Internationalization Resources

The 2019 Nationwide Benchmarking Report on International Business Education at Community Colleges uses an IBEX (International Business Education Index) score to provide benchmarks for community colleges. The IBEX score consists of five “pillars” that are important to strategically implement international business education programs and activities at community colleges. Comparisons to previous years are also available. The benchmarking report also provides a look at international entrepreneurship education at community colleges across the nation. The study was conducted in cooperation with our partner organizations, Community Colleges for International Development (CCID) and the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE).

Mapping Internationalization on U.S. Campuses examines internationalization efforts at U.S. colleges and universities. As a collaboration between the Ford Foundation and the American Council on Education, it looks at undergraduate attitudes, the practices and policies in place to help internationalize, and the effect on graduating students. The report is available for download in PDF.

Boren Awards is a federal scholarship program funded by the Defense Language and National Security Education Office that focuses on critical language study abroad in underrepresented study abroad countries that are also critical to national security. The goal is to provide students with knowledge of global issues and have them contribute to U.S. national security. Award amounts given depend on the length of the study.

The site contains information that helps students choose the right internship or volunteer abroad program. It includes a list of 20 highlighted volunteer and internship programs, a detailed guide on different aspects related to traveling abroad, and a program budgeting calculator.

Cultural Experiences Abroad's (CEA) study abroad programs allow students to study business and economics in multiple international settings like Italy, France, Czechia, and China. The site offers information on curriculum programs, internships, and business courses.

The American Council on Education's Center for Internationalization and Global Engagement (CIGE) analyzes international education issues and works with college campuses in the internationalization of their studies. The website includes information on campus internationalization, CIGE's research and resources, and networking and collaboration.

Diversity Abroad is an online resource that connects students with various study abroad programs and international internships. The site contains an expansive database of programs abroad which can be searched by program type, subject, and destination. Additionally, the site provides a number of resources such as how-to guides, destination guides, tips for living abroad, and information on financial aid and scholarships. 

This white paper issue examines the major barriers to study abroad for community college students and the changes necessary to increase access and participation in study abroad programs by community college students. Opens in PDF.

Foreign language educators face the challenge of how to facilitate connections of foreign language education to international business. Patricia Ryan Paulsell and Cate Brubaker provide a guide to these educators showing best practices from five leading universities on international business education. The guide also provides the 'stakeholder' strategy to cater to the needs of the students and parents, the institutional decision-makers, and the business community. Opens in PDF.

Financial Aid for Study Abroad: An Undergraduate Student's Resource by NAFSA is a detailed explanation of the funding options that are made available to American undergraduate students interested in studying abroad, including federal loans, grants, scholarships, and employment options. Links to various resources for studying abroad are also provided.

This publication, assembled by MSU-CIBER, provides resources and techniques to internationalize community college business curriculum. The publication explores collaborations among the business departments of three community/technical colleges: RMIT in Melbourne, Australia; Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Dundalk Institute of Technology in Dundalk, Ireland. Throughout the publication, the collaboration between these schools and their real-world clients is detailed in terms of its challenges and successes, with the eventual goal of increasing the skill set of students so that they can be competitive in their future global business pursuits. 

Go Overseas contains information regarding study abroad programs, teaching abroad, internships abroad, language schools, volunteer work, and gap year programs. The site offers specific information on a large collection of study abroad programs and allows users to search for them by country, subject, or term. In addition, the site lists its most popular study abroad programs as well as allows viewers to read reviews on existing programs and articles related to studying abroad.

GoAbroad contains information on a variety of different international opportunities, including study abroad, internships abroad, language schools, teaching opportunities, and volunteer work. In addition to hosting information on these opportunities, the site also features information on scholarships, insurance, hostels, and other travel resources. The site is designed for high school students and older.

IIEPassport provides information on scholarships, fellowships, grants, and paid internships for undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students. Users can search by field of study or by region/country and programs can be added or promoted to the site.

International Education Financial Aid (IEFA) is an international resource for scholarships, loans, and grants for American and international students who wish to study abroad. The IEFA site also contains an international student blog and a resources section that provides a number of useful links. Free registration is required for access to all online services.

Internationalization of Higher Education: Towards A Conceptual Framework discusses some of the rationales and approaches to internationalization in higher education. It also includes discussions on potential frameworks that could be used, as well as the meaning of the term "internationalization." Available in PDF. 

Internationalizing Community Colleges: Barriers and Strategies by Madeleine F. Green, former vice president of international initiatives at the American Council on Education, identifies what makes internationalization a basic component of a community college and what some of the barriers to internationalization are. This article is only available in PDF.

The first in a series of reports looking at issues of internationalization and international business education in community colleges, this paper focuses on how presidents drive internationalization on community college campuses. This paper focuses on the internationalization at community colleges at a personal level, community level, institutional level, and also provides a three-pronged approach for implementation. 

The American Association of Teachers of Japanese (AATJ) provides scholarships for undergraduate American students who are studying abroad in Japan. Students of all majors are welcome to apply, and Japanese language study is not a prerequisite. Applications are available for Spring and Fall semesters. AATJ awards either $2,500 or $4,000 depending on the length of the study abroad program.

The Center for Global Education has many different resources for educators, students, and parents on study abroad programs. For educators, there are resources such as SAFETI Clearinghouse, which provides useful information about health and safety in study abroad programs. In addition, the site offers resources that offer information on traveling, curriculum, and programs abroad.