The International Experience Requirement

International Business students gain direct experience with diverse cultures throughout their course of their studies, but never more so than during their International Experience. IB students learn to analyze and work within different cultures by spending a significant amount of time in a cultural background that varies from their own.

As requirements may vary depending on the student's program, all studetns should complete the International Experience Approval Form as soon as their plans start to form, and prior to staring their International Experience, to ensure their plans will satisfy their International Experience requirement. 

Study Abroad

Most IB students complete their International Experience by studying abroad, either through McCombs or Texas Global.  These programs generally fall into one of the following categories:

Exchange Programs: These programs are built around an exchange of students between UT and the internaitonal institution.  Tuition is paid to UT, many forms of financial aid can be used towards these programs, and classes are considered "in residence" so reviewed for equivalencies is usually straightforward.  However, space in these programs is often limited, and application deadlines often come early.

Short-Term Programs:  These programs are led by UT faculty and are between 3 and 10 weeks in duration, and include Summer Faculty-Led programs and May Term programs (see below). These courses are considered in-residence at UT, and some some forms of financial aid may be used towards these programs.

Affiliate Programs: These programs are operated by affilate organizations under agreements with UT Austin.  Costs include a program fee paid to the operating organization, and courses are transferred to UT and  just like they would be from any other college or university, although students may request review of a course to determine its UT euqivalnecy prior to travel.  Typical forms of financial aid usually do not apply to affilate programs, but there are a number of other funding options available to students for these programs.

Unaffiliated Programs:  Occasionally students complete a study abroad program that is unaffiliated with UT, although this does involve more administrative effort on the part of the student.  Anyone interested in pursuing study abroad through an unaffiliated program should speak to their advisor to facilitate planning.

Note About May Term Programs

May Term programs (formerly known as "Maymesters") are short study abroad programs that take place immediately after classes conclude in the spring term, and typically last four weeks.  Due to their limited duration, some special limitations apply to if/how they may satisfy an International Experience requirement.

Minors in Global Management:  Due to the significance of the international cultural experience to the coursework that is part of this major, only May Term programs that include coursework focused on a cultural aspect of the destination may be used to satisfy the International Experinece requirement.  Click here to download a list of May Term programs offered this year that are approved for this minor.

Minors in International Business:  A course taking as part of a May Term programs may count as the three optional hours of international expeirence credit.

Majors in International Business - Skills Track:  A May Term program may satisfy the International Experinece requirement, but note the student may need to complete sufficient hours to meet the 120 credit hour total for the degree.

Majors in International Business - Language Track:  Due to the significance of the international cultural experience to the coursework that is part of this major, only May Term programs that include coursework focused on a cultural aspect of the destination may be used to satisfy the International Experinece requirement.  Click here to download a list May Term programs offered this year that are approved for this major generally, and note the location of the International Experience must also align with the geographic region on which the student is focused to receive approval.

International Internships

Students looking to satisfy their International Experience requirement with an international internship should contact the Global Readiness Adivser as soon as possible to discuss their options and complete the International Experience Approval Form prior to starting their internship.  Students looking to use an International Internship to satisfy their BA 353 requirement must also request permission to enroll in the course.

To satisfy the International Experience requirement, regarless of major or program, an internship must:

• last at least 6 weeks, and
• consist of at least 160 hours.

Students looking to satisfy their International Experience with an internship are responsible for securing their position, arranging for their own transportation and housing, and ensuring that all other documentation (e.g. visas) are completed in a timely manner.

Global Career Launch Programs through Texas Global

Global Career Launch programs put teams of undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty together to work or conduct research abroad on an issue or topic related to the host country.  These programs typically include a stipend, and students with demonstrated/documented financial need are automatically eligible for a stipend of $4,000, in addition to other available financial support.  More information on Global Carer Launch Programs is available through Texas Global.  

Internationally-Facing Internships

Students in Skills Track of the International Business Major may be able to satisfy their International Experience requirement through an “internationally facing” internship – one in wich the student is based in the United States but has a predominate focus on internationally-based projects .  It is expected that these internship will include a substantial degree of international business responsibility including significant interaction with individuals and businesses outside the U.S.

Internationally-facing internships are approved on a case-by-case basis by the IB Faculty after an in-depth review of the position's duties, and interested students should  complete the International Experience Approval Form prior to staring the internship to inquire if/how the internship may satisfy the International Experience requirement. 

Alternative International Experiences

Occasionally students satisfy their International Experience requirement through an alternative experience, such as volunteering abroad.  Any alternative Intenrational Experinece is expected to have sufficient structure and cultural exposure to ensure the pupose of the requirement is met.  These alternatives are experiences expected to be in the form of a single trip abroad of at least six weeks, and will be reviewed and approved by the IB faculty on a case-by-case basis.  Students interested in completing an alternative international experinece should complete the International Experience Approval Form prior to travellling to inquire if/how the experinece may satisfy the requirement.

Students Unable to Travel Abroad

In the event that a student is unable to travel abroad due to circumtances outside of their control (e.g. public health or other extenuating circumstances) they may be able to complete an research project or internationally-facing internship to satisfy the requirement. A student must be within 3 semesters of graduation and must demonstrate a good faith effort to go abroadto avail themselves of this flexibilty, and decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis by the IB Faculty.  Students should speak with their academic advisor as early as possible to avail themselves of this flexibiltiy.

REQUESTING CREDIT FOR STUDY ABROAD EXPERIENCES

Students completing their International Experience requirement through an exchange or affiliate study abroad program will need to transfer their courses back to UT, at which time UT typically accepts the course in one of two ways:

Direct Equivalents to Existing UT Courses

A course that transfers to UT as the direct equivalent to a UT course can then be used to satisfy either a specific degree requirement or can count as elective hours

Unspecified Subject Matter Hours

A course that transfers to UT as undpecified subject matter hours is given a general course number within a UT discipline and can generally count as elective hours or towards other degree requirements that do not specifically .

Students interested in a specific program can review courses previously approved as part of that program by visiting the program's informational page through Texas Global (search here) and clicking on "My Credit Abroad courses" on that page. This will open a list of courses that previous students have completed as part of that program, and how they have transferred back to UT.

Students looking to satisfy a specific degree requirement or course should use the My Credit Abroad database to search by UT course number. 

Students interested in taking a course abroad that has not previously been reviewed by the university should work with their study abroad advisor to request a course equivalency review for the proposed class.  These request may be submitted prior to travel, and can provide assurance to students as to how the course they plan to take will be credited by UT.

Please Note:  When taking classes abroad students should be aware about the following potential pitfalls.

1. Upper Division Hours: Many degree requirements can only be satisfied with upper division hours - i.e. course number with the second two digits of 20 or higher (for example IB 329s is upper division, but IB 319S is not).

2. Credit Hours versus Classes: Most classes at UT are 3 credit hours, but not all  courses taken abroad transfer back to UT as 3 credit hours, so students should be careful when reviewing degree requirements that they do not equate "3 required hours" with "one class taken abroad."  Credit horus are reflected in the first digiti of the UT course number.