Whether your area of emphasis is on Legal Studies or Criminal Justice, studying abroad can enrich your educational experiences. Study abroad will help you understand the discipline of legal studies and/or criminal justice more thoroughly; because like many other disciplines, it is continually influenced by ideas and practices from all over the world. Study abroad courses offer a direct opportunity to explore the social, political, economic and cultural determinants of the law.
As a Legal Studies or Criminal Justice student, you can study abroad during almost any semester in your college career, but there are some important factors to consider. The information below will help in your planning and conversations with the advisors in Legal Studies and Criminal Justice.
Prospective Legal Studies and Criminal Justice Students
Attend the Study Abroad Fair to have an idea of what programs may be available to you, and meet with advisors at IAP to learn more about your study abroad program options.
The more complex and/or ambitious your Legal Studies and Criminal Justice undergraduate program, such as, the number of additional majors or certificates, athletic or other heavy extracurricular involvement or leadership opportunities, doing honors, doing research, and applying for limited enrollment Colleges, the more important advance planning will be to allow a study abroad experience.
Legal Studies and Criminal Justice Course Considerations Abroad
The Legal Studies major accepts study abroad courses that have at least 25% legal studies content, so you can fulfill theme group and non-U.S. content requirements while abroad. This allows you to take classes abroad that you might not normally find at UW. Classes without a direct UW-Madison equivalent may transfer back as a Legal Studies topics course (Legal Studies 400 or 450) and then applied to a specific relevant theme group. Students are welcome to take multiple topics courses. Legal Studies advisors will review course content, eligibility and theme group assignment as requested by students.
Students pursuing the Criminal Justice Certificate may be able to receive credit if a course is relevant to one of the required areas of study. Historically students have been able to find courses meeting requirements for Group 2: Theories of Crime & Deviant Behavior, Group 3: Crime and Justice/Operations of the Justice System and Group 4: Broader Psycho/Socio/Economic Processes Related to Criminal Justice. Study abroad programs are beginning to expand their course selections to include internship components. Criminal Justice advisors will review course content, eligibility and group assignment as requested by students.
Mapping Your Study Abroad Experience as a Legal Studies Major and Criminal Justice Certificate student
There is no best time to study abroad as a Legal Studies major. If you are a double major, you will ultimately want to find the fit that works well for both majors by consulting with your academic advisors. Otherwise, you will just need to follow the guidelines listed above and plan your time abroad into your degree plan.
For students pursuing the Criminal Justice Certificate, a key consideration for deciding when to study abroad is the student’s plan for completion of their intensive criminal justice internship. Internships are typically completed junior or senior year and require preparatory courses as well as interviews with agencies. Please consult with a criminal justice advisor to discuss how to incorporate your study abroad plan with your internship plan.
Questions to Ask
To Ask your Academic Advisor
- What classes must I complete for my degree (breadth/depth, major requirements, etc.)?
- Do I need to be on UW-Madison’s campus for any courses in my major?
- How many elective do I have outside of my major?
To Ask your Study Abroad Advisor
- What classes can I take abroad?
- How and when do I select courses for my program?
- When will I know course equivalents for my program?
- What is the class structure like abroad?
Identifying Programs That are Right for You
The Legal Studies major and Criminal Justice certificate are flexible and, as a result, you can take courses at just about any university you find on the IAP website. Below are is list of programs that Legal Studies and Criminal Justice students have participated on in the past. This is not a comprehensive list and you are encouraged to review the full list of IAP programs to determine the best match for you and your interests.
Australia: Monash University Exchange
Australia, Sydney: IES Direct Enrollment – University of New South Wales
England: Lancaster University Exchange
England: UW in London
Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong Exchange
Ireland: IFSA National University Ireland, Galway
Netherlands: IES Amsterdam
Singapore: National University of Singapore Exchange
Spain: CIEE Advanced Liberal Arts & Liberal Arts in Seville
USA, Washington D.C.: UW Wisconsin in Washington, DC Internship Program
Search all IAP programs
Research all programs using the IAP Program Search page. The above is not an exhaustive list of all programs. There may be other programs that are a better fit for your individual needs or interests.