Winter 2015 & Spring Break 2015 Study Abroad Trips

Australia -- Winter 2015

Australia is truly a unique place and a great destination for a global immersion experience due to its growing business influence, welcoming culture, and many attractions.

The past course included traveling to Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, Fraser Island, and Agnes Water (Great Barrier Reef). Students participating in the previous course also visited Rio Tinto, Reserve Bank of Australia, Qantas Airlines, BHP Billiton, Google Australia, Atlassian, Australian Parliament, Common Wealth Bank of Australia, Australian Football League, Circus Oz, Foster’s Group, and the Bundaberg Rum Distillery. With two decades of unbroken growth behind it, record prices for its minerals, and an insatiable market on its doorstep, Australia is one of the world’s strongest economies.

 Snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge, visiting the Sydney Opera, riding along the Great Ocean Road with a stop at the Twelve Apostles, touring Fraser Island, holding a koala bear, and hand feeding kangaroos were just a few of the unique experiences that were part of the 2012 study trip to Australia.

The global immersion experience provides an overview of the political, economic, and cultural history of Australia. This course aims to provide a thorough introduction to Australia thereby enabling course participants to: (1) form a basic understanding and a familiarity with Australian culture; (2) proceed to a deeper level of informed comparative analysis of the differences and similarities between Australia and their own culture; (3) ultimately experience a sense of cultural immersion. Australia is the world's sixth largest country and it's the smallest, flattest continent. It's about the same size as the 48 mainland states of the USA and 50 percent larger than Europe, but has the lowest population density in the world - only two people per square kilometer.

More details regarding the 2012 course are available at the link below:



http://www-old.rhsmith.umd.edu/news/stories/2012/GlobalImmersion-AUSTRALIA.aspx

When more than 20,000 people from 20 countries were asked which country they would most like to visit if money was no option, Australia was the most common answer. This course has been offered twice at a very reasonable rate that included many unique experiences (snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge, visiting the Sydney Opera, touring Fraser Island, etc.). For 2012, it was the only short term Australia course that involved traveling to six cities in Australia.

The program fee is estimated at $3,000-$3,700 and includes UM tuition (3 credits), fees, hotel accommodations, fees for all academic site visits, field trips, and other program-sponsored excursions, transportation to all visits, one or two meals per day (lunches or dinner), and course reading materials. Airfare including internal flights are not included. Final fee will be determined at a later date. Estimated airfare: $1,700-$2,200.



Tentative Dates: Approximately January 10 until approximately January 22nd.  Apply at:

https://myea.umd.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=11098     OR
https://myea.umd.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.AdvancedSearch


Southeast Asia -- Winter 2015

Southeast Asia is a fascinating and important region of the world, characterized by remarkable diversity in culture, history, politics, and social dynamics. The global immersion experience to Southeast Asia highlights the diversity and commonalities of the region in terms of political systems, business practices, and modernization trends, religious traditions, ethnic identities, foodways, emerging social issues and dominant cultural systems.

In 2014, students visited Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. The course fulfilled the University diversity requirement. The class visited various cultural and business centers which allowed them to gain firsthand knowledge about the transformation of Southeast Asia as increasingly important players in regional and international affairs. The visits included those to companies such as the Housing Development Board, International Flavors and Fragrances, Petronas, Royal Selangor, AirAsia, A*STAR and Fusion World, Yahoo, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Airlines, APL, Universal Studios, ESPN, and BHP Billiton and cultural centers such as Singapore Zoo, Singapore Flyer, DUK Tours, Parliament of Singapore, Food Playground, Gardens by the Bay, Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore National Museum, and Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary. Finally this trip included a weekend in Thailand.

Below are links for the past course summary.

http://www-old.rhsmith.umd.edu/news/stories/2012/GlobalImmersion-Singapore.aspx
http://www.international.umd.edu/sparkplug/common/images/oip/Spring2-2012.pdf


The program fee is estimated at $2,400-$2,700 and includes UM tuition, fees, hotel accommodations, fees for all academic site visits, field trips, and other program-sponsored excursions, transportation to all visits, one or two meals per day (lunches or dinner), and course reading materials. Airfare including internal flights not included. Estimated airfare: $1,400-$1,600.



