The opportunity to study abroad can be a rewarding one. It enables students to experience and adapt to new cultures and environments, develop global knowledge and perspectives, and improve language application skills. For students at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, studying abroad is an opportunity to expand policy application skills beyond the national stage, engage diverse policy populations and gain cross-cultural leadership experience.
Despite these benefits, a common concern among Batten Bachelor of Arts students is that studying abroad will prevent them from completing all required Batten credits and graduating on time. In this post, answer common questions pertaining to study abroad as a Batten undergraduate student.
What are my study abroad options?
There are several Education Abroad programs to choose from, including University of Virginia direct programs, partner programs, exchange universities and outside programs, each with various levels of immersion, benefits and associated costs.
UVA Programs are designed, directed, and developed exclusively by UVA faculty members, and participants are predominantly UVA students.
Partner programs are administered by a partner organization with UVA input on the academic curriculum and often include students from other U.S. colleges and universities. Exchange programs are conducted through one of UVA’s more than 50 exchange agreements with universities around the world and allow you to enroll alongside local students and obtain higher levels of immersion. Finally, outside programs are sponsored by other universities and private companies and can feature a wide range of options including experiential programs involving fieldwork and research.
Students may choose to study abroad over the course of an academic semester or may spend a shorter time through a summer or J-Term program.
Can you earn credit towards the Batten BA while abroad?
Yes! Students in the Bachelor of Arts Public Policy and Leadership program can earn up to nine credits towards special topics credit requirements from a study abroad program if those credits are above the 3000-level and related to public policy and/or leadership.
How will studying abroad during the academic year affect my Batten core curriculum? Will I miss required classes?
Most students who study abroad do so in their third year and therefore miss the Batten core classes for either the fall or spring semester. In the fall, students take three core curriculum classes: Engaging Policy Communities, Research Methods & Data Analysis and Behavioral Sciences for Civic Leadership. In the spring semester, two core classes are taught: Economics of Public Policy and Public Policy Challenges of the 21st Century. If a student was unable to take any of those courses before joining the Batten major, they would be required to make up those classes in their fourth year.
It is typically recommended that Batten students study abroad in the spring semester. The primary advantage in the spring over the fall is that only two core classes (instead of three) have to be pushed forward. The third-year fall semester is also an important time for cohort bonding among students in their first semester in the major. While it is possible to study abroad in the fall, it may be slightly less convenient in the long term to do so. Sample core curricula for Batten students studying abroad during the academic year can be found below:
If I can’t miss an academic semester due to undergraduate requirements, or don’t want to miss out on an entire semester on Grounds, what are my options?
Batten awards credit for various J-term and summer study abroad courses, including LPPS 5550: Global Field Experience: Ecological Economics in Vietnam. You can find a selected list of international opportunities for Batten students on the Education Abroad website.
Batten also offers two spring-embedded courses, where you study a subject for a semester and then travel during Spring Break, including the capstone LPPP 4991: Policies for Conflict and Peace in Northern Ireland and LPPS 5671: Prisons, Policy and Society, which will take place in the Spring 2027 semester in Germany!
If you have any questions about studying abroad while at Batten, you can make an appointment with the Admissions Team or email us at BattenAdmissions@virginia.edu.
