. Students enroll directly in university courses open to visiting international students. Students take classes alongside local Irish and other international students. Lecture class sizes at UCD tend to be large, but each module (what they call classes at UCD) also has weekly tutorial sessions which are small sections of the main class.
Italy: CET Academic Programs in Florence
In Florence, all students take an Italian language class whether they’re complete beginners or advanced speakers. After that, it’s up to each individual student to select what works for them—check required classes off your list or try something new and uniquely Italian. In addition to language, students choose three or four other classes taught in English in the fields of Art & Art History, Business, Finance, & Marketing, Economics, Italian Studies, History, Political Science, International Relations, and Psychology. There are typically about 20-25 courses available each term.
Italy: John Cabot University in Rome
JCU is a Global Liberal Arts Alliance school (GLAA) and is one of the largest American liberal arts universities operating internationally. It focuses on being a small, student-centered school and stands out in a number of academic departments including business and economics, communications, psychology, art history, humanities, international affairs, and political science. The entire institution operates in English and JCU offers around 400 courses in the fall and spring. They also offer an interesting for-credit research assistantship to students to give them an opportunity to deepen their research skills while conducting a more advanced research project in a specific disciplinary area. Faculty submit a request for research assistants to the Dean of Students office which then announces all projects to interested students so they can apply.
Senegal: International Development in Dakar (MSID)
This has a French pre-req.
Business or Economics students can focus on entrepreneurship in this program run by the University of Minnesota. Entrepreneurship looks different in each cultural context. Examine the history, development, challenges, opportunities, and role of business and microfinance in the economic and social development of the local community. The theme includes an analysis of informal sector enterprises, the role of social entrepreneurship, and an overview of key aspects of microfinance. The program includes an in-depth internship or research project.
Spain: International Business & Culture in Seville (CIEE)
No Spanish language requirement.
This program is geared toward students with beginning to intermediate-level Spanish language skills who wish to improve these skills while selecting from a wide variety of courses taught in English. Students can fulfill school requirements by enrolling in classes for international students at Universidad Pablo de Olavide (UPO) in subject areas like international relations, psychology, chemistry, biology, business, history, literature, and more. Students can also enroll in a maximum of two direct-enroll courses, in Spanish or English, alongside their Spanish peers.
Spain: Business + Society in Seville (CIEE)
This has a Spanish language pre-req.
Established in 1986 for business and Spanish majors and minors, this program helps students with intermediate to advanced Spanish language skills to improve their language skills while they explore economic and business management in Spain and the European Union. Learning takes place through coursework, lectures, internships, and company visits. CIEE Business and Society courses (SEBS) are held at the Universidad de Sevilla School of Economics and Business. Students can also take one or two regular university courses with Spanish students at the School of Economics and Business (University of Seville) or at the University of Pablo de Olavide (UPO).
USA: Washington DC Semester (American University)
The Washington Semester Program was established in 1947 and hosts each semester more than 450 students, who come from every state and from more than 50 countries. The program offers tracks in several distinct areas: American politics; public law; justice; foreign policy; peace and conflict resolution; international business and trade; economic policy; journalism; international environment and development; the arts; education policy and special education; transforming communities; and women and public policy.