Study Abroad

The next application deadline is Mar 1, 2024

Overview

The SIT Morocco: Migration and Transnational Identity program examines the factors driving migration in Morocco and elsewhere in North and sub-Saharan Africa. During the program, you consider how human mobility is shaped by aspects of culture, including religion, security, youth culture, desertification and poverty. Although there is no language requirement, students with a background in French will find ample opportunity for French language practice while also learning Arabic.

Academics

On this program, you will examine the historical, economic and political roots of African migration to Europe as well as the related issues of integration politics, transnationalism, and identity. You will take courses that focus on the following themes, Migration and Transnational Identity, Arabic (all levels), Research Methods and Ethics, and Independent Study Project (ISP).

The ISP gives you the unique opportunity to apply what you have learned over the semester in an independent field-based research project supervised by a local adviser.

Program Features

The program is based in Rabat; however, because SIT believes that you learn from experience, you also participate in several excursions throughout the semester, which may include a village visit as well as a trip to Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Due to the highly mobile nature of this program, you live in a combination of homestays, hostels, hotels or private homes.

Eligibility

Review eligibility to ensure that you meet all Columbia requirements to study abroad.

Review the external program webpage to understand any additional program prerequisites.

Application Instructions

To apply, you must complete the two steps below. Deadlines vary and some applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Therefore, you should complete the steps below simultaneously:

• To apply for Columbia clearance (approval) to study abroad, click on "Start Your Application" on this webpage. Clearance applications are approved on a rolling basis until the application deadline listed on this webpage.

• To apply for program admission, complete an external application directly on the program webpage. Note that this deadline may be in advance of the Columbia clearance deadline.

The next application deadline is Mar 1, 2024

Overview

The CIEE Ghana: Arts and Sciences program is a supported direct-enrollment program with the University of Ghana in Legon. The University of Ghana in Legon offers a wide range of courses offerings in the humanities, basic and applied sciences, education, and health sciences.

Academics

You will be enrolled at the University of Ghana in Legon, which is the oldest, most diverse campus community and largest university in the country. The program is directed towards those who want to study the political, economic, and public health challenges facing sub-Saharan Africa and developing nations and focus on the history and cultural practices in West Africa.

You will also have the opportunity to take a language and culture course at CIEE's study center to help you integrate and better understand Ghana's current cultural, societal, and political themes.

Program Features

You have two housing options, which are on-campus dormitories or a homestay. In the University of Ghana dormitories, you will live with a roommate from CIEE, Ghana, or another country.

The program also includes field trips and excursions to places such as Kumasi, Dodi Island, Elmina, Cape Coast, Aburi Botanical Gardens, the Wli Falls in the Volta Region, and day trips to the National Museum, the Dubois Center, and the Nkrumah Mausoleum. Local conditions dictate which field trips and excursions are offered each semester and are subject to change.

Eligibility

Review eligibility to ensure that you meet all Columbia requirements to study abroad.

Review the external program webpage to understand any additional program prerequisites.

Application Instructions

To apply, you must complete the two steps below. Deadlines vary, and some applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Therefore, you should complete the steps below simultaneously:

• To apply for Columbia clearance (approval) to study abroad, click on "Start Your Application" on this webpage. Clearance applications are approved on a rolling basis until the application deadline listed on this webpage.

• To apply for program admission, complete an external application directly on the program webpage. Note that this deadline may be in advance of the Columbia clearance deadline.

The next application deadline is Mar 1, 2024

Overview

The CIEE South Africa: Arts and Sciences program in Cape Town is a supported direct-enrollment program with the University of Cape Town (UCT). The program allows you to explore South Africa's diverse landscape of beaches, forests, and mountains while learning about contemporary South African life and society. UCT offers a variety of academic disciplines and course offerings.

Academics

UCT is a prestigious university established in 1829 and is internationally recognized as one of Africa's leading research institutions. UCT offers a wide variety of coursework in subjects such as Afrikaans, Gender Studies, Economics, Sociology, History, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, and more. You will take regular classes alongside local South African students in all UCT faculties except Health Sciences and the Graduate School of Business.

Please note that you must take at least 1 course specific to African content or that offers an African perspective. Any course you take with "Africa" in the title will most likely be exclusively with other international students.

Note the academic calendar for this program does not align closely with Columbia University. For instance, the Fall semester typically begins in mid-July and ends in mid-November.

