“I chose to study in Korea because as an American-born Korean, I felt compelled to experience both a cultural and academic education that would be formally set abroad. In addition to offering a vast array of different classes to choose from, Korea offered me the perfect opportunity to get ahead in my academic track while personally expanding my vision of life.”
– Young Park, Environmental Science, Environmental Economics & Policy
There are many benefits to studying abroad, including but not limited to: expanding your worldview, experiencing a new culture, connecting with your heritage, meeting new friends, and making yourself a more competitive candidate for jobs. During their time abroad, students are able to take major classes, and explore a variety of internships and research opportunities that each program has to offer. Also, studying abroad offers a unique opportunity for development of soft skills, through adapting yourself to a new environment, communicating with people of different backgrounds, and gaining the international perspective needed to be a global professional. Studying STEM and conducting research in a different cultural context may help you broaden your understanding of applications of research methods, and the opportunity to interact and cooperate with STEM students and scholars in another country is priceless.
Not convinced yet? Check out UCEAP’s 5 Reasons STEM majors should study abroad!
Berkeley Global Internships are 6–8 week academic and internship programs offered in a variety of global cities over the summer.
Berkeley Summer Abroad includes Berkeley faculty–led courses taught in an international location.
University of California Education Abroad Programs (UCEAP) offer UC system–wide summer, semester, and year programs offered in over 40 locations that include study, research and internship opportunities.
Independent Programs allow students to take advantage of hundreds of study, internship, volunteer, and teaching opportunities around the world. These programs are not affiliated with the University of California and are typically administered by another university, institution, or organization.
There are lots of different options for what study abroad can be. You can take classes within your major, breadth classes, and/or electives. Alternatively, there are also research and internship programs including Berkeley Global Internships, UCEAP Internships, and UCEAP Research Programs.
If you’re interested in internships or research abroad, you can also check out these resources from UCEAP:
College internships you can do abroad
UCEAP Internship and Research Opportunities
Research and Fieldwork Abroad | UCEAP Study Abroad Fair
You can also choose whether you want to study abroad during the Fall Semester, Spring Semester, Summer, or for the entire academic year.
Regardless of what you choose to do with your study abroad experience, it is important to carefully plan your academics and meet with your academic adviser early to ensure you will complete requirements on time.
To search for UCEAP programs within your major, choose from a variety of fields of study listed in the Disciplines filter of the UCEAP Find a Program page. When you do that, you will be able to narrow your search by subject area. For example, here are the UCEAP programs that offer Engineering related courses.
You can also check out UCEAP’s suggestions for the best study abroad programs for STEM majors or watch previous UCEAP webinars.
Engineering and Computer Science Abroad | UCEAP Study Abroad Fair
Biological Sciences Abroad | UCEAP Study Abroad Fair
Major Credit
To learn more about taking courses for major credit while abroad, navigate to the Major Advising page and then choose your major. If your major is not listed, please reach out to your Major Adviser to learn more. Try to speak with a major adviser early to make a four-year plan, and plan how to fit in your study abroad experience!
Below are links to major or college specific study abroad websites, which include resources for academics, pre-approved course lists, and academic planning. If your major is not listed out below, please consult with your adviser to learn more about creating a 2 or 4 year plan, whether or not there are pre-approved study abroad courses, and how to petition a study abroad course for major credit.
Majors within Rausser College of Natural Resources
College of Environmental Design
Breadth Credit
Additionally, if you are a student within the College of Letters & Sciences, College of Environmental Design, and/or Rausser College of Natural Resources, you can use the Database of Pre-Approved Breadth courses to see which breadth courses are available for your study abroad program.
“My study abroad experience was amazing in every aspect. After studying abroad in Singapore and finishing my program, I have given a lot of thoughts about what I might want to do in the future.”
Maria: IB - Human Biology and MCB - Biochemistry, Singapore“For my program specifically, the Global Internships program was amazing, and matched me into my very niche field of interest—City Planning. I didn't think it was going to be possible, but I had an amazing internship and learned a ton about this field. And Prague is beautiful!"
Nathan: Data Science and City Planning, Czech Republic“Studying abroad made me realize the importance of telling stories and realizing that everyone has their own different stories. As I lived in another country, I began to appreciate and respect peoples' differences more. Additionally, I started to be more confident in telling my story and how my past has made me who I am today.”
Brandon: Ecosystems Management and Society and Environment, New Zealand