Foreign exchange opportunities in Japan are available through the Office of International Programs.
For students who wish to take advantage of the summer to do study abroad, a program in the Osaka region of Japan is ripe for the picking. The duration of the trip is roughly 35 days, or five weeks, from mid-June until late July. Courses offered during this opportunity include Japanese language and, a perfect choice for anime lovers across campus, Japanese Cinema with an emphasis on Anime.
Students will stay at the Otemon Gaikuin University, located in Ibaraki City, only a few minutes from Osaka and Kyoto, which they can tour. The program fee includes homestay accommodations, most meals, round-trip airfare, and tour fees. The application and additional information can be found on the VSU International Programs website, and you can contact either Mr. Patrick McGuire at pmcguire@valdosta.edu or Mr. David Starling at dstarlin@valdosta.edu. If you plan to go on the summer program, snap to it because those spots aren’t easy to come by.
If you’re looking for a prolonged stay in Japan, there is also the option of either a semester- or year-long student exchange program. There are two different universities that participate in exchange programs with VSU: Otemon Gaikuin and University of Kansai Gaidai. The exchange with Otemon is open to students who want to continue with Japanese studies. Kansai is located in the cultural heart of Japan, making it a suitable choice for students who wish to immerse themselves in Japanese-intensive studies. Costs cover the tuition, room, and board fees.
If you are interested in either program, contact David Starling at dstarlin@valdosta.edu, or visit the International Programs office, which is located by the Student Health Center. Additional information is also on the International Programs website.