Placeholder for header/hero
Intro

A hallmark of a UWEC education is that Blugolds push their own boundaries in seeking knowledge and understanding. 

Luckily, finding ways to break out of that comfort zone and discover something new are not hard to come by on this campus. And one of the many ways you can explore the world around you with fresh eyes is through our robust and year-round selection of immersion programs.

In fact, this university believes so strongly in the value of these intercultural experiences, every full-time tuition-paying undergraduate UW-Eau Claire student is automatically eligible to receive funding to participate in one international, domestic, or research-based immersion experience. 

Widgets

So Much More Than Just a Trip

Cultural Immersions are meaningful intercultural experiences beyond the classroom. These carefully curated and faculty-supervised programs connect students and faculty to specific cultures, histories, societies and traditions in meaningful and lasting ways. 

What's even better? Each year there are many different locations, durations and times of the academic year and types of programs to choose from. 

A popular Cultural Immersion experience is the Civil Rights Pilgrimage. Travel to the places where history was made. Feel the significance of the movement and its historical impact.

Full-time undergraduate students receive funding to take part in a cultural immersion experience. This is made possible by Blugold Commitment Funding.

Program Types and Options

The three types of cultural immersion programs we offer are:  

  • Domestic Intercultural Immersion
  • Faculty-Led International Immersion Experiences
  • International Fellows Program

Find the program that's best for you by checking out the details in the following categories:

  • Timeframe: Options range from a week or two to over a month.
  • Purpose: Go with a mission in mind and earn credits or volunteer hours.
  • Location: Stay in the U.S. or travel abroad.
2023 Puerto Rico immersion
Domestic Intercultural Immersion
Challenge and transform your perspectives on cultural norms and values. Located in the U.S.
student operating ground radar on a beach
International Fellows Program
Collaborate with faculty for research, creative activity, and research service-learning around the world!
Will Taylor and students on immerison biology in Galapagos Islands 2022
Faculty-Led International Immersion Experiences
Discover the importance of culture across the globe! Learn about history, geography, and other significant themes.
Intercultural Immersion Program Examples
A directional sign for the Camino de Santiago, with the scenic background
Explore the Rich History of Spain
This 20-day, three-credit program follows the Camino de Santiago, a historical walking pilgrimage route from Southwestern France to Santiago, Spain. Students will learn the culture and history of the region on this 111km journey.
A view from Table Mountain in South Africa, overlooking Cape Town and its surrounding landscape, with the cityscape stretching towards the horizon and the ocean in the background.
Explore Social Change and Justice in South Africa
This 17-day immersion experience will introduce you to the culture, race relations, and history of colonization in South Africa. Especially relevant for social work students, this program looks closely at social change in action.
A group photo of students on an immersion trip in Scotland, posing in front of a University of Aberdeen
Learn More About Special Education in Scotland
A 5-week summer immersion will introduce education students to special education practices of Scotland. Spend two weeks in a Scottish school, another two weeks exploring classroom involvement, and end with a five-day experiential learning program through the Highlands.
students in immersin in Thailand through COB 2023
Intercultural Immersion Office
Supporting intercultural immersion programs integrated into curriculum.

The way you learn during immersion experiences has a lot of advantages. Immersive learning allowed me work in the mud, move rocks, and clean fishponds, listening to the locals talk. It makes everything I learned about the land and people feel more real and touching.

Do Big Things
Yangguang Chen holding a shrimp up to the camera.
Yangguang Chen
Computer Science
Immersion Experiences at UW-Eau Claire
Page Family