The Path to Study Abroad

International Programs

1. When do I Start?

You should begin exploring study abroad options as soon as you receive the letter of admission from Linfield as a first year or transfer student. Every student, regardless of major or academic discipline, has the opportunity to study for a semester or a year in various cities around the world and in one of approximately fifteen locations during the January term in faculty-led short term programs.

2. How do I fit study abroad into my Linfield Education?

Discuss these opportunities with your faculty advisor during the first few meetings after you arrive on campus. Plan how the semester abroad or January term experience will fit into your Linfield degree. Somof the programs are available in the fall while others are in the spring…but there also are programs that are offered both semesters. Many of these programs, including January Term programs, offer courses that fulfill the Linfield Curriculum.

3. What about fulfilling my majoror minor course requirements?

You can link certain majors and minors with a study abroad experience and get credits toward graduation requirements (see list in this flyer); but, bear in mind that you will only spend a third of your time taking courses in your major. That means that most of your course work is done outside of your major, broadly distributed around the college’s many other departments. However, it is the richness of perspective on all our major fields that we believe is especially enhanced through study abroad. Research and surveys clearly show that graduate school selection committees and employers regard applicants with study abroad experience more favorably than those without. And acquiring a second or third language is an added bonus – a skill highly valued in today’s global marketplace. With careful planning, spending a semester or January term abroad will not slow down your progress toward graduation. All credits earned in Linfields programs abroad can be applied to your degree objective.

4. No matter what your field of study is, there is a program for you:

Australia/New Zealand: Australia:	Deakin University with campuses in Melbourne, Geelong and Warrnambool; James Cook University with campuses in Townsville and Cairns. New Zealand: University of Canterbury in Christ- church; University of Otago in Dunedin and University of Waikato in Hamilton. Students select courses from curriculum for international students.
Austria:	German language, music, history.
China:	Peking University offers Chinese language and a variety of liberal arts subjects (all majors)
Costa Rica:	Spanish language, environmental studies, history and culture, community service
Ecuador: Quito:	Students select from University of San Francisco’s international student curriculum, covering a wide variety of disciplines (all taught in Spanish); the Quito campus has state-of-the-art science facilities allowing our natural science majors to take lab courses in Ecuador (all majors).
The Galapagos:	ecology, biology, marine life, environmental studies (all taught in English).
England:	Students choose from the international student curriculum at the University of Notingham-check their website
France:	French language and a variety of liberal arts subjects
Hong Kong:	Students select from a large curriculum for international students at the Hong Kong Baptist University, taught in English
Ireland:	Students select from the curriculum for international students at the National University of Ireland in Galway - see their website
Japan:	Japanese language, politics, economics and history at Kanto Gakuin University in Yokohama. In the Rikkyo Program in Tokyo, the university curriculum for international student (covering a wide variety of disciplines, all taught in Japanese)
Korea:	Yonsei University offers a broad curriculum for international students, covering a wide variety of disciplines, all taught in English
Mexico:	Spanish language, history and culture, archaeology and anthropology (electives in art, sociology, literature, and community service)
Norway:	Programs at both Oslo University College and Telemark University College in Bø offer curriculum taught in English that covers most majors
Spain:	Selected institutions, Spanish majors only

January Term off-campus courses: Courses, subject area and study sites vary each year; some courses are repeated every other year, but many new ones are offered by Linfield faculty each January.

5. Special Features of Linfield’sInternational Programs

Language semester programs offer homestays – a great opportunity to establish long term connections, to be fully immersed in the culture, traditions and norms of the people there and to enhance your language proficiency through daily practice and use with your host family. Other programs are apartment style or dorms.
The cost of a semester abroad program is similar to what it would be if you were on the McMinnville campus for an equivalent time.
Linfield pays for the round trip air fare from Portland to the study abroad site for your first experience.
At certain sites, you can make a significancontribution by engaging in community service/volunteer work such as working with an orphan-age or with the Habitat for Humanity projects.
The January term off-campus courses offer thematic, interdisciplinary studies on such topics as lifestyle and longevity in Japan, environmental economics in Australia, creative writing in literary Britain, technological and environmental advancements and concerns in China, medieval philosophy in Europe or eastern philosophy in China, health care in India, the Cameroons or Australia, politics and tragedy in ancient Greece, politics of the past in Russia, British politics, marine biology in Hawaii, Arab civilization in Spain, and many others.

6.Life after Linfield... the value of International Education

Our alumni often tell us that their semester abroad or January term experiences were indeed life transforming, and enabled them to chart new career and professional opportunities afterwards. Many recent alumni have extended their world adventure by winning scholarships for study, research and teaching through special opportunities such as Fulbright and Japan Exchange Teacher programs (check www.linfield.edu/pressfordetails on recent awards).

7. What are the qualifications, prerequisites and requirements?

Overall requirements:

Students must have successfully completed at least one semester at Linfield before applying for semester abroad or a January Term off-campus course.
Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 to be considered for any semester/year or January term (program (program/location-specific requirements are noted below).
Applicants must be in good academic and social standing.
Applicants for foreign language programs are expected to maintain a B in the language courses prior to participation.

Program-Specific Requiements and Prerequisites: all GPA’s are cumulative

(language requirements listed below must be college level)

Australia/New Zealand:	GPA of 3.0 required.
Austria:	GPA of 3.0 preferred; one year of German, 2 preferred
China:	one year of Chinese
Costa Rica:	one year of Spanish, 2 preferred
Ecuador:	Quito: GPA of 3.0 preferred; 2 years of Spanish Galapagos: GPA of 3.0 required; one year of Spanish, a course in general biology and a course in ecology required
England:	3.0 GPA required
France:	Angers: one year of French Aix-en-Provence: two years of French Avignon: three years of French
Hong Kong:	meeting overall requirements above; no language prerequisites
Ireland:	3.0 GPA required
Japan:	Kanto Gakuin University: two years of Japanese Rikkyo University: two years of Japanese; for majors only or by special permission from the Modern Languages Department
Korea:	meeting overall requirements above; no language prerequisites
Mexico:	one year of Spanish, 2 years preferred
Norway:	3.0 GPA required; no language prerequisites
Spain:	2 years of Spanish required, Spanish majors only

8.How do I get started?

Learn more about the program of your choice. An application form can be downloaded for you to complete. Bear in mind that there are limited slots for each of these opportunities. You need to pay attention to the deadlines and the instructions for completing and submitting the application. If you have met minimum standards for overseas study, you will be invited to interview with the selection committee. Once you are admitted, the International Programs Office will help you prepare for your world adventure.