Interdisciplinary faculty-led programs and unique course experiences add value to students’ international education.
Thousands of students travel from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, each year to study abroad for a week, a semester, or a summer, one of many life-changing college experiences that also build career skills.
The gains from travel to a foreign country go far beyond mastering a new language, learning about history, and experiencing a different culture. International education fosters skills of adaptability, creative problem-solving, and navigating differences, the types of competencies employers value.
“Studying abroad is honestly the best experience I’ve had in college so far. It has helped me mature,” said Courtney Lynch, a political science major who took advantage of a UT summer abroad trip to Bologna, Italy. “Traveling in a foreign country by myself also helped me create a better understanding of people around me and the world in general.”
Through the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), students find interdisciplinary, faculty-led study abroad courses and additional opportunities that make them stand out in their future careers.
The college’s alumni and friends fund scholarships and awards that make travel to a foreign country affordable, and services such as the Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center guide students in preparing applications for support within and beyond the college.
Bridge Classrooms with Real-World Experiences
The university’s study abroad programs give students access to deeper experiences than typical travel. College faculty ensure that students are not just tourists but grow academically, are immersed in the culture in meaningful ways, and connect to professional networks and experiences.
When faculty from the Department of Political Science take students to London for a five-week, six-credit experience, they don’t just tour Windsor Castle, the Tower of London, and Westminster Abbey. Students also typically meet with multiple members of Parliament. Plus, there is an option to add an internship to the trip, such as working for a law firm or global auction marketplace.
Through the Frankel-Ricketts Global Scholars in Poland program, offered by the Department of Religious Studies, students visited the Jewish Quarter of Krakow and former Ghetto area and spent time at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum as they learned about Jewish life and culture before, during, and after World War II.
On their final night, the UT students shared a Shabbat dinner at the Jewish Community Center in Krakow. “After visiting some of the darkest places that have ever been built, being welcomed into a thriving Jewish community was incredibly powerful,” said Samuel Balter, a UT Jewish Studies Fellow in 2026-2027.
When faculty from the Department of Africana Studies take students to countries such as Ghana, Senegal, or South Africa, they include a service-learning experience along with explorations of history and Africa’s role in the world today.
Interdisciplinary Education Through Immersive International Programs
Study abroad programs exemplify the power of the college’s interdisciplinary education, connecting diverse academic fields and preparing students for complex, interconnected challenges in today’s global society.
The trip to Bologna is a collaboration between the Department of World Languages and Cultures (WLC) and the Natalie L. Haslam College of Music, immersing students in Italian language, culture, and music. They attend classes, travel to historic sites, learn how to make pasta, and not only attend concerts but perform while in Italy too.
“This interdisciplinary structure allows students—whether majoring in music, Italian, or other fields—to explore how Italy’s artistic and cultural legacies continue to shape global thought, performance, and identity,” said Associate Professor Annachiara Mariani, who leads three courses covering Italian language and culture during the trip.
Cross-cultural education, such as the honors Normandy Scholars program, brings together students from majors across the university. Combining a spring semester course and May mini-session trip, the Normandy Scholars program examines the legacies of World War II and other conflicts through social, cultural, political, and technological shifts.
Earn Academic Credit While Exploring the World
Study abroad allows students to earn college credit hours while gaining invaluable cultural and professional experiences.
In UT’s Neuroscience in the UK program students earn credit for the upper-level psychology course History of the Mind and the advanced neuroscience course The Science of Well-being.
While learning about the natural and intellectual history of the human mind and influences on well-being through a multicultural perspective, students also meet with leading scientists in the field.
Traveling to a German city such as Berlin or Freiburg, students in the Urban Sustainability study abroad program see the city in a new way, examining green spaces and neighborhoods, urban forests and waterways, farmers markets, examples of renewable energy sources, and the transportation system. A collaboration between the Department of Geography and Sustainability and WLC, the experience is one of many that allow students to earn credit for both a foreign language course and a course in another discipline.
For students earning a language and world business degree, study abroad is one option for fulfilling a requirement for practical experience, along with an internship, research, or service learning.
Jaime Ragos (’19) chose service learning at a children’s hospital in Costa Rica. “I really saw how much my Spanish grew and enhanced while I was spending my summer there,” said Ragos, who interacted with young children at the hospital and lived with a host family while learning about the country’s health care system. The experience was one of many as a UT undergraduate that allowed her to stand out when applying for medical school.
Receive Support for Opportunities Abroad
UT provides mentorship, advice, and financial support to ensure students get the most out of their college experiences through opportunities such as international study, which allows them to grow academically, culturally, and professionally.
Ragos is among the many CAS students who have successfully applied for Fulbright awards to study or teach abroad with the encouragement and support of faculty mentors. UT has been a Fulbright Top Producing Institution for eight consecutive years, recognized for the high number of students and alumni selected for the US government’s premier international academic exchange program.
UT students also receive Gilman Scholarships, Boren Scholarships, and other awards to study abroad, in addition to aid available through funds in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Global Learning in Regular Courses Too
In addition to separate study abroad programs, CAS faculty members sometimes take their courses out to the global community. Students apply classroom knowledge in real-world international contexts, fostering a deeper understanding of their fields while making meaningful contributions to communities worldwide and expanding professional networks.
Students in a geographic information science (GIS) course traveled to a village in Central America, partnering with a local community on environmental and urban planning issues. “The goal is that we can then go back every two years and follow up with one of these projects,” said Teaching Assistant Professor Mayra Roman-Rivera from the Department of Geography and Sustainability.
The Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences also is partnering with a research station in the Bahamas, an ideal location for students to hone field geology skills during a spring break trip as part of their course.
“We teach many of the same skills in the classroom and laboratory on campus, but putting these skills into practice in the field is an entirely different, and essential, experience,” said Professor Daniel Hembree.
Offering multiple study abroad programs is just one way that UT’s College of Arts and Sciences allows students to create a college pathway as unique as they are. Plus international travel is one of the ways for students to ensure they are developing the broad and deep knowledge known as T-shaped skills that employers value and that are crucial in ever-changing workplaces.
Learn more about study abroad options through the College of Arts and Sciences, individual department websites, and UT’s Programs Abroad Office.
by Amy Beth Miller