Study abroad in child psychology

Many study abroad programs are open to you. Imagine interning in Denmark or England, or discovering fresh ideas in Ireland or Australia.

Study abroad can help you….

• Find great child psychology coursework and curriculum
• Understand the field of child psychology from an international perspective
• Expand your cross-cultural communication and problem-solving skills
• Prepare you to work in an increasingly diverse and international workplace
• Broaden your academic horizons
• Globalize your world view
• Improve your language skills

By its nature, child development takes place in a cultural context. There is much to be gained from understanding the history and traditions of cultures outside your own. Study abroad is one very exciting way to begin to discover new approaches and build your professional skills.

Set goals and plan for results

Child psychology students can study abroad at any time during their four years. The process of selecting a study abroad program is similar to selecting your major or minor.

• Begin your planning right away. It is never too early to start planning.
• Set some goals. There is not one program best suited for child psychology students. There are many good study abroad programs, and the best one for you depends on what you want.
• Prioritize your goals. Consider your long-term academic and professional goals, as well as your on-campus degree requirements.
• Consider short-term and long-term programs.
• Prepare academically. You may need to take language or other prerequisite courses for your chosen program.
• Give yourself time to research and talk to advisors and students who have studied abroad.

With proper planning, study abroad can help prepare you for professional life in today’s global context.

Can I afford to study abroad?

YES! Early planning for study abroad helps you make cost-effective program decisions, and it also helps you prepare you finances through savings, scholarships, and financial aid. Financial aid applies to study abroad and, in some cases, your eligibility will increase to cover additional expenses. The University of Minnesota offers more than $300,000 in scholarships for study abroad. The Learning Abroad Center provides resources on these and a variety of other scholarships available to undergraduate students. Stop by the Learning Abroad Center to research all your options.

What are my next steps?

“Study abroad will deepen and broaden your thinking about child development at the same time that it enriches your understanding of yourself, your world, and the diversity of human experience.” —Ann Masten, former director, Institute of Child Development

Attend a First-Step Meeting

Learn about study abroad resources and advising by attending a First Step Meeting at the Learning Abroad Center. See www.UMabroad.umn.edu or call 612-626-9000 for the latest schedule.

Investigate programs

Start by reading this advising sheet. Use the Learning Abroad Center catalog, resource center, Web site, and advisers to do more research. You can find a program that fits your goals.

Talk to your adviser

Use an Academic Planning for Study Abroad form to get approval from your academic adviser for major-specific courses. More than 1,800 study abroad courses have been approved for liberal education requirements.

Academic considerations for child psychology students

You are encouraged to incorporate study abroad into your academic career while still graduating in four years. In order to take courses in you major you need to plan ahead. Here are some guidelines that will be helpful.

Seek cultural immersion

• Look for programs that offer significant cultural integration. Deep involvement in the host culture leads to personal growth and instills the cross-cultural skills that are so important to success in the workplace and community.
• If you prefer to participate in a classroom-based group program, seek one that houses you with a family or host-country roommate, or look for systematic experiences outside the classroom such as internships, service-learning or research opportunities, or the option to take some courses in a host-country university.
• Be realistic. Not all students are ready for the same amount of cultural immersion.

Look for a program that provides insights into another society

• Consider a program that offers experience-based learning that gets you out of the classroom and into the community.
• Learn about other traditions and perspectives in child psychology. See how child psychologists in another country view their discipline. Choose a program where your professors are from the host country.

Internships

Ann McLoone, Institute of Child Development, must approve all internships in order to use them to fulfill requirements. This should be done during the academic planning process prior to the internship experience.

Develop or improve second language skills

• If you are at the beginning or intermediate level, consider a program where you can study a language and be surrounded by it.
• Plan your language course sequence carefully or you may find yourself out of sequence upon return to the University. French, German, Italian, and Spanish are the only languages at the University which offer each of the first four courses both fall and spring semesters. For all others, only the first and third courses are offered fall semester and only the second and fourth in the spring.

Work on your child psychology major or minor

• The department will screen overseas coursework and help you fit appropriate courses into your major requirements. Courses must have significant developmental psychology content, but do not have to be listed under “Child Psychology.”
• Use an Academic Planning of Study Abroad forms (available at the Learning Abroad Center or on the Web at http://www.UMabroad.umn.edu) to structure and document your consultation with your major adviser. Try to list more courses on the form than you will actually be able to take. A particular course or schedule may not be available on-site, and it will be useful to have received prior feedback on additional courses from the child psychology adviser. If your course choices change, get in touch with the child psychology adviser by email.
• For tentative pre-approval of a course abroad, provide a syllabus to Ann McLoone for review at least a month before departure.

