Education Abroad Programs
Education Abroad
Faculty-Led Summer Abroad + Required Curricular Programs
A&A Education Abroad Scholarship
Applications are being accepted for the Spring, Summer, and Fall 2026 A&A Education Abroad Scholarship. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible via the link below.
Compelling Summer Abroad Options
The College of Arts and Architecture offers a variety of international programs focused on performance, arts, and design. These education abroad course fit into your summers and add credits as well as incredible experiences. The programs are overviewed here; specifics, eligibility requirements, costs, and other details are available on the linked program sites.
Barcelona, Spain
Landscape Architecture
When: Mid-May – June
Eligibility: L.ARCH students
Barcelona is one of the most exciting cities in southern Europe, filled with music, art, festivals and food. Plazas, parks, streets and markets hum with life as the people of Barcelona exercise their penchant for community in the streets. Public spaces, formed during two millennia of creative architecture and design, are at the very soul of this Mediterranean city. There is no better place to live and study the design of vibrant urban spaces for the twenty-first century than Barcelona, Spain.
Program activities will include: visits to architectural heritage sites in Barcelona; field excursions in Barcelona; visits to private practice architectural offices and public city planning agencies in Barcelona; study tours of nearby cities Girona and Valencia (two days); group meals and other organized group activities.
Program information + registration
Copenhagen, Denmark
Biking Culture and Urban Design
When: Maymester
Eligibility: All students
This program spends two weeks immersed in biking culture in European cities in Denmark and Germany. Copenhagen (10 days) is the capital city of Denmark and sits next to the North Sea. This picturesque city has many shops, cafes and restaurants along its historic streets. It is also ranked as one of the happiest cities in the world and is widely known as the most bike-oriented city in the world, and upwards of 40% of all trips in the city are taken via bicycle! Consequently, there are significant environmental, social and cultural supports for biking. Berlin (4 days) is the capital city of Germany with many historical landmarks and modern architecture. This city has a well-developed bicycle infrastructure, a strong bicycle culture and flat terrain.
Students will have an opportunity to observe bicycle infrastructure and multi-modal transportation solutions, learn from programs and policies that support biking and learn about the role of biking in sustainable, livable communities. The required course for this program will be taught from a multi-disciplinary perspective to address the complex issues associated with biking.
Dublin, Ireland
Representing the Irish Landscape, Literature & Visual Arts
When: Maymester
Eligibility: All students
The course involves travel for four weeks in Ireland (Galway, Burren College of Art, Inis Oirr, and the Galway area), concluding in Dublin. The work of the course while in Ireland will consist of reading and discussing the common texts, visiting a number of sites through required field trips, meeting and workshopping with a number of visiting Irish artists and writers, climate scientists, activists, politicians, and farmers, exploring areas such as Inis Oirr at leisure, and drawing and writing in response to the locations.
This 4-week immersive program in Ireland combines studio practice, cultural history, and engagement with contemporary Irish art and literature. Students will work in studios at the Burren College of Art, read and write literary texts, travel in Dublin and the west of Ireland, visit museums, and learn directly from Irish artists, writers, and cultural figures. Much of the work of the course is simply being present in mind and body, engaging thoughtfully with all that students encounter, and making meaning of it through discussion and in the journal and sketchbook. The course readings will serve as an introduction to many issues in twentieth-century Irish culture and will relate to many of the places we visit. (Students will make a traditional willow basket, so plan to bring luggage with enough space to take it home!)
Korea/Japan
Study Abroad for Design Majors
When: Mid-May – June
Eligibility: Design Majors/Jr Standing (Architecture Major Preference)
The Korea/Japan Summer Study Abroad Program for Design Majors is a six-week program that addresses two areas of study that are not available at the University Park campus: experiencing contemporary urban life in two of the world’s most populated cities (Tokyo and Seoul) and first-hand exposure to non-western architectural traditions and construction technologies in East Asia. Program participants will see 4,000 years of cultural development in Japan and on the Korean peninsula, including extraordinary examples of Confucianist, Buddhist, and Shintoist inspired architecture, gardens, planning, and sustainable practices.
