New Carlson requirements send students abroad

As new Carlson School of Management students settle in, unprecedented requirements await them in their pursuit of a degree — one being to receive international experience, or in University terms, study abroad.

The Carlson school will have a booth set up at the Learning Abroad Fair on the West Bank plaza between Anderson and Blegen halls from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. The booth will promote the school’s international programs.

But incoming freshmen and Carlson transfers aren’t required to take only Carlson-sponsored trips.

Between the Carlson school programs and study abroad programs, there’s a wide offering, Associate Dean of International Programs Michael Houston said.

Houston said he believes the new requirement will help students prepare for the job market.

“It was the clear need for students going into business to be prepared to work across cultures and across international markets,” Houston said. “And students need to be motivated to develop global competence.”

While abroad, students don’t have to take solely business courses.

“But they are required to take courses that will map back to their curriculum requirements here,” Houston said.

First-year students Rachel Katz and Garrett Tangen said they’re excited to study abroad.

“It doesn’t affect me that much because that was something I had already planning on doing,” international business and management student Katz said about the requirement. “They are making it a lot easier and more affordable.”

Affordability might be a concern for some students, though.

Katz plans to travel to Spain to fulfill the requirement. The estimated cost of the Carlson-sponsored trip to Barcelona, Spain is $15,900 per semester.

This semester trip would cost more than a full year’s tuition at the University, which is $10,806 for in-state residents and those with reciprocity and $14,806 for other students. Regardless of where students make their home, many study abroad programs are more costly than a year’s tuition.

Tangen said he was interested in traveling to Germany or England. The estimated semester costs for the Carlson trips to Cologne, Germany and Manchester, England, are $14,850 and $16,000, respectively.

But Carlson officials are trying to help students find financial aid and make planning trips easier.

Carlson first-year students are required to take a one-hour workshop fall semester about the international experience, titled International Experience 101.

Mindy Deardurff, director of recruiting and marketing for Carlson , said they hold the workshop to tell students about affordability, timing and scholarship opportunities.

Financial resources are available online through individual programs and at the Learning Abroad Center . More information will be available at the fair as well.

Representatives at information booths will be handing out catalogs to students about some of the 300 University-sponsored study abroad programs.

Houston said the new requirements are another step in Carlson becoming an outstanding business school.

“Our goal is to provide an outstanding education to our students and hope that they leave here feeling satisfied about the educational experience they had,” he said.