UC Davis Global Study Program Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Long-running study abroad program gives international students and partner universities access to knowledge, expertise and resources of UC Davis
The UC Davis Global Study Program (GSP), an academic program that offers top international undergraduates the opportunity to study at UC Davis and earn credits to apply to degree requirements at universities around the world, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this fall. More than 4,000 students from 22 countries have participated in the Global Study program since it launched two decades ago.
The Global Study Program, created by UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education, also serves as a pathway to graduate studies at UC Davis. Many students have gone on to earn Ph.D. and master’s degrees from UC Davis, with more than 600 completing research internships since 2009. Program alumni include scholars, elected officials, non-profit program heads, journalists and business executives across many industries.
“For 20 years the Global Study Program has created opportunity,” said Anneli Adams, Associate Dean of International and Access Programs. “Opportunity for UC Davis to share its expertise with the world, opportunity for our university partners to provide a transformative experience to their students and, most importantly, opportunity for international scholars to achieve their academic and professional goals. My sincere appreciation and congratulations to the faculty, staff, students and partners who have contributed to the program over the last two decades.”
“I am genuinely thankful for all the courses I took at UC Davis, which significantly developed my interest in English literature and global communication,” said Ruobing Chu, a 2017 GSP student now working as an editor in international journalism. “After I finished in the Global Study Program I had the confidence to participate in several different internships/jobs that require cross-language communication. The program granted me the ability to work in transnational environments.”
Hear from Global Study Program grad Isabella Hines
Read about the 2013 GSP student's experience at UC Davis and how it contributed to her academic and professional success.
GSP partners with more than 120 of the world’s top-ranked universities who send their students through the program. By combining UC Davis coursework and unique academic opportunities, such as the university’s first East Asian Studies Research Seminar, GSP offers visiting scholars an engaging, diverse educational experience.
“Our students instantly feel at home at UC Davis and they always come back to Aachen having had the time of their lives,” said Dr. Daniel Holder, RWTH Aachen University in Germany. “The program has helped to expand our bilateral partnership significantly and has led to numerous fruitful research collaborations.”
The GSP students bring a unique global perspective to UC Davis, which adds to the university’s commitment to create a rich, diverse academic environment. International funding opportunities secured by GSP, such as the Brazilian Scientific Mobility Program, have brought hundreds of full scholarship students to UC Davis. For the last three years, GSP was selected as a host university for the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards program. UC Davis is the only West Coast university selected to participate in this prestigious program.
The collaborative and flexible nature of GSP empowers campus faculty to explore new initiatives. Whether this is creating remote seminars exploring topics in Engineering or supporting the development of new collaborations between the Department of Chemical Engineering and institutes devoted to coffee research in Indonesia, a primary objective of the program has always been to support the international engagement of UC Davis faculty.
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“Fueled by its past success, the Global Study Program is planning to continue its proud tradition of enabling some of the best students from around the world to fall in love with our beautiful campus, connect with our vibrant community, and then bring the best of the Aggie Spirit back to their homes abroad,” said GSP Program Director Jake Hosier.
The Global Study Program is managed by International and Access Programs at UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education, which offers a variety of opportunities for international students, including “Pathway Programs” for students wishing to earn a bachelor’s degree from a US university, academic and cultural programs for students aged 12-17, and academic and language preparation programs for undergraduate students.
GSP Welcomes Over 100 Students this Fall
View photos from the fall 2023 Global Study Program cohort.
About UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education
For more than 60 years, the UC Davis Division of Continuing and Professional Education has blended the distinctive academic expertise of UC Davis with practical training that is designed to improve capability and job performance. This “Career Curriculum” supports working professionals as they refresh and expand job skills over the course of their careers.
With nearly 50,000 annual enrollments in professional, academic and enrichment courses and millions of enrollments in Massive Open Online Courses, UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education serves lifelong learners in the growing Sacramento region, all 50 states and more than 100 countries.