Undergraduate global opportunities

Going global means, you are ready to challenge your limits by stepping into new perspectives, new spaces, and new situations. We at the Office of Global Outreach are here to help you explore what opportunities you may consider, and help you plan for your global endeavor.

 

 

 

 

Find a UMSN international experience

Health in Denmark: 

DenmarkDIS is a Danish non-profit study abroad institution in Copenhagen with summer programs taught in English. Established in 1959, DIS offers American students engaging and challenging coursework enriched by field studies, hands-on learning opportunities, and study tours in Denmark and across Europe. Cultural engagement opportunities integrate students into Danish culture and students gain academic knowledge and intercultural skills to prepare themselves for a globalized world.

Duration: six weeks, two sessions (May 21 – July 1, 2023) 

Session 1: May 21 – June 9

3 weeks | 3 credits

Childbearing and birth in Denmark: This three week customized course is designed to introduce you to healthcare, reproductive health, childbearing and birth in Denmark. Though clinical visits are not possible at this time, this course will provide hands-on and interactive learning experiences in order to better understand the Danish approach to childbearing and birth through faculty, midwives and other practitioners. 

Session 2:  June 12 – July 1 (With Study Tour!)

3 weeks | 3 credits

Choose one from the following suggested courses (more options are available on DIS website):

  • Healthcare Systems: A Comparative Approach (DIS Copenhagen)Study Tour: Netherlands
  • Human Health and Disease: A Clinical Approach (DIS Copenhagen)Study Tour: Berlin or Vienna
  • Prostitution and the Sex Trade (DIS Copenhagen)Study Tour: Amsterdam
  • Sustainable Development in Northern Europe (DIS Copenhagen)Study Tour: Norway
  • Gender, Equality, and Sexuality in Scandinavia (DIS Stockholm)Study Tour: Berlin
  • Precision Medicine: Tailored Treatment in Clinical Practice (DIS Stockholm)Study Tour: Dublin

Please note: The program only accepts students for the six weeks, two sessions. You cannot apply to attend one of the two sessions. 

Learn more and Apply: Nursing Denmark on MCOMPASS

 

Nursing: Global Health Nursing Internship Program (Ghana, India, Liberia) 

Duration: six weeks(May 14June 25, 2023) 

Nursing students talking to patientsGlobal Health Nursing Internships are designed to provide additional clinical experiences for nursing students to understand the relationship between context and healthcare in settings outside of the U.S. These internships are voluntary positions where nursing students can gain skills necessary to understand the systemic implications of healthcare workforce, resources, policies, and social and historical contexts of regions. These skills are critical to build a nursing leadership career working with NGOs, and other global organizations.   

This 6 week program will take you to one of the three communities UMSN partners with in SP/SU 2023: Ghana, Liberia or India. These communities are long-term collaborating partners of the U-M School of Nursing, and each site has a nursing school like the UMSN with access to clinical sites, and opportunity to work side by side with local healthcare professionals in a variety of surrounding communities. 

Students interested in this program are required to take a 1 credit hour course in Winter 2023, which runs through mid-February-mid-April. This course will help prepare students for their internship positions, orient them to global health contexts, and help them navigate their experiences before, during and after their programs.    

2-6 students will be assigned to each site based on student preferences.  

Program Objectives: 

  • Learn about nursing, healthcare delivery and community health in a global context  

  • Observe challenges/opportunities/priorities in different healthcare systems  

  • Work side by side with healthcare professionals in a variety of settings and countries  

Program sites and activities:  

  • Learn from local experts and join an orientation to healthcare in the context of the site you selected 

  • Join clinical observation in various settings (hospitals, outpatient units, rural-based facilities) including medical surgical, maternity, reproductive health, pediatrics, acute care, mental health, etc.  

  • Work side by side supporting healthcare providers in facility-based community health settings 

  • Engage in health assessment and health education promotion teams visiting schools, rural clinics, and/or NGOs  

  • Participate in various cultural tours guided by local hosts 

 

Find a U-M affiliated international experience

There are many study abroad opportunities offered through the University of Michigan that you may consider. If you are following the global health minor, please make sure to check with Beste Windes (beste@umich.edu) about your plans prior to committing. Visit M-Compass website to review all study abroad programs.

Find a non U-M affiliated international experience

Some students opt to pursue summer study abroad programs on their own that are not sponsored by U-M but by another university or, in some cases, a third-party provider or a non-governmental agency. Courses taken through non-U-M programs may or may not count for credit or towards degree requirements. Please consult with an academic advisor for advice on transfer credit before enrolling in a non-U-M program.  