Fulfill liberal education requirements

• Plan early to apply study abroad credits to the University’s liberal education requirements. Decide early which requirements you want to satisfy through courses taken abroad so you do not fulfill them on campus.
• Consult the Learning Abroad Center’s database of study abroad courses that have been approved for liberal education requirements at www.UMabroad.umn.edu/academic.

Asia and Oceania

Australia

Australian semesters run on the southern hemisphere calendar, from late February - June and late July - November. Child psychology students might find the July to November timeframe a good time to study in Australia.

University of Melbourne

The University of Melbourne is an internationally acclaimed institution, known for academic excellence and achievement in education and research. In addition, Melbourne has been voted the 'World's Most Livable City" in 2002 and 2003.

University of Minnesota child psychology students will find coursework and internships at the University of Melbourne that count for child psychology credit and liberal education credit. Subjects with a focus on child development include:

• Social and emotional development explores theories and models which contribute to the current understanding of normative patterns and individual differences in children's social and emotional development in infancy and early childhood.
• Socialization and identity explores relationships between young children's identity formation and social structures such as race, class, gender, and sexuality.
• Developmental differences studies the range of developmental differences and anomalies found in young children. Conditions such as autism, learning disabilities, and cerebral palsy are covered.
• Cognitive development provides an introduction to research methodology in developmental psychology as it covers the development of cognition in the young child from the earliest perceptual, memory; and attention capacities of the infant.

Potential internship sites include Melbourne's Youth Research Center, the Royal Melbourne Children's Hospital Center for Adolescent Health, and various early childhood education settings.

(Sponsor: University of Minnesota Learning Abroad Center)

University of Wollongong

Wollongong is located about 90 miles south of Sydney; close to beautiful mountains and beaches. With a stunning natural environment, thriving industry; and a blend of big & small city characteristics, it is an ideal place to study abroad.

The Australian Good Universities guide named the University of Wollongong the "University of the Year" in 1999-2000. The University of Wollongong offers courses in the humanities, social sciences, business, creative arts, health sciences, and much more. You may take courses to meet your child psychology and liberal education requirements.

Courses relevant to child psychology include:

• Foundations of Psychology A or B (equivalent to CPSY 1001) explores the ways the individual's biological and psychological systems function and the way in which individuals perceive and learn about their world.
• Theory Design and Statistics in Psychology (equivalent to a CPSY statistical methods course) provides students with the skills necessary to understand variability developed around an understanding of experimental methods. Students will use SPSS in this class.
• Statistics and Measurements 1 and 2 (combined equivalent to CPSY 3308).
• Developmental and Social Psychology or Education I (equivalent to CPSY 2301) addresses perceptual, cognitive, and social development of the child.
• Assessment and Intervention (equivalent to EPSY 5849, required for B. S. majors) provides an overview of procedures and programs commonly used with psychological problems such as anxiety, depression, and eating and substance abuse.
• Psychology of Abnormality (equivalent to CPSY 4311) involves a systematic examination of the variety of mental disorders found in children and adults.

(Sponsor: University of Minnesota Learning Abroad Center)

Denmark

Denmark's International Study (DIS) Program

DIS offers an innovative program, taught entirely in English, in which students examine Danish approaches to child development and education. This program is particularly suited for students in education, child development, and psychology majors; and combines theory with a supervised practicum. Students relate the concepts and issues discussed in the classroom during their fieldwork in daycare centers, early education institutions or after school programs. Child psychology students may take:

• Children in a Multicultural Context: Danish Theory and Practice (combined with Children in a Multicultural Context: Supervised Practicum is equivalent to CPSY 4996) This course focuses on multicultural education issues such as teaching practices, intercultural communication, language proficiency, under-achievement, and how one's own culture influences behavior. The influence of ethnic/racial prejudices or stereotypes and how they affect development are also studied. Students learn about tensions between Danish and immigrant traditions and values. The course enables students to make cross-cultural comparisons between the educational and social integration policies towards multicultural education in Denmark and the U.S.
• Children in a Multicultural Context: Supervised Practicum (combined with Children in a Multicultural Content: Danish Theory and Practice is equivalent to CPSY 4996) Students receive at least 22 hours of classroom instruction in systematic methods of observation and participate in-group discussion/projects reflecting upon their fieldwork experience. Each week, they are assigned areas of focus related to the issues studied in the companion theory class for their observations. Students are observers as well as participants interacting with children at the field sites and also conduct interviews with the daycare providers and/or local authority representatives about local integration practices.

