Study Abroad
We invite you to grow your perspective and experiences beyond our campus through one of our many hands-on study abroad programs. Find the program that most excites you, whether it’s a semester, a summer, or just a week!
Office of Overseas Studies
Have you ever dreamed of experiencing a new culture? Seeing historical landmarks? Or adding on to an already great academic experience in Los Angeles? Consider a semester or year abroad! You might find yourself investigating marine life in the waters off the coast of Australia, learning about Middle Eastern politics first-hand in Egypt, or practicing your language skills while staying with a host family in Japan. Through USC Dornsife’s overseas study programs, you will not only experience another culture, you will immerse yourself in it. Regardless of your major or post-graduate goals, a study abroad experience will enrich you both academically and socially as you navigate a different culture and challenge yourself to consider alternate ways of viewing the world.
USC Dornsife offers over 57 semester-long and year-long programs in nearly 30 countries all over the world. Volunteer in a hospital or gain laboratory research experience at the University of Sussex; intern with the Australian Parliament or a non-governmental organization in Canberra; focus on environmental sustainability in Costa Rica; or take weekly field trips to museums and historical sites in China. The possibilities are endless.
Problems Without Passports
An informed global citizen knows that many of the problems plaguing our society are actually issues affecting others as well on a worldwide scale. That is the premise of Problems Without Passports: our students study a global problem and travel to conduct research on the problem in another area of the world. It’s a short-term, study abroad opportunity. Through this innovative program, students have ventured to Belize to learn about the collapse of the ancient Mayan civilization through archaeological surveys and excavation, and traveled to Oxford to study international health policy and the spread of major diseases in developing countries. What global issue do you hope to examine? We’d like to help you explore it.
Maymester
Maymester courses are two-week to four-week long courses students can take immediately following the traditional end of the spring semester in May. These courses appear in the spring Schedule of Classes, but are stand-alone faculty-led program (FLP) offerings that provide exceptional opportunities for research and experiential learning off campus, throughout the United States, or even abroad.
Dornsife D.C.
USC Dornsife’s Washington, D.C. program provides students with a unique semester-long opportunity to study and work in the nation’s capital. Students take courses drawn from areas with direct policy relevance such as international relations, the political process, and economics. As part of the program, all students complete an internship that offers work experience that complements their major and career goals. Past interns have worked with government agencies, NGOs, advocacy groups, think tanks, consulting firms, and congressional offices. Additionally, the program offers a dynamic series of co-curricular and cultural events that includes a speaker series, visits to area attractions and institutions, and professional development workshops.
All courses are taught by USC faculty and practitioners who are experts in their respective fields with extensive real-world experience. The Dornsife D.C. Program is open to students of all majors.