International Opportunities
Record Number of CBA Students Study Abroad
CBA student Shea Bergman at the Taj Mahal, Agra, India
According to the most recent annual report of the Pitt Study Abroad Office, the number of CBA students studying abroad rose significantly last year. During the 2006-07 academic year, 154 CBA students participated in study abroad, a 35 percent increase from the previous year. Those 154 students studied in 23 different countries, including Australia, Spain, Germany, India, Thailand, Bulgaria, and Cyprus. The most popular study abroad locations were: England with 25 students, Italy with 22, Brazil with 17, and multi-country programs like Semester at Sea with 15.
Fifty-six CBA students are spending the spring term abroad. Some students are headed to perennial favorites like Spain, Italy, Australia, and England, while others have chosen to study in France, Ireland, Japan, Israel, Costa Rica, or the Czech Republic.
CBA students have a new international course option this spring. ENGR 1610: Product Realization for Global Opportunities is a course directed toward both business and engineering students. Led by engineering instructor Melissa Bilec, the course aims to help students learn skills and strategies associated with product design and realization from the perspective of creating sustainable products for developing markets. Thanks to the use of videoconferencing and online collaboration, students work in diverse teams with students from the University of Campinas in Brazil.
Over spring break, students in ENGR 1610 travel to Brazil to compliment the in-class course work with face-to-face collaboration with their Brazilian teammates. The goal of this course is for students to learn how to develop viable, marketable products that address sustainable development needs while honing their cross-cultural communication skills. CBA senior Rachel White says, “This course gives me the opportunity to do two things I really enjoy. First, I get to experience another culture, and second, I am able to help others by developing something to improve their environment. I can’t imagine a better way to spend spring break!”