This course includes at least 50 hours of supervised fieldwork in Danish childcare centers, schools, after-school programs, and/or community-based programs serving young children and their & families. Students maintain a detailed log book of their fieldwork experience.

• Children with Special Needs: Danish Theory and Practice (combined with Children with Special Needs: Supervised Practicum is equivalent to CPSY 4996) This course introduces the Danish approach in teaching children (and families) with special needs, analyzing the construction of social relations in the classroom, and examining various methods of how to create quality of life for children with special needs. Emphasis will be on the relationship between the child and the teacher, teacher-practice-reflections and on educational perspectives in special education.
• Children with Special Needs: Supervised Practicum. (combined with Children with Special Needs: Danish Theory and Practice is equivalent to CPSY 4996) See "Children in Multicultural Context: Supervised Practice" for a description of the aims and methodology of the course. The institutions that students are assigned to have a focus on children with special needs.
• Developmental Psychopathology (equivalent to CPSY 4311) This course bridges the gap between developmental psychology and abnormal psychology by studying risk, resilience, and psychopathology in children's development. Why do some children become hyperactive or develop insecure attachment? And why do some children develop in a normal way in spite of unfavorable odds?
• Brain Functioning and the Experience of Self (equivalent to CPSY 4329) How does our experience of our personality and mental processes, i.e., our sense of self, relate to brain functioning? How can we integrate neuropsychological and psychosocial aspects in order to understand human behavior? These are some questions the course will attempt to answer through a study of the complex and intriguing relationship between the biological, psychological and social factors that contribute to human functioning and the individual's experience of self-in-the-world.

(Sponsor: DIS Europe)

United Kingdom

Study Abroad and Internship in London

This program offers students courses in London and relevant, interesting internships. Students may earn up to 6 credits of professional internship placement. A wide variety of placements are available, such as at St. Gabriel's Primary School in London, a multi-ethnic, inner city school for children ages 4- 11.

Course work is available in humanities and social sciences for liberal education credit. Students may enroll for 12-15 credits of course offerings such as 20th Century Britain, British Women in the 20th Century, International Trade Study, and The London Theatre Scene. (Sponsor: University of Minnesota Learning Abroad Center)

University College of London

Located in the heart of London, University College of London (UCL) is the oldest and largest member of the University of London. At UCL, you can take courses related to child psychology while at the same time taking courses that can fulfill liberal education requirements. The following courses are available:

• Developmental Psychology equivalent to CPSY 2301
• Cognitive and Social Development equivalent to CPSY 4331
• Psychology and Education equivalent to a CPSY elective

(Sponsor: Arcadia, Butler)

University of Essex

At the University of Essex, you'll find a friendly, welcoming atmosphere at a university known for excellent student services. The university has a student population of 6,000 and strong academics. A wide range of psychology courses are offered, including Developmental Psychology and Developmental Disorders.

(Sponsor: Arcadia, Butler)

University of Nottingham

Set near the legendary Sherwood Forest, the University of Nottingham offers a flexible environment, very welcoming to American students. The university had diverse offerings in liberal education courses and psychology courses. Relevant course offerings include Developmental and Social Psychology: Social Behavior, Human Development: The Development of Representation and Language Skills, and Development and Social Psychology. Learning Child Psychology. (Sponsor: Arcadia, Butler)

Trinity College in Ireland

Set in the center of Dublin, Trinity College boasts some of the best academics in the country. Offered as a full year program only, students must meet the 3.4 GPA requirement. Courses offered relevant to child psychology include Developmental Psychology, Developmental Psychopathology, and Life Span Development.

(Sponsor: Arcadia, Butler)

Country Varies Global Seminars

Global Seminars are short-term study abroad programs led by University of Minnesota faculty during May Session. The groups are small in order to give students the opportunity to work closely with a professor in specific area of interest and participate in an intense learning experience. Global Seminar topics are a great way to earn 3 credits in 3 weeks in another country. Previous topics have included:

• Music and Culture in Ghana
• Culture and Health in Ecuador
• Ethical Tolerance in the Netherlands
• Freedom of Press in Great Britain
• Human and Environmental Impacts in Australia

(Sponsor: University of Minnesota Learning Abroad Center)

Program sponsor Web sites

To learn more about these programs talk to a Learning Abroad Center program selection adviser, or visit the Web site that corresponds with the program sponsor listed in parentheses at the end of each description.

Learning Abroad Center www.UMabroad.umn.edu

Arcadia www.arcadia.edu/cea

Butler www.ifsa-butler.org

DIS www.disp.dk

Revised March 2006