Georgia Institute of Technology Office of International Education

Take advantage of all the great ways to 'Go Global' while you are on campus. 

Check out the list of internationally-focused activities we have complied.

Attend events on campus such as lectures and festivals so you can learn about global issues, other cultures, and dialogue with those who have different perspectives.  Some departments on campus that are likely to sponsor such events:

Office of International Education
Student Affairs
Sam Nunn School of International Affairs 
School of Modern Languages

Georgia Tech is an extremely diverse community, with students, faculty, and staff from a variety of national, regional, ethnic, religious backgrounds.  International students and scholars hail from more than 110 countries.  Talk to them, listen to them, share your culture with them!

Tech students study or intern in more than 50 countries, and bring back a wealth of experiences that they can are likely eager to share with others.

What: OIE has staff trained to facilitate intercultural activities that promote effective communication and collaboration among people from different culture (and that’s most of us since culture is a vast concept that includes much more than one’s national culture). Knowing key concepts of intercultural communication and participating in active learning can help develop intercultural competence.

Who:  for student groups/organizations, offices/departments, lab groups….most any group that wants to communicate better, or learn about cultural differences, or work better together

How: activites can be tailored based on participants, time available, and goals for the training

Why: Learn to act and communicate appropriately and effectively across various cultural contexts. This skill is especially important at our institution, where a large number of our students, faculty and staff are from a variety of backgrounds.

Examples of intercultural exercises and activities:
ACIREMA - An interactive simulation exercise designed to allow participants to 'enter the U.S.' as an international student from a fictional country. 
Barnga - A game played in small groups where participants must learn to work together and reconcile differences to function effectively. 
The Intercultural Email - A writing exercise done in order to gain perspective on cultural differences in writing style and emphasis. 
The Stereotyped U.S. American - An exercise that uses discussion of common stereotypes of Americans to as basis for helping participants examine their own culture, ideas they have about other cultures, and the sources of stereotypes.

Contact:  Email amy.henry@oie.gatech.edu for more information. 

Short term study at Georgia Tech for undergraduates from abroad. 

The TECHsplore program is designed for groups (10-25) of students from institutions outside of the U.S. to study at Georgia Tech for one semester. The program, supported by the Office of International Education and a hosting academic unit,  will include a pre-arrival class to assist participants with their preparation, programs and services while they are at GIT that go beyond the standard services provided to degree-seeking GIT students.  The program will provide participants with cultural, historical, and contextual information about GIT and the United States in order to support their academic and social engagement during their semester in Atlanta. 

·         The TECHsplore program is the only pathway that allows international, non-degree-seeking students to come to Georgia Tech for a semester without an exchange agreement. 

·         The program is open to student groups after their home institutions have  signed a contract with the Office of International Education at Georgia Tech.

·         Unfortunately, TECHsplore is not available for individual students seeking to complete a “study abroad” at Georgia Tech. 

Costs
The programs costs $5000 per student and includes:
Airport pick-up and welcome reception
Pre-arrival class and support
Intercultural programs 
Excursions around Atlanta

This cost is in addition to the standard GIT cost of attendance for out-of-state students. 

Benefits

ACADEMIC: Participants have the opportunity to take regular classes with other undergraduate students at a top Engineering school in the U.S.

CULTURAL: The program includes cultural activities such as sporting events, museum visits, monthly coffee hours, Atlanta city tours and more.

PRACTICAL: Through the pre-arrival class, participants will learn to navigate the administrative processes of coming to the U.S. to study.

PERSONAL: Participants will have ample opportunities to network with GIT students by engaging in activities on and off campus and by participating in clubs and organizations. 

For more information please contact:

Susannah Mcfaul
404-894-7475
susannah.mcfaul@oie.gatech.edu