Bridging Baltimore, Barranquilla, and Beyond: Sustainable Growth in Faculty-Led Study Abroad Programming at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Abstract

As the demographic characteristics of college students in the United States have shifted and expanded, so have the patterns of student mobility across international borders. Study abroad opportunities have also become increasingly diverse -- both structurally and demographically. Over the last decade, the length and time frame of education abroad experiences have shifted dramatically to better reflect the needs, expectations, and realities of today’s college students. Today, nearly 65% students completing an education abroad experience do so in fewer than eight weeks, while the number of students studying abroad for a semester or full academic year has declined (Institute of International Education, 2018).