Study Abroad
USF Programs
Zambia Today (Summer only)
Zambia, which derives its name from the Zambezi River is home of the Victoria Falls, Mosi-oa-Tunya (the smoke that thunders), and lies in a region with the highest AIDS prevalence in the world. The service learning course in Zambia will explore the strength of a community pulling together (ubuntu) to get beyond the AIDS impasse. This 4 credit USF Study Abroad Summer Program, will achieve the best outcome through a synthesis of pre-travel service learning and a post travel reflection paper.
USF Sponsored Programs
Burkina Faso (Fall Semester only)
Study and intern with Santa Clara University's Reading West Africa Study Abroad and Immersion Program where students spend the first six weeks in the capital, Ouagadougou, and the next six weeks in a rural village in southwestern Burkina Faso. Other small villages in rural areas will be explored as well. Students with at least one year of university-level French or the equivalent are afforded an opportunity to earn credit while working on literature and development challenges of West Africa through community-based learning experiences. Students take five classes: Literature, French, Development Economics, Community-Based Learning in Village Libraries and Photography in West Africa. Courses are taught in French and English.
Morocco (Rabat)
Learn more about Morocco's rich cultural, historical and archaeological legacy by studying with Amideast's program with various local institutions and programs such as Muhammad V University-Agdal and the Center for Cross-Cultural Learning in Rabat. This unique program is designed to provide learning environments that satisfy academic as well as cross-cultural objectives, and works to meet specialized student needs or interests. Courses include studies in the Arabic, Berber, and French language, Moroccan Culture and History, Islamic Culture and History, Art/Architecture/Design, and various others in the social sciences and humanities. All courses are taught in English.
South Africa (University of Cape Town)
A program hosted at the University of Cape Town, a world class university in one of the most beautiful cities in Africa. The University of Cape Town has a multicultural student body and is located just a short distance from the downtown area of Cape Town. The university offers a wide range of classes in the Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences. USF students enroll in classes with other international students and with South Africans. All courses are taught in English.
South Africa (Cape Town - Marquette University)
Take advantage of Marquette University's unique semester-long service learning opportunity in South Africa where you will earn credit at the Leadership Academy of the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre and the University of the Western Cape while working with a community-based grassroots organization twice a week throughout the semester. Areas of field-placements include community education and empowerment, conflict resolution, HIV/AIDS, family violence, gender inequalities, sustainable living, and youth education and development. Students enroll in two required courses (Theology of Forgiveness, Reconciliation and Justice; and Leaders in Grassroots Organizations: Community Development and Social Analysis), and two-three elective courses in a variety of disciplines. All courses are taught in English.
Service Learning Uganda (Summer)
Made possible by the Foundation for Sustainable Development and generous funding from the Sarlo Foundation of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund, the summer service-learning program in Uganda aims to further USF's mission to educate leaders who will fashion a more humane and just world. Through immersion in various communities in southern Uganda, students will have a unique opportunity to engage in sustainable development work on subjects including: Micro-Enterprise, Environment, Health, Youth and Education, Women's Empowerment, Community Development, and Human Rights. Participants will engage in a semester of instruction at USF prior to their departure. They will then travel to Uganda where they will live with host families and work in community-based organizations for ten weeks. The group will then return to USF for additional instruction. Upon successful completion of the program and its requirements, participants will earn a grade for a four-unit USF service-learning course.
External Programs
American Institute for Foreign Studies (AIFS): South Africa
South Africa’s million-plus square kilometers host a variety of landscapes, from breathtaking coasts and mountains in the south to the grassland bush in the north. The tip of the continent encompasses everything from the austere flats of the Karoo Desert to the subtropical beauty in Natal’s exotic beaches, capped by the majestic Drakensberg mountain range. Spend a summer, semester or year studying abroad with AIFS in South Africa and explore this diverse and wild land for yourself.
