Stockton General Studies - International Education

International Education
For more information on International Education at Stockton, read the general text below and/or visit the website for International Education at Stockton.

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey provides comprehensive overseas study programs at reasonable rates. Study programs may be for a term or for an entire academic year in Africa, Australia, China, Eastern Europe, France, Germany, Israel, Mexico, Spain or the United Kingdom, to mention just a few locations. Stockton is proud to contribute to broadening international understanding. Each year the College has increased the number and diversity of its overseas study programs. Such programs now also include study tours.

The goal of the International Education program is to permit Stockton students to gain experience and knowledge about the outside world and to examine their attitude toward other peoples. Each of these processes is essential for global harmony. In addition to developing academic competence, maturity and self-confidence, study abroad can serve another purpose. It can provide students with breathing space and a time for reflection on and examination of their values. Many students find that besides learning to appreciate other cultures, the process enables them to recognize and appreciate the finer aspects of their own culture.

Study Abroad

A term or year study abroad is one excellent way to achieve the goals described above. For the serious language student, supervised study abroad provides an unparalleled opportunity for attaining fluency in a foreign language. For the future business or government administrator, an international experience provides valuable insight into people from other cultures. For other majors, the time spent experiencing other worlds and gaining understanding of other people and cultures will never be wasted.

Stockton offers a variety of international study opportunities. These take three basic forms: study at foreign institutions with which the College, in collaboration with other New Jersey State colleges, has exchange agreements; independent study or study through another American college/university program or consortium in a foreign country or at a foreign institution selected by the student and approved in advance by the College; and study internships abroad with selected international associations for the exchange of students.

Most students study abroad during their junior year, but some opt for the first semester of their senior year. Students can study abroad earlier in their college career but they must provide some compelling reason to do so. Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 during the semester prior to their semester abroad. Many of the programs abroad require a higher GPA, usually 3.0 or better. Students must have been enrolled for credit at Stockton College during at least two consecutive semesters immediately before the semester or year abroad. To study abroad students must a) fill in the appropriate application form provided by the coordinator of international education; b) accompany their application with a non-refundable application fee; c) submit an official copy of their transcript; d) submit three letters of reference; and e) write an acceptable essay in which they demonstrate their interest in and goals for studying abroad.

Although study abroad is usually restricted to junior and senior years, students are encouraged to begin planning for the program early in their college experience with their preceptors and the coordinator of international education.

Study abroad programs vary in cost; certain programs are less expensive than a semester on campus at Stockton or may be equal in price (including airfare). Certain other international programs are substantially more expensive and costs may vary from spring to fall. Studying abroad occupies students full time. Therefore, students should not plan to work during their academic term or year overseas. It is also often legally prohibited. Many Stockton students need some form of financial aid to study abroad. Almost all forms of financial aid available to students on campus can be used to study abroad, provided that students a) enroll in a full-time class schedule while studying abroad, and b) participate in a Stockton-sponsored study abroad program. In addition, there may be some scholarship, grant and loan aid available from a number of organizations and institutions in this country and abroad.

Study Tours

Stockton study tours offer a valuable option different from study abroad. These tours, usually lasting from one to four weeks, are led by regular Stockton faculty. In most cases, students enroll in an on-campus class during the regular semester, which serves as orientation. This is followed by a group trip to a foreign or domestic destination in the following winter, spring, or summer break. Some trips, such as the annual spring break trip, which features sites related to the Holocaust, are non-credit and involve no course work, although students can arrange for related independent study.

Recent study tours have taken students to Costa Rica, South Africa, Australia, Germany, England, Ireland, Hungary, the Netherlands and Israel; destinations within the United States have included South Carolina and California. The following are some tours that have been offered on a regular basis:
• Costa Rica (Biology): a 1 credit orientation course fall semester followed by a 4-credit, two-week visit to Costa Rica in January.
• South Africa: A 4-credit GSS course or an Anthropology class during fall semester followed by a two-week tour (December/January) to South Africa.
• History and Memory of the Nazi Era: ten-day trip to destinations in Europe or Israel focusing on sites related to the Third Reich, World War II and the Holocaust. Sites vary each year. Offered as part of a 4 -credit summer course (GAH 2119). Information is available at Holocaust Resource Center.
• Social Work: Nine-day to three-week tours focusing on social work and human rights in cross-cultural perspectives and on language acquisition. Sites have included London and Northern Ireland, Hungary and Croatia, Australia and Costa Rica. Currently interested students may take two 4-credit-bearing courses (“Spanish for the Human Service Field” and “Spanish Immersion Seminar”) that culminate in a three-week language immersion experience in Costa Rica.

For information about upcoming study tours, contact the Coordinator of International Education or specific faculty study tour leaders. Most study tours are open to all Stockton students at any level, although some are restricted to juniors and seniors or require permission of the Instructor. It is a good idea to discuss eligibility and other details of a trip with the faculty organizer before registering. The costs of study tours vary depending on destination, duration and amenities. As the entire program is administered under Stockton’s auspices, related costs can be factored into financial aid awards.

Credits earned through this program will be recorded as transfer credits on the student’s Richard Stockton College transcript as long as the grade received is equivalent to a C or better.

The College reserves the right to cancel any of the aforementioned programs before departure or during the program if the international situation makes it prudent to do so.

For more information, contact the International Education Coordinator, Janice Joseph, at Janice.Joseph@stockton.edu. The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, PO Box 195, Pomona, NJ 08240-0195, (609) 652-4312.

You can also visit the website for International Education at Stockton or the New Jersey State Consortium for International Studies.