For guidance on selecting a non-U-M program, please visit U-M's International Center.

Find research opportunities

Not all global experiences need to be connected with earning academic credit. Some UMSN professors routinely take students abroad with them to assist in research projects, an option that may be more flexible in terms of time commitment than study abroad programs.

Another research opportunity open to undergraduates is the U-M Center for Human Growth and Development: Minority Health and Health Disparities International Research Training program (MHIRT). These are three-month research positions with U-M faculty to international placements. Accepted students are awarded a monthly stipend, living expenses, round trip airfare to the placement site, and foreign and domestic expenses incurred while on the program. Undergraduate and graduate placements are available. Applicants must be African-American, Hispanic American, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander or Rural Appalachian.

Find an internship/volunteer project

Like research opportunities, internship and service (e.g. volunteer) engagements may be more flexible than study abroad. These opportunities are available through U-M affiliated units as well as through a number of other accredited colleges, universities and external organizations.

The Office of Global Affairs can help you set up a global internship/project with one of the UMSN global partners. If you are interested in exploring an internship/project with a UMSN Global Partner, fill out this form. The Office of Global Affairs will respond to your request after identifying potential opportunities that match your interests.

If you would like to set up an alternative immersion experience that will allow you to gain intercultural skills through local community engagement, volunteering or internship type activities, please email us your proposal. While we do not require you to work a certain number of weeks or hours, the project needs to be of a scope that requires at least 3 weeks to complete, that will be of value to the community you are engaging with; and help you accomplish your learning objectives(s) in the global health minor. If you have an alternative immersion experience that you would like us to review for global health minor, please contact beste@umich.edu with the following information:

  • Community organization and contact person you will work with
  • Brief description of the project, including the objectives, community need, methods, and timeline (as it applies.)
  •  Description of your learning objectives to take on this community engagement experience.
  • Once completed, please obtain a letter or an email from the organization confirming completion of your experience/internship.

U-M has a wealth of student organizations devoted to global health, many of which offer opportunities for volunteering and service learning abroad listed on the Maize Pages. To give you examples, many nursing students have attended programs through the following U-M Student Organizations:

  • M-HEAL: M-HEAL hosts a diverse set of projects at a variety of stages in the design process from problem definition to prototyping. These projects are committed to creating health care solutions that improve access to health care in underserved communities.
  • Timmy Global Health: Timmy Global Health exists to expand access to healthcare, empowering students and volunteers to tackle global health challenges firsthand. We accomplish this by strengthening community-based health and education initiatives and empowering young people to share their energy and compassion.
  • Quito Project: The Quito Project’s mission is to collaborate with local partners in developing evidence-based solutions that support and build capacity in the health, educational, and social sectors.
  • Alternative Spring Break: Our goal is to cultivate a community on the University of Michigan campus of Active Citizens who take part in positive social change for their lives during spring break, their college careers, and their lives after college.
  • Partners in Health Engage at the University of Michigan: PIH Engage at the University of Michigan has three primary goals: 1) to raise awareness about health as a fundamental human right, 2) to lobby members of congress for expanded political support and financial resources to ensure health and healthcare for the world's poor, and 3) directly mobilize financial resources to support the mission of Partners in Health and its sister organizations around the globe.
  • Michigan International Internship & Service program (MIISP) provides a year-long series of workshops that prepare undergraduates for summer internships or service projects abroad.
  • Residential College Spanish Language Internship program is an engaged learning course that is open to all undergraduate students and links Spanish-speaking students with community-based organizations to provide unique service learning opportunities in the Latino community.
  • LS&A International Internship program offers summer internship placements for returning undergraduates in a wide variety of locations and fields.

Immerse yourself in various global health perspectives in innovative practice, research and advocacy initiatives. This program will kick off with U-M School of Nursing Global Summer Institute on May 11, 12, 13 where you will hear from keynote speakers, as well as join skills sessions to gain practical tips designed to advance your academic, professional and personal engagement with global health.

Through May and June, join the weekly Global Health Coffee and Conversation Series that bring lived perspectives from different cultures and health systems in various fields in

health from maternal health, to mental health, community care, access and changing systems. These are designed to be interactive conversations where students will participate in the conversations to deepen their understanding in various fields of global health. Students are required to complete a reflection paper, which can be showcased and/or presented at the U-M School of Nursing Global Fair in Fall.

Additionally, there are individual global health projects available for graduate students. Please contact the U-M School of Nursing Office of Global Affairs if you are interested in setting up a custom virtual global health project. Learn more about the Summer Virtual Immersion Program.