Learning in the World

Although Los Angeles and our USC campus have no shortage of opportunities to learn and grow, we encourage our students to consider expanding their perspectives through one of our many hands-on study abroad programs. We offer options for immersive experiences that last a semester, a summer, or even just a week!

Office of Overseas Studies

Through USC Dornsife’s overseas study programs, you will have the opportunity to experience another culture for an extended period of time through our semester-long and year-long programs. Regardless of your major or post-graduate goals, a study abroad experience will enrich you both academically and socially as you explore a new environment and challenge yourself to consider alternate ways of viewing the world.

USC Dornsife offers more than 50 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.

Explore Your World

    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 issue in another area of the world. It’s a short-term, highly interdisciplinary and collaborative study abroad opportunity. Through this innovative summer 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.

    Maymester

    Maymester courses are USC faculty-led courses running two to four weeks that encourage students to participate in research-based, immersive learning. As the name suggests, these courses are taken immediately following the traditional end of the spring semester in May and are part of the student’s spring semester registered course load. Previous Maymesters have included topics such as The Poet in Paris and Aquatic Microbiology on Catalina Island.

    Dornsife Washington, D.C. Program

    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 complementing their major and career goals. Past interns have worked with government agencies, NGOs, advocacy groups, think tanks, consulting firms, and congressional offices. The program also 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 Washington, D.C. Program is open to students of all majors.

    Dawn Scenic shot in Bristols
    The Eifel Tower in Paris France at dusk
    Washington DC closeup of building with cherry blossoms in the foreground