RB
Ryan Blanchard
  • Finance
  • Class of 2021
  • Buford, GA

UNG students travel the globe in study abroad programs

2015 May 19

Students from the University of North Georgia (UNG) visited every continent except Antarctica in study abroad and exchange programs during spring semester, including a handful finishing up an entire academic year studying abroad. Ryan B Blanchard of Sugar Hill, Georgia, was among the more than 65 who studied abroad during the semester. Blanchard studied at Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea, for the 2014-15 academic year, and is majoring in international affairs with an Asian concentration.

UNG offers more than 70 study abroad programs in countries around the world that range from as short as a couple of weeks to an entire academic year. UNG partners with institutions around the world to provide opportunities for international experiences to its students, faculty and staff. Globalization is changing the way the world works and employers increasingly seek workers who have cross-cultural skills.

Dr. John Wilson, acting director of UNG's Center for Global Engagement (CGE), said international education can provide many benefits to students.

"Studying abroad is a great way to obtain personal and intellectual growth, career inspiration, work experience, language acquisition, and intercultural understanding," he said. "It is my goal to provide students with international opportunities to enhance their careers and life experiences."

CGE encourages students to study abroad in various ways including study abroad fairs, class presentations, active social media outreach, participation in the nationally recognized International Education Week, and the International Peer Advisors alumni program.

While study abroad opportunities are available in a variety of disciplines and areas of study, UNG offers courses in 10 languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Russian, and Spanish. UNG offers a Bachelor of Arts in modern languages with concentrations in Arabic, Chinese, French or Spanish. The university also offers the Summer Language Institute for college students and the Federal Service Language Academy for high school students.