On faculty-led programs, you travel with renowned University of Iowa faculty and earn university credit abroad. Faculty-led programs are usually short (2-3 weeks) and take place over the summer, winter break, or spring break. Explore this page to learn more.

Summer 2024 Programs

New programs running in summer 2024

pondicherry student group india winterim program

Past programs running again in summer 2024

Deb Trusty and Students in Greece with Hawkeye flag

Ancient Perspectives, Modern Eyes

Faculty Leader: Deb Trusty

Designed specifically for Honors students and Classics majors and minors, this course will take students on a 3-week exploration of Greece. Students will reconstruct and interpret life in ancient Greece through the study of language, literature, art history, and archeology and visit key sites in Athens, Delphi, Olympia, Mycenae, Delos, Santorini, and more.

Cape Town, South Africa, birds eye view, mountains and ocean

Child Life Experiential Learning

This program is a 3-week course based in Cape Town, South Africa. You will have the opportunity to learn from a variety of hospital and clinical settings. If you are interested in health and child life, regardless of major or skill level, you are welcome to participate.

cultures of spain faculty led group in front of castle

Cultures of Spain

Faculty Leader: Luis Martin-Estudillo

Cultures of Spain is a resident-credit summer course held in Madrid, Spain that offers you an overview of the cultural landscape of Spain through an interdisciplinary approach to its history. Coursework will be reinforced with site visits throughout Madrid and the neighboring regions and cities.

National Theater, Accra, Ghana

Ghana Education and Culture

The College of Education sponsors this 15-day summer course in Ghana designed to provide you with an international experience. You will explore teaching issues through classroom visits, guest lecturers, and field trips.

irish writing program dublin group

Irish Writing Program

Faculty Leader: Inara Verzemnieks

The Irish Writing Program is a rigorous creative writing program requiring some talent, but most importantly, commitment and discipline. Its goal is to help aspiring writers become better at their craft. University of Iowa students and non-UI students are welcome to apply to the program.

Students on the Iowa Hispanic Institute program posing in front of flowering tree

Iowa Hispanic Institute

Faculty Leader: Ana Rodriguez-Rodriguez

This program is designed to improve your written and spoken Spanish and enhance your understanding of Spanish culture and life in Spain. The program offers five weeks of academic instruction and one week of independent travel. Professor Ana Rodriguez-Rodriguez serves as the faculty leader, remaining in Valladolid with you and guiding your experience abroad.

silver theater mask

London Performance Study

Faculty Leader: Loyce Arthur

This program is designed to provide you with an intensive introduction to theatre in London. The course provides three semester hours of credit.

Black and gray house in Stratford-upon-avon

Shakespeare's England

Faculty Leader: Jonathan Wilcox

In this class, you'll get out into the streets, museums, theatres, and even forests of London to see the way the city inspired and continues to inspire some of the greatest writing in English.  In addition to readings and writing that will fill the standard requirements for an undergraduate Shakespeare course, this class will offer a study abroad experience in which you get to know Shakespeare’s England through readings and performances.

Rhine River and castle in autumn

Sustainable Chemistry Along the Rhine River

Faculty Leaders: Stratis Giannakouros & Adam Brummett

The Rhine River Valley is at the heart of industrial and urban sustainability efforts in Europe and provides an ideal opportunity to collaborate with industry and academic leaders in sustainable chemistry. This course will explore urbanization, biodiversity, conservation, climate change adaptation, and mitigation in a region at the forefront of advancement in these areas.

Tegan Wharton

"For my very first time out of the country, a two-week study abroad trip to the Dominican Republic was the perfect first exposure. I was able to find a program that aligned so well with my career and academic interests surrounded by people who shared similar goals. I ended up with a new group of friends and an appreciation for other cultures!” 

Tegan Wharton, biology major, studied abroad on the faculty-led Comparative Health Systems program in the Dominican Republic

Past Programs

Athens, Greece

City of Athens: Bronze Age to Roman World

This course consists of a spring semester on-campus seminar to prepare you for travel and a three-week exploration of Athens in the summer. Each day in Greece is packed with exciting sites, museum visits, and cultural activities, bringing classroom material to life to deepen your appreciation for the rich culture of ancient Athens.

buildings and sky with clouds in santo domingo dominican republic

Comparative Health Systems

The purpose of the course is to compare the health care system of the United States to the health care system in the Dominican Republic. You will be exposed to a variety of health care systems such as large private and public hospitals, local public hospitals, the public health system, rural health systems, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). You will participate in site visits, meet with health care professionals, job shadow, and engage with members of the community to learn about their health care needs and cultural beliefs and practices that may influence health care system utilization.

Woman looking at Roman busts in the Vatican Museum

European Ceramics Studio, Rome

Study in the historical center of Rome, Italy at a non-profit organization that focuses on ceramics, residencies, exhibitions, teaching and the arts. You will complete original artwork, attend lectures, visit relevant historic and contemporary sites, and work collaboratively with a studio team of peers and mentors.

India Winterim student group with Jerry Anthony

India Winterim: Sustainable Development - the Kerala Experience

This intensive, two-week, field-based program provides you with the opportunity to learn within India’s diverse cultural, socioeconomic, and geographical mosaic. Travel around Kerala and work on a number of sustainable development projects while also gaining a deeper understanding of Indian culture.

man standing on boat in river in India with palm trees on bank

India Winterim: Water Poverty in Rural India

Faculty Leader: Allen Bradley

Learn how culture, economics, and the environment shape the sustainability of water resources in the Mewat and Alwar districts.

Tippie London winter student group

International Business in London

Faculty Leaders: Bruce Kline (FIN) and Kristy & Bob Walker (BAIS/ENTR)

This 14-day winter course in London sponsored by Tippie is designed to provide you with an international experience. You will explore business issues through class discussions, guest lecturers, and field trips, including to Bath and the Tower of London.

downtown_sydney

International Business in Sydney

This international business course will expose you to a number of small and large international businesses. You will gain a deeper understanding of international business in Asia Pacific and the management issues confronting small-medium enterprises (SMEs) and multi-national enterprises (MNEs) in the Asia Pacific Region. 

Venice Grand Canal

Virtual International Business in Italy

An Italy-based instructor and various industry speakers will guide you through examining the business, social, financial, and political response to disruptions like the pandemic and Brexit. Hands-on cultural events are infused throughout the class, including VR headsets for city visits, live tours with interactive guides, a hands-on cooking class, a language lesson, and more. 

Women walking with flags in the Dominican Republic

Women's Empowerment in the Dominican Republic 

This three credit elective course is designed to prepare you to understand and address the complex issues associated with women’s empowerment, dealing with cross-culture issues, and working with marginalized and at-risk young women. You will engage with non-profit organizations, visit local government offices, and explore the geographic and sociocultural context. You will experience and be exposed to the most respected organizations serving women throughout the Dominican Republic.

writing_greece_-_invo_session_square

Writing Greece: The Ancient World & Genre Fiction

Faculty Leader: Stephen Voyce

This course engages the rich legacy of the ancient world to foster creativity and inspire original fiction. You will visit unforgettable ancient sites; study deities, statemen, and poets; explore contemporary Greek cities; and complete daily reading and writing assignments. Creative writing may take the form of genre fiction (e.g., fantasy, sci-fi, YA) or more traditional literary fiction.