Study Abroad

An important goal of Lehigh's program is to provide students with the confidence and skills to engage with unfamiliar cultures as global citizens. Discussions with study abroad experts revealed that many students intend to study abroad at the start of the undergraduate experience but decide not to by the junior year due to conflicts, social pressures, and campus leadership commitments. Moreover, students often fear real engagement outside of their comfort zones, either for reasons of language or other perceived differences. We believe strongly that early study abroad awakens in students' curiosity in subjects that often felt abstract or unrelated to their lives.

Traditionally, the biggest benefit to study abroad is the empowerment that students experience when they successfully negotiate travel in cultural circumstances different from their own. We anticipate that early study abroad will encourage students to modify their curriculum to include foreign language study, comparative politics and religion, or international relations.

The Global Citizenship certificate program will require a minimum of two study abroad experiences. Our model offers a structured study abroad opportunity to first-year students in the hope that their early success will be followed by the confidence to travel to an unfamiliar destination for a longer period. In addition to the first year faculty-led trip, GC students must participate in another Study Abroad program in a non-English speaking country for a minimum of a summer program that includes language instruction. Students who can choose a semester or year-long program will be encouraged to do so.


Lehigh Study Abroad Office