Study Abroad

Your opportunities at Butler for immersive, global learning are endless. Over 100 programs serve students in all the languages we offer.

Take advantage. Passport in hand, the lessons you learn from venturing beyond the familiar can’t be taught in a classroom. They’re lessons you’ll take with you forever.

Each year up to 150 Modern Languages students plunge themselves into cultures on six continents, via programs coordinated by Butler’s Center for Global Education (CGE).

You’ll surround yourself with native speakers—the absolute best way to greatly improve your fluency and ability to utilize the language(s) confidently in real-world settings. After returning to Butler, your language ePortfolio, our department’s FL 499 Senior Keystone course, and Butler’s  Career and Professional Success (CaPS)  will guide you in marketing your study abroad experiences to employers, graduate schools, and more.

Over the past few years, our students have won 15 prestigious Fulbright awards. They’re now teaching English and continuing their linguistic and cultural studies in Argentina, Brazil, France, China, Colombia, Germany, and Mexico—guided by Butler’s Engaged Learning Center.

Check out numerous Prestigious Scholarship Opportunities (scroll down to “language study”) and study abroad grants via Phi Kappa Phi, CIEE College Study Abroad, and IFSA-Butler.

Also, check out the annual Liberal Arts and Sciences $1,000 essay contest (typically due by January) and the annual John Weidner Endowed Scholarship for Altruism (typically due by March).

For international students, here’s some advice and information on Scholarships and Grants set aside specifically for you.

Where to Begin

  1. Attend an info session for the particular Study Abroad program (e.g., Alcalá de Henares, Costa Rica, Shanghai) or a general Study Abroad gathering during the year prior to leaving. General info sessions are held monthly, and a schedule can be found on CGE’s website.
  2. Meet with your academic advisor(s). Work together to determine the ideal semester or summer term in which to study abroad and identify classes that you will need to fulfill while studying abroad in order to stay on track with your academic plan at Butler.
  3. Look over the List of Approved Programs. Begin researching programs that may be a good fit for your academic goals. The list is available online or via paper copy in the CGE office: Jordan Hall, Room 133.
  4. Make an appointment to meet with the CGE Study Abroad Advisor. This one-on-one consultation will help to ensure that you have chosen an appropriate program and are on track with your study abroad plans (e.g., passport, student visa, chip and pin debit/credit card).

Obtain Course Equivalencies

If you’re looking to transfer in courses for Chinese, French, German, or Spanish credit (or for general “Foreign Language FL” credit, meaning languages we don’t offer at Butler like Arabic, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, etc.):

  1. Obtain the study abroad approval form from CGE (JH 133).
  2. List potential courses in the left-hand column.
  3. Leave the right-hand column blank.
  4. Print out and paper-clip to the approval form as much information as possible about every course. Sample syllabi are preferred. At a minimum, attach course descriptions.
  5. Bring all documents to the Modern Languages (MLLC) main office (JH 384 A).
  6. The MLLC department chair will read over your materials and, if possible, assign Butler equivalencies. Be prepared that more information may be needed.

If you’re looking to transfer in courses for Greek or Latin credit, follow the instructions above, but, take the documents to the Department of History, Anthropology, and Classics.

If you’re looking to transfer in courses for non-language credit, follow the instructions above, but, take the documents to the department or School overseeing that area of inquiry.