The first three weeks of the program are spent traveling in Japan, touring seminal Japanese works of architecture, and engaging members of the Japanese Architectural community. Then the program shifts to a three week stay in Seoul, where students will work with Penn State faculty in a studio environment that engages the urban context of the city. This portion of the program is informed by a seminar on the history and characteristics of Korean architecture, which includes weekend travel throughout the peninsula looking at significant works of architecture and topography, both ancient and modern.
Independent Study or Special Topics in Japanese or Korean culture are welcome.
Edinburgh, Scotland
Sustainability in Landscape
When: Late-May – Early-June
Eligibility: L.ARCH students
Cultural landscapes represent places, patterns and the history of human activity on the land. Conversations about climate change and actions to protect sites that will be significantly impacted tend to focus on engineering and policy to protect a place. However, many conversations and actions to 'protect' sites overlook cultural identity and historical significance. This course will look at landscapes in the public realm and consider how best to accommodate climate change within the context of community identity and traditional use, the protection of historic resources, and creative interventions to maintain sites of cultural importance and identity.
The UK, and Scotland in particular, places greater priority on historic and cultural landscapes within planning and land use policy than the US. The identification, study and recognition of such landscapes, as a matter of policy, makes planning and accommodation for climate change easier and more responsive for the recognized cultural resources and patterns. This course will review UK, and in particular Scottish, land use and heritage policies as models to better understand and protect cultural landscapes in the US at risk from climate change.
For landscape architects, architects, and planners, how a community, region or nation perceives its landscape plays a significant role in how local residents advocate for or endorse land policies designed to protect cultural landscapes. Planning initiatives to recognize and protect cultural landscapes were established in the UK in the early twentieth century. This course will introduce these policies as ideas to elevate recognition of cultural landscapes that may be accommodated within US planning and policy expectations.
Program information + registration
Rome, Italy
Music Entrepreneurship
When: Late-May – Early-June
Eligibility: All Students (Preference given to Music and Arts Entrepreneurship Minors)
This course explores the incredible career of Mario Gangi, the most important guitarist and composer in Rome during the 20th century. As a case study, the career of Mario Gangi is a wonderful learning tool for students to understand what music entrepreneurship involves and how to use entrepreneurship as a tool in service to their professional goals. The final project involves the students working with Dr. Gangi and local organizations and people in Rome to produce a concert in honor of Mario Gangi’s career.
For students who create their own music in some capacity (composing, arranging, performing) or non-creators who desire to support the production and consumption of music in some way, this course provides a solid understanding of entrepreneurial theory and shows how to apply it to the specific goals and interests of each student. This course takes an in-depth look at the extraordinary musical career of Mario Gangi and helps students to create a sustainable career using principles gleaned from the success of a Roman legend.
Program information + registration
Brno, Czech Republic
CzechMates – Internship + Summer Course
When: Late-May – Early-June
Eligibility: All students
Through a culturally-immersive learning framework, students participating in this program will explore how globalization intersects with evolving conceptions of media, communication, and culture as international phenomena in partnership with Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. At the heart of Europe, Brno is not only an internationally recognized city for industry, innovation and student life, but also an optimum gateway for exploring the beauty and complexities of European culture from its central location between Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Krakow and Prague.
Program information + registration
Lisbon, Portugal
Exploring Portuguese Gastronomy and Architecture
When: Late-May – Late-June
Eligibility: All students
This study abroad program offers students a unique opportunity to explore Portuguese gastronomy and architecture while fostering meaningful interactions with local students and communities. Participants will delve into the Atlantic Diet, sustainable food practices, and Portugal's architectural heritage through lectures, hands-on activities, and cultural excursions.
Program information + registrationRequired Curricular Study Abroad Programs
Several degree programs in the college have integrated semester abroad experiences.