Program Features

You can choose from three different housing options: a homestay, an apartment-style residence hall with other African students, or shared apartments near campus with fellow CIEE students. Former students have suggested that living in a homestay or residence hall offers you will find more significant connection with the community and with long-term residents. The UCT student body is 6% American, so one of these options may give you greater access to local life and culture.

You will also be able to participate in various artistic and cultural activities provided by CIEE to expand your learning beyond the classroom. Past activities include engaging in community service and connecting UCT students through the peer-to-peer connections program.

Eligibility

Review eligibility to ensure that you meet all Columbia requirements to study abroad.

Review the external program webpage to understand any additional program prerequisites.

Application Instructions

To apply, you must complete the two steps below. Deadlines vary, and some applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Therefore, you should complete the steps below simultaneously:

• To apply for Columbia clearance (approval) to study abroad, click on "Start Your Application" on this webpage. Clearance applications are approved on a rolling basis until the application deadline listed on this webpage.

• To apply for program admission, complete an external application directly on the program webpage. Note that this deadline may be in advance of the Columbia clearance deadline.

The next application deadline is Mar 1, 2024

Overview

In the SIT Cameroon: Development and Social Change program, you will have the opportunity to learn how Cameroonians are striving to strengthen a shared cultural heritage and bolster national political and economic cohesion while preserving diversity in the face of globalization and the country's socio-economic needs. Although French language skills are tremendously helpful, it is not required to apply to the program.

Academics

The coursework will focus on three major socio-cultural groups—Bamiléké, Bagyeli, and Anglophones—and you'll discover the complex relationships between development, modernization, and social change. You will take several courses while abroad, such as Modernization and Social Change in Cameroon, Development Studies, French (all levels), Research Methods and Ethics, and Independent Study Project (ISP).

This program is particularly unique in that local Cameroonian students fully participate in the program with the study abroad students.

Program Features

You spend several weeks in a number of different homestays throughout Cameroon. In addition, SIT provides a one-week excursion to visit France as part of the program to learn more about development and immigration.

SIT programs involve learning about different aspects of the culture through a hands-on approach. With this in mind, the program involves multiple excursions to places such as Dschang and Kribi.

Eligibility

Review eligibility to ensure that you meet all Columbia requirements to study abroad.

Review the external program webpage to understand any additional program prerequisites.

Application Instructions

To apply, you must complete the two steps below. Deadlines vary, and some applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Therefore, you should complete the steps below simultaneously:

• To apply for Columbia clearance (approval) to study abroad, click on "Start Your Application" on this webpage. Clearance applications are approved on a rolling basis until the application deadline listed on this webpage.

• To apply for program admission, complete an external application directly on the program webpage. Note that this deadline may be in advance of the Columbia clearance deadline.

The next application deadline is Mar 1, 2024

Overview

The SIT South Africa: International Relations in the Global South program explores the politics and culture of rapidly changing South Africa, Swaziland, and Mozambique. Through lectures, discussion, field-based activities, and excursions, you will learn about South Africa's continued struggles with the legacy of apartheid.

Academics

You will be able to choose from two program tracks. On the journalism track, you'll work with award-winning journalists at Times Media Group in Cape Town to carry out the full scope of story development, from identifying and researching story ideas, determining newsworthiness, finding sources, working with editors, and adhering to the highest standards of journalism. And, on the research track, you'll conduct field research and produce a substantive academic paper.

You will also enroll in courses related to the following topics, Memory and Reconciliation in South Africa, Development, Transformation, and Nation Building, isiZulu Language, and Independent Study Project or Independent Study Project in Journalism.

Program Features

The program is based in Durban, a city known for its fusion of African, Western, and Eastern influences. However, due to the highly mobile nature of the program, you will spend the first portion of the program living in the township of Cato Manor, near Durban. As you participate in excursions, you will stay in rural homestays and independent housing in the final weeks of the program.

SIT programs emphasize learning by experiencing, and therefore you also participate in several educational excursions to places such as Johannesburg, Cape Town, and southern and northern KwaZulu-Natal.

Eligibility

Review eligibility to ensure that you meet all Columbia requirements to study abroad.

Review the external program webpage to understand any additional program prerequisites.

Application Instructions

To apply, you must complete the two steps below. Deadlines vary, and some applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Therefore, you should complete the steps below simultaneously:

• To apply for Columbia clearance (approval) to study abroad, click on "Start Your Application" on this webpage. Clearance applications are approved on a rolling basis until the application deadline listed on this webpage.
• To apply for program admission, complete an external application directly on the program webpage. Note that this deadline may be in advance of the Columbia clearance deadline.