Study Abroad
The Department of World Languages and Cultures, like UNCW, views an international experience as an integral part of any college education. Students can choose from more than 500 credit-bearing programs in over 50 countries.
To further encourage world travel, study abroad fulfills the Applied Learning graduation requisite. With many different options both in terms of location and duration, an international experience merits thorough consideration.
Every year, UNCW World Languages and Cultures faculty organize and lead unique study abroad opportunities. Take a look at this year's programs below.
Spanish
Argentina, Buenos Aires, Capital of Culture
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Dates: Coming in 2026!
Application deadline: TBA
Earn 3 credits towards your minor or major in Spanish & satisfy the 'Explorations Beyond the Classroom' requirement.
Courses Offered: SPN 303 (Conversation) and SPN 394(Each course is limited to 10 students)
Pre-requisite: SPN 202 or 215 or appropriate placement.
Students may take one of the two courses, earn three credits toward a minor or major in Spanish and satisfy the Explorations Beyond the Classroom requirement from University Studies. Courses are online during the spring semester.
Apply to SPN 303 (Prerequisite: SPN 202)
Contact: jaram@uncw.edu
Apply to SPN 394 (Prerequisite: SPN 303)
Contact: balenaa@uncw.edu
Program Overview: UNCW students will study the culture of Buenos Aires through its writers, painters, musicians, popular culture, and current events. The spring travel experience begins after classes in May. Activities include participating in a writer's class about Borges' life and stories, national art museums, live musical events to include tango lesson and show, artisan markets, sampling local gastronomy, rancho and historic cafés visits and more. Stay in an upscale apartment hotel in Recoleta, the best neighborhood for study, shopping, and exploration
Spring Break in Peru!
Mexico, Oaxaca: Here and There
Location: Oaxaca City, Mexico
Dates: May 11-May 24 2025
Application Deadline: Closed
*Students will enroll in SPN 394 during Spring 2025, which will meet weekly on Monday during the spring semester. Remaining hours will occur in Mexico.
Courses Offered: SPN 394 (prerequisite required)
Led by Valerie Rider (riderv@uncw.edu)
Application deadline: Please contact Professor Rider
Learn More Facebook
Program Overview: Learn about the Oaxacan population in Wilmington and in Mexico. Students will have the opportunity to experience Oaxacan culture and food, visit important cultural sites in Mexico, interact with and learn from Oaxacan immigrants in Wilmington and their family members in Oaxaca, and learn firsthand the effects of immigration and globalization on families and communities during this 10-day program. Students will stay with Oaxacan families for an immersive homestay experience and will visit the Universidad de La Salle Oaxaca during our trip abroad.
Summer in Spain
Location: Santander, Madrid, and other cities in northern Spain
Dates: Summer II (June 19 - August 6, 2025)
Application Deadline: March 1, 2025
Earn 3-6 credits toward your minor or major in Spanish & satisfy the 'Explorations Beyond the Classroom requirement."
Courses offered: SPN 303 and/or SPN 394 (Class is limited to 16 students) (Pre-requisite for both courses: SPN 202)
Program Overview: P R O G R A M O V E R V I E W
A C A D E M I C S
SPN 394: Exploremos Oaxaca: Language, history, and
culture. (3 credits)
Oaxaca is one of the most enchanting places in all México. Explore it in this unique study abroad opportunity and see for yourself!
Visit ancient indigenous sites, learn first-hand about ageold artesan techniques, and sample what is considered one of the world's finest cuisines. Even in México they say that! Homestays provide a window into the world you have come to visit. Let's journey together to this beautiful place!
Faculty Director and contact: Marianella Jara
Financial aid and scholarships are available for this program. Click here for more information.
German
Location: Bonn, Germany
Dates: 6/30/25-7/31/25
Application Deadline: 3/15/2025
Courses offered: GER 101, 102, 201, 202, 394
Program Overview: Located in the university town of Bonn, Germany, this deep dive into German music will take place in the city where Beethoven, perhaps the most famous of all composers, was born. A visit to his birth house will be one of the highlights. Students will get to know composers before and after Beethoven, offering a rich picture of almost 200 years of amazing creativity. Field trips around Bonn, and to the lively cities of Cologne and Hamburg will give students memorable experiences of contemporary Germany, against the background of some of Western music’s great artistic figures.
Location & Program Features
Bonn is an attractive smaller city with galleries, cafes, a large university, and museums, including the renowned Beethoven House museum. The class will visit several locales around town. 1,000 years old, Bonn is located on the picturesque Rhine River, a waterway that figures importantly in German history and legend, and you will experience that on a cruise. There is hiking in the surroundings of the city, including around an extinct volcano! Bonn is in proximity to numerous other places to visit in the region, such as Cologne with its world-famous cathedral. It is a great place to start discovering Germany.
Program Leaders: Dr. Raymond Burt and Dr. David Graber
Japanese
Japanese Study Abroad Summer
Locations: Tokyo, Hakone and Nikko Japan
Dates: December 27th 2025-January 9th 2026
Application Deadline:
Course Offered: JPN 294-700 (Prerequisite required)
Program Overview: Please contact Katrena Henderson in the Study Abroad Office. More information forthcoming soon!
Russian
Russian Literature & Drama in Translation
Locations: Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia
Dates: TBA
Application Deadline:
Courses Offered: RUS 101 or RUS 201 (pre-requisite required)
THR 295: Russian theater as a Voice of Society
RUS: 209: Russian LIterature in Translation
RUS 294: Study Abroad
Led by Ms. Roza Starodubtseva
French and Arabic
Summer in Morocco
Location: Rabat, Morocco
Dates: TBA
Application Deadline:
Courses offered: ARB 294 (Everyday Moroccan Arabic) and FRH 394 (Moroccan Conversations) or INT 394 (Global Politics of Eating-An African Perspective). Students may take one or both courses and earn 3-6 credits. This program is open to all majors.
Program Overview: Integrating classroom instruction and field-based activities, this five-week program allows you to discover and study the rich cultures of Morocco. Immerse yourself in a multicultural society at the crossroads of Europe and Africa. Live the Moroccan lifestyle: drink mint tea, eat tajines, and discuss Morocco's regional and global significance with your instructors and your Arabic- and French-speaking family
Embark on a breathtaking tour of Morocco and learn about the intersection of Berber, Arab, and French cultures. In the North, walk the thousand-year-old roads of Volubilis (an ancient Roman settlement) and let yourself be guided through the maze of the medina in Fez. The second excursion, to the South, will take you to Marrakech and the High Atlas Mountains. After a stop in Ouarzazate, this five-day trip culminates with a camel ride in the Sahara desert.
Program Leaders: Dr. Pascale Barthe with Dr. Mike Turner and Dr. Lesley Daspit
Financial aid and scholarships are available for this program. Click here for more information.
Quick Links
To see more study abroad programs through UNCW and learn about weekly information sessions, visit the Office of International Programs.