Global Mizzou Service Programs are administered through the International Center. Use the Link below to find a list of Global Mizzou Service Programs:
The MU Office of Service-Learning Global Mizzou Service programs offer you the opportunity to:
- Engage with local communities abroad in meaningful ways
- Use what you learn in the classroom to make meaningful contributions to communities abroad
- Meet genuine needs of your host country
Global Mizzou Service Programs combine academic studies, community engagement, and immersion in another culture to give students deep, meaningful international experiences. Through partnerships with local community organizations and schools, students engage with members of their host country through sustained service activities, benefiting the local communities and fulfilling critical human and environmental needs.
These programs are interdisciplinary in nature, allowing students from a variety of academic majors to participate. Service may involve teaching, health education and outreach, community development, environmental projects, business development, tourism, construction, or a variety of other activities that contribute to the well-being of individuals, communities, and nations where the MU students serve.
Benefits of Global Mizzou Service:
The primary goal of Global Mizzou Service programs is to cultivate globally-minded citizens, with numerous academic, personal, and professional benefits. These programs are:
- Academic: You will enroll in actual MU courses with an academic curriculum that includes preparation for entry into the host country, reflection, and self-discovery. You will work with their academic advisers to determine how courses might fulfill degree requirements.
- Experiential: Your learning comes from hands-on, active participation in the activities of a local community. Programs provide the similar real-world experiences as a traditional internship program.
- Immersive: You have the opportunity to work side-by-side with local community members, offering the opportunity for structured and informal learning about the host culture and society. Programs encourage opportunities for increased cultural understanding and widened perspectives on societal and global issues.
- Interdisciplinary: We have global Mizzou service programs for any academic major and minor, allowing you to draw on your academic background as you collaborate to explore complex social problems and develop innovative solutions within the context of the host community.
- Professional: Global Mizzou service programs allow you to cultivate skills, attitudes, and perspectives that will improve your marketability in your future job search. Adding a global service experience to your resume provides both an international and volunteering/internship experiences, two activities that employers seek in recent graduates.
- Reflective: During your time abroad, students keep a journal documenting your service and community engagement. In addition, you will attend reflection sessions to discuss the challenges you face and the successes you achieve in their service placement. You will explore “real world” issues while learning more about yourself.