Arcadia University College for Global Studies (CGS): Africa
Arcadia offers programs in two countries in Africa – South Africa and Tanzania. The Arcadia programs in Africa challenge you to look below the surface of daily life, engage purposefully with the landscape and people, and discover the forces and concerns shaping these countries today.
Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE): Africa
There’s nowhere more central to U.S. history than Africa. But which? Botswana, with its diamond-strong pula and lush Okavango oasis. Ghana, the namesake of West Africa’s first great empire. East Africa’s mythical, magical Tanzania. South Africa, rife with opportunities to learn and serve. Senegal, land of teranga (hospitality). Morocco, an exotic mix of French, Arab, and Western influences.
Cultural Exchange Abroad (CEA): Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Immerse yourself in student life on the campus of Nelson Mandela's Metropolitan University, the largest higher education institution in the Eastern and Southern Cape areas. Explore first-hand Port Elizabeth’s unique culture through its ethnic diversity derived from its long history of European settlements and immigration from India, Malaysia and many other foreign nations. Explore the natural beauty and biodiversity of the Eastern and Western Capes of South Africa through an exciting trip down the famous Garden Route or to one of the close-by game reserves. Live and study with South African and other international students and integrate into South African university life by participating in on-campus clubs and social events.
Institute for the International Education of Students (IES): South Africa
This program offers you the opportunity to explore the cultural, social, and economic landscape of South Africa. A required IES Abroad core course will acquaint you with the country’s historical, political, economic, religious, cultural, and social events from the beginning of the 20th century to the present. An IES Abroad elective course focuses on Social/Economic Development in South Africa and is linked to a required internship, service project, or field research project. Courses are also available at the University of Cape Town.
International Studies Abroad (ISA): Morocco
The Meknès programs provide students with little or no Arabic or French language experience the opportunity to choose among courses taught in English. However, students are required to enroll in an Arabic or French language course if they have taken less than one semester or one quarter of either language. Additionally, students will also select courses among subjects such as history, culture, business, architecture, arts, religion, politics, gender studies, and more.
NYU in Ghana
Located in Accra, Ghana’s vibrant capital city and among the most intellectually and culturally vibrant cities on the continent, NYU in Ghana takes advantage of programs and facilities at two prominent higher educational institutions in West Africa: The University of Ghana, Legon and Ashesi University. Students will also be able to take courses within NYU's own academic and research facility in Accra, just a short walk from Ashesi's campus. Through your academic courses and extracurricular activities, you will experience the artifacts of a history that has transformed both Africa and the New World.
Explore the complexities, myths, misconceptions, and misunderstandings of the world's second-largest continent. Experience the impact of globalization from local perspectives. Witness the power asymmetries between Africa and other parts of the world. Rethink stereotyped images of poverty and disaster by experiencing rich cultures and cosmopolitan communities. Discover how Africa is redefining development through self-empowerment. Areas of focus include: Sustainable development, entrepreneurship, and microfinance; environment, ecology, and biodiversity; arts, music, and cultural studies; public health; conflict transformation and human rights; and identity studies.
School for Field Studies (SFS) - Environmental Field Studies: Kenya and Tanzania
In Kenya, SFS students live at our Kilimanjaro Bush Camp (KBC) in the remote foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, near the town of Kimana. KBC is an excellent site for examining land use and conservation issues in and around nearby national parks. The camp is nestled within a lush zone of yellow acacia trees with clear undergrowth giving a perfect view of the magnificent vegetation mosaic. Students sleep in thatched-roof bandas, with a main building, or chumba, which houses a dining room, kitchen, and a classroom. While camped at our field station in Tanzania, students will live in the Manyara area, about ten minutes drive from Lake Manyara National Park and a half hour from the famous Ngorongoro National Park. This wonderfully scenic area, world-renowned for its beauty, geography, history and wildlife, is perched on an escarpment overlooking the Rift valley and the Ngorongoro Hills, with plenty of hiking trails to enjoy.