FSU, Theatre Academy London
Acting + Theatre
Where: London, England
When: Third Year, Spring
Required for: Acting Majors
Open for: Theatre (BA) Majors
London has been the leading center for theatre of the English-speaking world for centuries. Today, London’s West End Theatre District is comparable to New York’s Broadway and, like New York’s Off-Broadway; London’s has a robust “fringe” theatre community offering experimental productions. However, theatre in London is far more affordable, making it more accommodating to students of the profession.
This program is housed and classes are held at the Theatre Academy London (TAL) in the heart of the United Kingdom’s capital city - home of the Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of Big Ben, the Tower of London, and the Eye. The TAL Study Centre is housed in a row of seventeenth-century townhouses in London’s historic Bloomsbury neighborhood, a very short walk from the West End Theatre District. This historic setting has been fitted with modern conveniences.
For TAL students, learning isn’t limited to the classroom. Faculty use the city of London as a textbook, incorporating field trips into their classes. Regular events include attending performances at West End theatres, the National Theatre, the Globe, and “fringe” productions in Haringey. Day trips outside of London include Shakespeare’s home in Stratford-upon-Avon, Canterbury Cathedral, Windsor Castle, the university towns of Cambridge and Oxford, and Stonehenge.
Program information
Pantheon Institute, Rome
Architecture (Option #1)
Where: Rome, Italy
When: Fourth Year, Fall or Spring
Required for: Architecture Majors
Students will be taking courses at The Pantheon Institute, which is located in the two most revered piazzas in all of Rome, Piazza Navona and Piazza della Rotunda (Pantheon). Outside your doorstep, you will find the magnificent Roman temple from which the Institute derives its name, as well as Piazza Navona, the Trevi Fountain, Campo dei Fiori and more, located within walking distance of the Pantheon Institute. It is fully equipped for architectural and other design studio operations.
Design, Urban Studies and Analysis courses are taught by the Pantheon Institute faculty with the assistance of Roman architects and local professors. A guest lecture series is part of each semester's offerings and has included world-class practicing architects, historians, and specialists in related disciplines. Courses at the Pantheon Institute follow a semester calendar with a 15-week fall session and a 15-week spring session. The specialized NAAB architecture curriculum includes Architectural Analysis, Roman Cartography, Urban Design Studio and Urban Development in Rome, among others. Students also will do a week-long field trip as part of their semester study.
Program information
DIS, Copenhagen
Architecture (Option #2)
Where: Copenhagen, Denmark
When: Fourth Year, Fall or Spring
Required for: Architecture Majors
DIS Copenhagen offers an academically rigorous, hands-on curriculum that is taught in English and unique to your needs. On your way to class, you will be surrounded by a network of walkable streets, canals lined with colorful houses, public gardens with castles, and spires dotting the skyline. Copenhagen matches 16th-century architecture with modern and inventive urban spaces, including well-planned bike lanes, harbor baths, skate parks, food markets, and more. Constantly on the cusp of new ideas, the Danish capital is changing the global agenda for sustainability, design, architecture, and food. Yet locals still embrace their cultural roots in many ways, such as gathering for smørrebrød lunches with schnapps on a weekend with family and friends. Each neighborhood has a different pulse, all connected by a stream of bikers. Regardless of the weather or season, Copenhageners often enjoy sitting outside, embracing every inch of their city.
Program information
AIB: Bonn
Landscape Architecture
Where: Bonn, Germany
When: Fourth Year, Fall or Spring
Required for: Landscape Architecture Majors
This program is facilitated by the Akademie für internationale Bildung – Institut der Karlshochschule International University, (AiB) in Bonn, Germany. The semester is centered around a design project in which students create a culturally sensitive, sustainable design for one or more sites in the city of Bonn or neighboring Cologne. Within that context, great emphasis is placed on embedding design work in the teaching and reflection of relevant local, German and European culture and (design) history, as well as German and European approaches to sustainability and social inclusivity in the landscape.
Key activities and themes of the program include a photography workshop, intercultural communication and collaboration seminar, service learning and community involvement and community service. A variety of excursions in the region and multi-day study tours to neighboring countries are included.
Program informationPicture Yourself Here...
