With advisement week coming up, many ORU students looking to maximize their college experience may be unaware of the gem that lies in front of them.

Every year, about 40-70 ORU students travel the globe to study abroad, engage in new cultures and earn credits toward graduation.

“It’s a life-changing experience; you’ll never be the same again,” said Spanish professor and study abroad coordinator Brenda Calderon. “A lot of people get hooked and end up going back once they graduate, and for many, it’s the highlight of their university experience.”

If you study abroad during a summer, you can receive nine credit hours toward your major or minor. In a semester, you can get up to 15 credit hours.

Students may design personalized off-campus and study abroad programs while working closely with academic advisors to develop a proposed program at least one year in advance of studying abroad.

Before going abroad, the proposals must be approved by ORU’s International Study Committee.

ORU accepts credit for the following off-campus programs (semester and summer) offered by the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) Semester Programs, as well as programs in France, Spain, Korea and many other places.

CCCU SEMESTER PROGRAMS

Australia Studies Centre

Students examine the many faces of Australia and are challenged to grapple with the meaning of being salt and light in the culture-shaping arena of the professional performing artist.

American Studies Program

Through a semester of experiential learning in Washington, D.C., ASP students explore their career interests while examining specific public policy issues.

China Studies Program

Students view China from the inside and experience its culture and diversities. Although students reside primarily on the campuses of China’s premier universities in Xi’an and Shanghai, they also experience Beijing, Hong Kong and other areas.

Contemporary Music Center

The island of Martha’s Vineyard offers students the opportunity to study and work with faculty and music industry experts who share an interest in making and marketing contemporary music. An intensive field experience in Nashville is included.

Latin American Studies Program

Based in San Jose, Costa Rica, this program allows students to experience cross-cultural living, deepen their understandings of the Lordship of Christ in an international context, and explore the economic, political, social and cultural realities of Latin America.

Los Angeles Film Studies Center

This program exists to introduce students to the work and workings of Hollywood and to prepare them to serve with professional skill and Christian integrity in the film industry.

The Middle East Studies Program

Based in Israel, this program helps students understand the history, religions, peoples and cultures of this fascinating and complex region. Conditions permitting, they will also go to Cairo, Egypt.

Scholars’ Semester in Oxford

This rigorous academic program aims at increasing critical thinking skills and scholarship. Students choose from a wide variety of tutorial study programs in the arts, religion, history, economics, philosophy and many others. Field trips accentuate England’s rich historical setting.

Russian Studies Program

This program is unique in that it draws on the resources of three Russian cities. Students spend 10 days in Moscow, 12 weeks in Nizhni Novgorod and 10 days in St. Petersburg studying the history, culture, religion, politics, language and current events of Russia.

Uganda Studies Program

Students have a personal encounter with a country that has become an economic and public health model in its region. Topics such as African literature, African history and Christianity and Islam in contemporary Africa provide insights into African life from of the guidance of local faculty.

Washington Journalism Center

This program provides a semester of experience on Capitol Hill. Students use professional news skills and learn about being a Christian in the media in the nation’s capital.

CCCU SUMMER PROGRAMS

Oxford Summer Programme

This program is designed to enable students to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between Christianity and culture, and to participate in specialized study under Oxford academicians. This is a five-week study program built around lectures focusing on Christianity and the development of Western culture.

OTHER PROGRAMS

Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies

Located in Mancelona, Mich., this program offers courses designed to prepare students for work or further study in environmental endeavors.

Focus on the Family Institute

Located in Colorado Springs, this program offers a multidisciplinary curriculum for students from ORU and other participating colleges from the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. The Institute focuses on topics related not only to psychology, sociology and family studies, but also to leadership, public policy, philosophy and theology.

Recording Workshop

Music technology and composition majors have the opportunity at attend an education complex located in Chillicothe, Ohio that trains audio engineers. The primary goal is to teach the creative operation of professional audio recording equipment.

H.E.A.R.T. Institute (Hunger Education and Resources Training)

This Florida-based interdenominational center trains students to serve in Third World locations.

Life - Campus