Study Abroad
Take your passion for journalism and communication wherever you go! The School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA) strongly encourages students to take advantage of our own or one of GW’s many study abroad opportunities. As a student at a foreign university, you gain insight into another culture and an invaluable understanding of the way globalization affects communication.
Undergraduate Study Abroad Requirements
Studying abroad requires planning because many of SMPA’s required courses and electives are not offered anywhere else. GW students need at least 45 credits to participate in study abroad programs with 85 percent of GW study abroad participants choosing to go abroad their junior year. You should discuss study abroad plans with your adviser as early as possible so that you are able to schedule the courses required for graduation. For more short term study abroad options, click here. Resources for students can be found here.
Find a Study Abroad Program International Student Services
International Media Seminar in Paris
The 2025 Spring semester dates are March 8-15, 2025. Applications are due October 20, 2024. Learn more here.
The short-term International Media Seminar program combines the excitement of spending spring break in Paris with a unique learning experience, focused on the changing nature of communications media in a new global environment.
During the course of the spring break, students will meet with some two dozen international media leaders — journalists, executives, scholars, and government officials. Meetings are held in classrooms, media offices, production facilities and private homes — offering a once in a lifetime behind-the-scenes experience. Free time is also scheduled into the program so that students have the chance to see the sites and enjoy the city.
Over the past fourteen years, students at the George Washington University have been able to participate in the Paris Seminar as part of a regular three-credit course SMPA 3195, "Globalization and the Media", open to all GW undergraduate and graduate students. The program is taught and chaired by Professor Lee Huebner. Student participants have found the Paris Media seminar to be a highlight of their university careers — introducing them to new places, new perspectives and new personalities. As one recent participant put it, "the Paris trip was life-changing… the trip of a lifetime."
Questions about the trip and the course can be addressed to Professor Lee Huebner at [email protected].
Both the course and the Paris Seminar are designed to give undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to study the global media landscape from a truly international perspective — not only in theory, but in fact. By talking with a wide array of experts who live and work in a foreign media environment, students are able to see familiar media issues in a new light — even as they become more familiar with other media cultures.
When Paris Was My Home
Ashley Le, JMC '19, had a once in a lifetime opportunity to go inside the homes of media leaders in Paris and experience a taste of the city during spring break. She experienced the critical role that journalism and media play for starting a dialogue that works toward positive change.
Climate, Conservation, Communication & Culture in Belize
The 2025 Spring semester dates are March 8-15, 2025. Applications are due October 20, 2024. Learn more here.
"Climate, Conservation, Communication & Culture in Belize" (SMPA 3193) is an experiential course taught by Professor Imani M. Cheers which explores the interesection of the aforementioned themes in an international context. The course is built around a core filming project in which students will learn how to edit, produce, write, and film their own short documentary.
Students will adventure through a broad range of environments and ecosystems, gathering footage along the way. This will include staying in the rainforest of Bocawina National Park before going on to explore Belize's Barrier Reef. Students will have opportunities to see Mayan ruins, learn about Garifuna culture, and visit a Smithsonian Field Station conducting research on the surrounding coral reefs. We will engage in all these activities with our documentary projects in mind, and work to understand how best to synthesize and present the interrelated themes of history, race, culture, and climate.
Questions about the trip and the course can be addressed to Professor Imani M. Cheers at [email protected]
Study Abroad FAQ
- If I'm admitted to SMPA as a sophomore, can I go abroad for a semester and still finish my required SMPA major courses?
Yes, students admitted to an SMPA major in their sophomore year can still finish all their major requirements and study abroad. It does require some planning so see both a study abroad adviser and your SMPA adviser to discuss it.
- When should I start planning for study abroad?
You should start planning for study abroad during your sophomore year. Visit the GW Study Abroad Office to learn more about programs and opportunities.
- Do I have to take classes in my major while I am studying abroad?
No, you are not required to take courses that fulfill major requirements while you study abroad. Consider using your time abroad to learn about something different.
The School of Media and Public Affairs teaches excellent courses on journalism, media and political communication. We recommend that you focus on the courses that are interesting and unique to the program you have chosen. Study art history in Italy, learn about Southeast Asian culture in Singapore, study economics and politics at the London School of Economics.
However, you may also find that study abroad provides an opportunity to get a very different perspective on your major. You may explore how media operate in another part of the world or how political communication shapes a very different society.
- Can I get courses that will fulfill major requirements while studying abroad?
Many of SMPA’s required and elective courses are not offered by foreign universities. That said, it is not uncommon to find a course that fulfills one of the JMC studies electives or PCM electives (for example, a course on comparative media). We do not recommend, however, that you plan on needing to take more than one or two courses toward the major requirements while you are abroad. See your SMPA adviser to discuss whether potential courses are likely to fulfill major requirements.
Political communication students can often find a political science course that will count toward the two upper-level required political science classes needed for majors.
For students operating under the old general curriculum requirements, we recommend that you save GCR requirements such as courses in the humanities or foreign culture and take them while you are abroad. For students operating under the new G-PAC requirements, classes taken abroad will not count for G-PAC.
- At which schools can I study journalism?
Some universities and programs available to GW students studying abroad offer courses in journalism. You are more likely to find a course that transfers as an elective than as required course for the major. Credit transfer for courses similar to SMPA courses is not guaranteed. These programs include but are not limited to:
American University Cairo, American University Paris, Arcadia London Now Bond University, CIEE Alicante CIEE Amsterdam CIEE Lima City University Curtin University of Technology Danish Institute for Study Abroad Federal University of Parana Griffith University IES Amsterdam IES Barcelona James Cook University Korea University La Trobe University Monash University Murdoch University National University Singapore Queensland University of Technology Sciences Po International Journalism Program (GW Paris) Southern Cross University Syracuse University London University of Botswana University of Greenwich University of Leeds (GW England) University of Queensland University of Stirling University of Tasmania University of Technology, Sydney University of the Arts, London University of Ulster University of Westminster Victoria University of Wellington
- How can I transfer credit for abroad courses that I think are equivalent to SMPA classes?
We strongly recommend that you visit the professor who teaches the course at SMPA if you think a course you will take has an equivalent SMPA class. Bring a copy of the proposed syllabus so the professor can let you know in advance if the course is equivalent. This will avoid any surprises upon your return. The Study Abroad Office will explain the credit transfer process at length before you leave.