Westmont’s global program prepares students to live in a diverse, complex and quickly changing society so they can take their place as citizens of the world. The breadth of the liberal arts, the opportunity to study or serve overseas and an emphasis on developing an international perspective help graduates make a seamless transition to a global marketplace.
There's a Whole World Out ThereExplore Westmont’s Global Programs
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Global Programs at a Glance
Expand Your Horizons with Global Education
Westmont is unique in that we offer ten faculty-led semester-long programs on a rotating schedule along with programs at over 40 affiliate institutions. We encourage students to schedule a study abroad advising appointment in their first semester on campus to see how they can best prepare for an off-campus experience and fulfill GE, major, minor or elective credit.
Learn more about programs offered, when they take place, and the application process
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Global Studies Fellows Program
Have you returned from an off campus program? Do you want to explore global issues more deeply?
The Global Studies Fellows Program offers students returning from an off-campus semester the chance to be part of a special seminar course examining a wide panorama of global themes and challenges. Students who enroll in the Global Studies Fellows Seminar may also complete additional credits to achieve a minor in Global Studies.
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Mayterm Programs
Mayterm programs offer students up to 8 units of credit while studying abroad in the summer. All programs are faculty-led and provide students with an opportunity to learn, live, and engage with the culture around them while building community with their Mayterm cohort. Mayterm 2019 programs include Borders, Boundaries, and Brexits: Jerusalem to Belfast, London Theater, and Kinesiology in the UK.
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Westmont Downtown
Semester in Social Entrepreneurship
Westmont Downtown is an off-campus program training students to learn for life.
Through tailored mentoring and empathetic collaboration, students are liberated to creatively disrupt their comfort zones and faithfully love their neighbors. -
Westmont in Asia
Discover the people, places, and politics of China and India.
Want to learn about a region of the world that is really, really important? Think about it, 1/3 of the world’s population is either Indian or Chinese and much of what you’re wearing right now was probably stitched over there! But how much do we really know about these places beyond Kung Pao Chicken or the occasional Bollywood flick?
Want to experience a region of the world that is really, really important? Think about it, 1/3 of the world’s population is either Indian or Chinese and much of what you’re wearing right now was probably stitched over there. This program introduces you to the rich cultural heritage of India and China and the dramatic changes taking place in both nations. If you love cross-cultural experiences, tasting fine Asian cuisines, and learning about the oldest religions of the world, this program is custom made for you!
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Westmont in Cairo
Make your world bigger...
You can debate with your roommate whether Islam poses a global threat - or you can go to the heart of the Islamic world and find out. You can wonder whether people in the Middle East want to live in a democracy - or you can ask them. You can pray for peace in Israel and Palestine - or you can also find out how to work for peace.
During this semester you will live in Cairo, a developing world megalopolis, pulsating with energy, people and life. At the heart of the Arab World, Cairo is, in the words of the medieval traveler Ibn Battuta, um al dunya, mother of the world. You will also sojourn to Istanbul and Jerusalem. You will return to the USA as bigger people, living in a bigger world, having left a benign footprint and encouraged to make a better contribution to your home community.
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Westmont in Jerusalem
Jesus wandered here. You should, too.
Make Jerusalem home for the semester. Wander the labyrinth of the Old City. Banter in markets where shopkeepers know your name. Prep for class in your favorite café. Learn the rhythms of the Holy City, where Jews welcome Sabbath at the Western Wall, where Muslims stream to Al Aqsa for noon prayers, where Franciscans retrace Jesus’ journey to the cross. Ancient peoples jostle for space in the streets. As will you.
Westmont in Jerusalem is both disciple’s journey and student’s quest. It is challenge and reward. It is adventure and exhaustion. Don’t take the Holy Land speed tour. Stay for a while.
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Westmont in Mexico
Discover the Mexico you never knew...
Are you the kind of person who loves a challenge and an adventure? Does becoming more fluent in another language and building relationships with people of other cultures excite you? Would you like to explore Christianity in a new context and grow in ways you never thought possible? Well, Westmont in Mexico may be just for you! Westmont in Mexico (WIM) is a fall semester program led by Westmont faculty and located in the beautiful, colonial city of Querétaro.
WIM offers an integrative curriculum, in which topics learned in one class are reinforced and expanded upon in others, as well as in field trips and local excursions. Most importantly, students are learning and applying something new each and every day both inside and outside the classroom.
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Westmont in Northern Europe
Explore Christ's Call to be Peacemakers.
What does “Blessed are the peacemakers” mean for us today? Join us as we travel to fascinating places and meet remarkable people who have known first-hand the conflicts facing their countries and have been directly involved in peacemaking efforts.
The program welcomes sophomore-level students, so students who are in their first semester of college in fall 2018 are encouraged to apply. The program is also open to students who will be juniors and seniors in fall 2019, but priority in the selection process will not be determined by class standing.
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Westmont in San Francisco
Welcome to Westmont in San Francisco!
Westmont in San Francisco is an internship-based, semester-long program in which students hone the professional skills transferrable to every career and vocation: critical thinking, intercultural competence, creative problem solving, and clear communication. In a living-learning community in the very heart of the vibrant and complex city of San Francisco, students grapple with the big questions of Who am I? Who is my neighbor? What is God’s calling on my life?
Priority will be given to students who apply by the deadline. However, there may still be slots available after the standard deadline.
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Westmont's England Semester
Literature comes alive in the land of its origin
During fall semester of even-numbered years, Westmont students explore the terrain where British and Irish literature was written. Although the name is England Semester, the program reaches beyond England to Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland. England Semester brings together a community of Westmont students enlivened by new experiences, passionate about language and literature, and eager to broaden their cultural horizons.
You will learn and grow from first-hand experience of British sites, theater performances, guest lecturers, hosts, current events, and artifacts which have played, and are still playing, significant roles in English history and literature.
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Westmont's Europe Semester
What is Europe Semester?
Europe Semester couples intensive study with first-hand experience of the places and people that have shaped European history and cultures. You will travel widely, read, research, and write extensively, and learn from experts and everyday people from across Europe. Your courses will fulfill four Common Inquiries requirements from Westmont's General Education program, but your academic experience will be much more than meeting requirements.
Travel is exciting, but can also be tedious. These very challenges, however, often bring the greatest growth-- personally, intellectually, and spiritually. We hope you'll share these opportunities and challenges with us.
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Westmont's Global Health Uganda
Go Deeper. Challenge your understanding of healthcare, culture, faith in action and international development in beautiful Uganda.
Westmont’s Global Health in Uganda Program provides undergraduate students in health-related disciplines the opportunity to complete global health coursework and to participate in an international field internship in Uganda. Recent internship locations include local hospitals, clinics, child development centers, and public health organizations.
Since 80% of the population lives in rural settings in Uganda,you will visit healthcare initiatives implementing education, counseling, and clinical care alongside community healthcare workers, volunteers, and others mobilized for improved health and livelihoods in the countryside of Uganda.
Photo taken in Guanajuato, Mexico
Photo taken in Cairo, Egypt
Photo taken in Copenhagen, Denmark
All Programs by Region
An innovative approach guides Westmont’s semesters abroad: the cycle of global learning. Students spend a semester learning about the social, cultural, political, economic and religious situations in the areas they plan to visit. Once they arrive, Westmont professors guide them through immersion in a different culture, helping them understand their studies and encounters in a foreign country. Learning continues in a re-entry seminar after they return to campus, so they can fully embrace and apply their experiences and share insights with fellow students.
