Major Advising Page: Elementary Education
The Department of Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) hosts undergraduate majors in our elementary education program. We encourage all elementary education majors to study abroad; as pre-service teachers, studying abroad provides opportunities for global immersion, global awareness, global sensitivity, and global knowledge that complement and expand understandings that come from on-campus scholastic study alone. Further, we encourage you to seek out non-traditional destinations and, to the extent possible, immersion experiences that enable access to culturally, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse communities. Our undergraduate programs have diversity — in all of its many forms — as a central focus. For our pre-service teachers in particular, study abroad will enhance their ability to develop educational approaches, curricula, and pedagogies that offer globally diverse learners the most effective educational experiences.
Please note that while this page will primarily address undergraduate majors, we equally encourage undergraduates in our certificate programs and the pre-service teachers in our UW Teach — Secondary Education Master’s Program to take advantage of study abroad opportunities as well.
Course considerations
Most courses students would be looking to take abroad will fulfill general education and Liberal Studies requirements. Students might also take courses for certificates, additional majors, or elementary education minors while abroad. Consult with your School of Education academic advisor to see what requirements can be met with courses taken abroad. Many students in the School of Education take courses that fulfill categories such as Fine Arts, Literature, Global Perspectives, European History, Social Studies, and Humanities while abroad, and though these courses might not be part of your major, they are requirements for your degree.
Several programs do offer courses that might count toward electives for the elementary education program, and some programs offer opportunities to work directly with children through community-based learning courses. You will want to work closely with your School of Education academic advisor as well as study abroad advisors to learn more about the availability of such courses and experiences. Your experiences and learning abroad will be invaluable to your skills and competencies as teachers, but rarely will courses taken abroad substitute for courses offered through the professional sequence.
Map your experience as an
elementary education student
If you are interested in studying abroad, meet with a School of Education advisor as soon as possible to explore your options. Planning your courses carefully each semester will allow you and your advisor to see what might be possible.
Again, studying abroad for a full semester during the four semesters of the professional sequence is not possible, and so freshmen and sophomore years are the optimum time to study abroad if a student wishes to partake in a semester or year-long experience.
Once you have been admitted to the two-year professional program, you can still explore summer or winter session options.
Prospective students
The elementary education major is a full-time, two-year program, typically completed in the junior and senior years. The program requirements and the professional sequence can be found here.
If you are planning on majoring in elementary education and wish to study abroad, it is best to start planning early in your college career, as the undergraduate teacher certification program requires a sequence of teaching methods courses and field experiences that cannot be interrupted for a semester study abroad experience. (Note that at this time, there are no opportunities for student teaching abroad; however, students who are interested in teaching abroad can explore the Preparing to Teach Abroad certificate.
Options for studying abroad before starting the elementary education professional sequence can include summer pre-college launch programs, year-long freshman experiences, and semester-long or summer programs. We encourage studying abroad during the freshman or sophomore year before starting the teacher preparation program. However, even though semester or year-long programs are only allowable outside of the professional sequence, once students have begun the elementary education program, they can still participate in summer or winter study abroad opportunities. These include, but are not limited to, the School of Education signature faculty-led programs that run in the summer and winter terms.
Ask questions
- What requirements must I complete for my major/degree/certificate, and what are some good options for study abroad coursework?
- Once a program is selected, how might courses in [X] program count toward my major/degree?
- How and when can I study abroad if I am majoring in elementary education?
- Where do elementary education students typically study abroad?
- What options do I have for study abroad and/or internships related to my interests and major focus?
- How and when do I select courses for my program?
- Are there volunteering or community-based learning opportunities that are related to education?
- What are the opportunities in a particular study abroad program for me to get to know the local languages, communities, and cultural practices?
- What are the costs associated with my study abroad program? How does financial aid work, and what scholarships are available for students in the School of Education?
- What skills do careers related to my major require, and how might participating in a particular program help me gain those skills?
- When would be the best time to participate in a program based on my career goals?
- How will participating in a study abroad, study away, or international internship make me stand out?
- Why do I want to study abroad?
- How long do I want to study abroad for — a few weeks, a semester, a year?
- How does studying abroad fit into my academic, personal, and/or professional goals?
- What career skills or proficiencies will I strive to acquire or enhance on my program?
Discover programs that are right for you
While you can consider any program that interests you and you can choose to focus on your liberal studies course work while abroad, we also recommend programs with an explicit educational focus or component, one focused on working with children and/or youth in school and community settings, and/or one in which you are immersed in the lives and practices of culturally, linguistically and socioeconomically diverse communities. Below, we identify programs we recommend in various geographic locations for you to consider, but this is not an exhaustive list! Please check with IAP for other options if you cannot find something here that fits your interests.
In this section
Short-term faculty led programs
The following programs are short-term faculty led programs focused on different themes related to education. They all focus on opportunities to engage with socioculturally and socioeconomically diverse communities in the host culture.
Argentina
UW Activism through the Arts (winter intersession)
Australia
Belize
Costa Rica
UW Team Building in Costa Rica (summer)
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
New Zealand
UW Crossroads of Culture & Health in New Zealand (winter intersession)
Tanzania
UW Health, Education, & Tanzanian Culture (winter intersession and summer)
Thailand
UW Hmong Studies in Thailand (summer)
Semester/summer programs
The following programs are offered through a variety of session options and many of them take place in less-traditional destinations where there will be engagement with linguistically and socioeconomically diverse communities. Some of these programs offer coursework related to education and others offer internships, directed study, and volunteer opportunities that could be done in an educational setting or one specifically focused on children. Several of these offer opportunities to build language skills in Spanish, for example.
Argentina
IFSA Argentina Study Abroad Programs (semester and summer)
Costa Rica
UW Spanish Language in Costa Rica (winter intersession and summer)
Denmark
DIS – Study Abroad in Scandinavia (semester and summer)
England
- UW in London (spring)
(This program offers a community-based experience that can involve working with youth) - University of Leeds (semester)
France
UW in Paris (spring)
Ghana
CIEE in Ghana (semester and summer)
Nepal
Singapore
UW Global Gateway in Singapore (summer)
South Africa
University of Cape Town (semester)
Sweden
DIS – Study Abroad in Scandinavia (semester and summer)
International Internships
International internships allow you to apply your academic skills to the real world and gain valuable professional experience abroad while earning UW–Madison course credit.
As you consider your academic and professional goals for studying abroad, explore the different internship options, including UW Signature internships, internship-focused programs, part-time internships, or applying for credit for an external internship.
Check with your academic advisor to see if earning credit for your internship abroad can fulfill a major or certificate requirement.
Hear from students in your major
Explore student blogs and reflections to see how your peers have connected international experiences to their studies. Discover real stories about the skills, challenges, and professional insights gained through our programs.
Photo credit: Kathryn Stewart (Ecuador)
Want more information?
Dive deeper into how courses and credits work on our programs, or connect with an advisor to find the best fit for your goals.
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