Tentative dates: Start Date Late December until approximately January 8th.  The application is available at:

https://myea.umd.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=11085

United Arab Emirates: Dubai and Abu Dhabi – Spring Break 2015

More than 380 Smith School students have traveled to the UAE making it the most popular destination for short term education abroad experiences. When offered, the UAE experience fills up within the first few hours of registration.

The modernization of Abu Dhabi and Dubai are stunning to see. The class visits some of the biggest, tallest, and most impressive megastructures in the world (Burj Al Arab, the most luxurious and tallest standing hotel tower in the world; Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world; Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, world's fastest roller coaster; Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, one of the world’s most impressive modern Islamic architectural masterpieces; Dubai Mall, the world's largest shopping destination; Emirates Palace, world’s most expensive hotel).

Untouched by the region's unrest, the UAE is the most competitive economy in the Arab World, which is a status it has achieved by diversifying its economy and entering new business sectors such as finance, transportation/logistics, clean air technology, real estate, and tourism. No other place in the world offers the possibility for students to snow ski, visit the beach, and travel to the desert in the same day!

Dubai is one of the most dynamic business environments in the world. Imposing architecture and sophisticated culture make Dubai one of the most interesting hot spots in the world to visit. Dubai brings together the highest standards of comfort and convenience with the mystical adventure of Arabia. From bustling souks to stunning skyscrapers to majestic deserts, Dubai is a truly enchanting destination to experience. Abu Dhabi is also raising its international profile. Abu Dhabi is one of the largest oil producers in the world and significantly contributes to the world's economy, making Abu Dhabi one of the wealthiest cities in the world.

The program fee is estimated at $2,300-$2,500 and includes UM tuition, fees, hotel accommodations, fees for all academic site visits, field trips, and other program-sponsored excursions, transportation to all visits, one or two meals per day (lunches or dinner), and course reading materials. Airfare not included. Final fee will be determined at a later date. Estimated Airfare: $1,000-$1,400. Apply at:

https://myea.umd.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=10479   OR
https://myea.umd.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.AdvancedSearch

For the 2014 UAE course, the entire application process was over by the end of June and no late applications were accepted.

Japan – Spring Break 2015

 



















General Details regarding all courses 



We have a deadline date posted for each of the courses but based on past experiences once we reach approximately 80-90 applications we stop receiving applications as we know that we have limited capacity. 

Completing the education abroad application does not guarantee a spot and you are not making a final commitment by completing the application. Once admitted, you would have 2-3 weeks to submitted your program deposit.

Study trips are very different from trips that you would take as a tourist. During the trip, students participate in activities closely integrated with course content including visits to multinational and local companies, meetings with government officials and senior executives, meeting with UMD graduates, and excursions to important landmarks.

These experiences provide differentiating traits that can be extremely useful when applying for internships or jobs throughout your college tenure. The short duration of these three credit hour courses provides a study abroad opportunity for students who may not otherwise be able to fit a semester-long international experience.

All of the global immersion experiences are three-credit courses that typically meet degree requirements (advanced studies requirement of the University, diversity/global competence requirements, electives, etc,).  Classroom experiences for the global courses include readings and discussions about the social, legal, economic, political and technological conditions affecting business in the country visited.



Students are expected to attend pre-departure meetings and complete the required readings prior to departure.



The courses are listed as a cross listed CPSP & HONR course but all students can participate regardless of academic major.  The course course would meet the global competence requirement.

Global Scholarships



Other scholarships are listed at:



http://www.international.umd.edu/studyabroad/4490



Mark Wellman
Management & Organization Faculty
Robert H. Smith School of Business
4552 Van Munching Hall
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742-1815
301-405-0831 TEL
mwellman@rhsmith.umd.edu
http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu