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, study 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 your 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.
Information for Prospective Majors
The Elementary Education major is a full-time, two-year program, typically completed 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 freshman or sophomore year prior to 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 School of Education signature faculty-led programs that run in the summer and winter terms.
Major Course Considerations Abroad
Most courses students would be looking to take abroad will fulfill general education and Liberal Studies requirements, an outline of which can be found here. 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.
Mapping your Study Abroad Experience as a C&I Major
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.
Questions to Ask
To Ask Your School of Education Advisor
- 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?
To Ask Your Study Abroad Advisor
- 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 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?
Identifying 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. You may also check with the International Internship Program (IIP) for internship options.
The following programs are short-term summer experiences in less-traditional destinations led by a faculty member. They each focus on a different theme but all provide opportunities to engage with socioculturally and socioeconomically diverse communities in a host culture.
Australia: UW Disability Rights and Access in Australia
Belize: UW Disability, Access, and Inclusion in Belize
Costa Rica: UW Team Building in Costa Rica
Dominican Republic: Youth Engagement and Teaching ESL in the Dominican Republic
Ecuador, Galapagos Islands: UW Education, Diversity, and Community in the Galapagos Islands
Tanzania: UW Health, Education, & Tanzanian Culture
Thailand: UW Hmong Studies in Thailand
The following programs are offered through a variety of session options and take place in less-traditional destinations where there will be engagement with linguistically and socioeconomically diverse communities. Some of these programs offer internship, 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: UW Activism through the Arts
Argentina: IFSA Argentina Study Abroad Programs
Chile: CIEE Liberal Arts in Santiago
Costa Rica: UW Spanish Language in Costa Rica
Ghana: CIEE in Ghana
Nepal: SIT Development, Gender, and Social Change in the Himalaya
Singapore: UW Global Gateway in Singapore
South Africa: University of Cape Town Exchange
The following programs are offered for a semester, year, and sometimes summer sessions. They allow you to enroll in courses at a host university in a more traditional destination alongside local students (or in some cases with a group of US students). These programs offer coursework related to Education that might interest you as a prospective teacher. Keep in mind, however, that the coursework offered cannot substitute for the courses you will take in your 2-year teacher certification program.
Australia: Monash University Exchange
Denmark: DIS Copenhagen
England: UW in London (this program offers a community-based experience that can involve working with youth)
England: University of Leeds Exchange
France: UW in Paris
Scotland: University of Glasgow Exchange
Sweden: DIS Stockholm