In a world of increasing interdependence, Arizona State University seeks to interact with intellectual and educational cultures throughout the world. International Programs endeavors to develop a global competence for students, faculty, and ASU as a whole. International Programs encourages students to study abroad, faculty to teach and conduct research in contact with scholars around the world, and the institution to develop fruitful forms of collaborative work with a variety of higher learning entities abroad.
The university, in its endeavors to fulfill these functions, takes cognizance of the rapidly changing world of the late 20th century. Canada and Mexico hold a special relationship as a result of proximity and membership in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Europe is rapidly developing as a supranational unit in the form of the European Community with an ethos of its own. The Pacific Rim constitutes one of the most dynamic economic regions of the world. All of these regions are interconnected through swiftly developing information channels, whose power is quickly changing the contours of higher education.
The International Programs office is administratively part of the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost. Its functions include developing and administering university programs abroad, encouraging faculty participation in exchanges, and pursuing relationships with foundations and agencies intent on furthering the international character of ASU.
Academic Programs
ASU has a number of programs intended to enhance international perspectives in the student population. They are broadly of two kinds—study abroad programs and student exchange programs.
Study Abroad Programs. Study abroad programs are arrangements with educational institutions abroad such that ASU students can study in these institutions and, at the completion of their period of study—normally either a semester or a full academic year—earn ASU resident credit for the courses taken. Outgoing ASU students are charged a program fee, and arrangements are usually made for accommodations and other student needs. ASU registration fee and tuition waivers are not normally applicable toward the costs of study abroad programs. Financial aid such as scholarships, grants, and loans may, in most cases, be applied to program costs. Once on site, ASU students may be placed in special classes created for them, or they may study alongside students from other countries.
Study abroad programs generally fall into one of three categories: language immersion programs, “island” programs, and programs in which courses are offered in English. ASU immersion programs, in which students learn the language of the host country with little or no previous language knowledge, include programs in Germany, Israel, Italy, Mexico, and Portugal. “Island” programs are those in which students take courses taught in the host country language and frequently live with host families. The courses are designed to be offered to foreign (not host country) students. ASU offers such programs in France and Spain. Programs in which students can take courses taught in English are offered in the United Kingdom but may also be offered in certain institutions in non-English speaking countries.
Exchange Programs. Exchange programs are those in which a small number of ASU students may study at a foreign institution, in return for which students from that institution have a reciprocal opportunity to study at ASU. ASU students pay their normal registration fees and tuition at ASU even though they attend the institution with which they are being exchanged. In general, ASU registration fees and tuition may be paid by scholarships or waivers. Financial aid may, in most cases, be applied to the costs of exchange programs. As in the case of study abroad programs, ASU students earn ASU resident credit on these exchange programs. Exchange programs offer students the chance to enter the mainstream of university life in the country of their choice. Normal participation in an exchange program is dependent on prior attainment of an adequate level of language competence to be able to function in classes in the host country.
In several instances, students may have the opportunity to undergo advanced-level intensive language instruction for approximately one month in the host country before the start of the academic year. The costs of these intensive language programs are not included in tuition and registration fees paid to ASU for an exchange.
ASU has exchange agreements in several countries, including Bolivia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, and United Kingdom. These and other possible locations are under constant review.
Non-ASU Programs Abroad. ASU students may participate in non-ASU programs abroad. For cases in which ASU has a consortium-type agreement, resident credit may be obtained under conditions approved by Undergraduate Admissions. Financial aid may be applicable to meet the costs of these programs.
Area Studies Programs. International Programs maintains close liaison with area studies programs, such as the Center for Asian Studies, the Center for Latin American Studies, and the Program for Southeast Asian Studies, among others.
Related Programs. Close relationships are maintained with a number of academic units on campus. The University Honors College cooperates in the creation of special programs for the benefit of its students. The Department of Languages and Literatures assists in the staffing and management of a number of study abroad programs, especially those related to language acquisition. The College of Business maintains an advising service for the College of Business students intending to study abroad.
Procedures. Students interested in participating in such programs should identify their interests as soon as possible—in the freshman year if language learning is to be involved. Students should express their interests to the International Programs office in MOEUR 124; if need be, students are directed to other offices from there. It is essential to consult with a departmental program advisor, since the return of credits ultimately depends on the concurrence of the faculty advisors. Students on an official study abroad or exchange program retain the catalog status they held at the time of their departure.
Information on the status of programs can be obtained from the International Programs office in MOEUR 124 or from the International Programs World Wide Web home page at www.asu.edu/ipo.
Before participating in a study abroad or an exchange program, students are required to complete an information package. An interview is conducted, and students are also required to attend an orientation that may last more than one day. Program fees as applicable have to be paid and deadlines met. Students should keep themselves informed of any applicable refund procedures, noting that, since study abroad and exchange arrangements sometimes commit the university, refunds are not always possible in full or in part. ASU fee refund schedules do not apply.
Other Activities
International Programs seeks to encourage a wide range of other academic activities. These activities include exchanges of faculty members and the development of institutional relationships with universities overseas to encourage joint research projects. The office also assumes responsibility for a considerable number of visitors who come from overseas to visit the ASU campus.
1998–99 General Catalog Table of Contents
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