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The global nature of research highlights the importance of building mutual understanding between nations to build international collaboration in the sciences and advance the production of scientific knowledge in support of solutions to global problems. The international education goals of the School of Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering are to increase the number of STEM students pursuing international exchanges at all stages of their careers at the College of Charleston.

FYE Abroad

The College of Charleston’s First Year Experience Abroad is designed to challenge students to explore a topic through cultural immersion in the second semester of their first year. Students take a one-credit academic course and then travel over spring break. Recent SSME offerings in this program have included: Fire & Ice: Volcanoes and Glaciers in Iceland and International Health in Scandinavia - Destination Copenhagen.

Sophomore Year Abroad (Returning in 2022-2023)

The second year is a key moment in college and one where an international experience can deepen a particular interest or open doors to new unrecognized opportunities. While there are many ways to spend the semester abroad, SSME currently offers three, pre-designed semester abroad experiences in the second year. Students in their junior year can also participate in these programs.

• Engineering Abroad (Ireland or UK): Through a College of Charleston affiliate program you will have the chance to take engineering courses in either Scotland at Heriot-Watt University, or Ireland (National University of Ireland Maynooth). 

• Biotechnology and Public Health in London: The development of vaccines to fight the coronavirus global pandemic has demonstrated how basic research, public health, and biotechnology companies can work together to improve human health. We are collaborating with the IFSA Life Science Accelerator program to provide an affordable spring semester abroad program in London that focuses on the intersection of science, health, and business. 

• Biology, Marine Biology, and Environmental Studies in Australia: The global nature of climate change highlights the need for students to be both locally and globally aware of emerging issues in environmental biology and sustainability. We are collaborating with The Education Abroad Network (TEAN) to provide an affordable spring semester abroad program at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia that focuses on biology, marine biology, and environmental/sustainability studies. 

Summer Programs and Field Experiences

The School of Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering has a long tradition of offering faculty-led summer programs to a variety of international locations. You travel with other College of Charleston students and faculty while earning course credit. Some of our recent courses include - Environmental Chemistry in Costa Rica, Ecology in Panama, Tropical Ecology in Fiji, Neuroscience in Germany. Bachelor of Science in Geology requires a field experience and the department offers these courses in the American West, India, South Africa, and Ecuador/Galapagos.

Semester Abroad Programs

In the sophomore year and beyond, there are many opportunities to spend a semester abroad. Students in their junior year are welcome to explore the semester abroad options we have developed as well as explore affiliate programs that offer STEM programs that are compatible with our curriculum. For example, students in Computer Science have many options to code around the world. SSME also participates in our Trujillo Campus (Spain) fall semester abroad offerings.