How do they work?

Embedded Programs

An embedded program is any undergraduate or graduate course taken at a Penn State campus that includes an international, credit-bearing travel component.

  • Embedded programs are organized and led by Penn State faculty members.
  • Academic courses on embedded programs are taught by Penn State faculty and are considered Penn State courses.
  • The international travel component is typically 5-10 days, often during fall break, winter break, spring break, or Maymester.
  • Any student participating in the travel component must be registered for the appropriate, related course in LionPATH.
  • Students can find a list of short-term, faculty-led courses with this type of travel component online.

Studying Abroad

Students enroll as an international student at a host university.

  • Summer: typically four to eight weeks
  • Semester: 12 to 16 weeks; does not usually follow Penn State's semester schedule
  • Academic Year: anywhere from seven months to an entire year abroad
  • Students are fully integrated with local students.
  • Housing is often acquired by the student independently or in cooperation with the host university's international office.

Internships Abroad

Some Penn State education abroad programs offer internships as a component of the study abroad experience.  For example, a student might study abroad for fall semester, taking three or four classes plus a 10-20 hour per week internship for credit.  Other education abroad programs have the internships as the main focus or sole academic and cultural experience for participants.  There are a number of summer education abroad internship programs where a student will work 20-40 hours per week in the internship placement as the core study abroad experience.

To find an education abroad program that has an internship component, please review the program search results for education abroad programs with internships.

Non-academic Alternative Spring Break

Alternative Spring Break (ASB) is a highly immersive week of service projects, leadership-building and relationship-building. It gives college students the chance to make an impact on the lives of others and learn more about the challenges and opportunities facing different communities.

ASB has become an annual Penn State Mont Alto tradition, and more information about ASB is available online.