School of Business student Karina Gonzalez (center) at the Schloss Belvedere inVienna with friends Sydney Turnbull (right), a UMstudent who was studying abroad in Germany, and Jackie Furlong, another American student.

International contacts, language skills and cross-cultural perspectives are just some of the benefits that students gain from a study-abroad program.

Every year, more than 150 students from the School of Business study abroad, taking advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “A study abroad experience is a very exciting way to discover new approaches to the study of business while enhancing your professional and personal skills as well,” says Jeanne Batridge, director of advising in Undergraduate Business Programs.

UM offers exchange programs in partnership with universities in Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Lancaster (U.K.), Monte Carlo, Paris, Prague, Sydney, Vienna  and other locations around the world. Through the Undergraduate Advising Office, students may also attend short-term, faculty-led programs in the summer and external study abroad experiences with international schools — often the best option for students with a particular time frame for being out of the country. This summer, a faculty-led program in Milan will provide a once in a lifetime opportunity for undergraduates to earn credit in both operations management and art history.

“We are a global business school preparing our students for careers around the world,” says Linda Neider, vice dean for Undergraduate Business Programs. “A study abroad experience is an invaluable addition to what they already gain from living and learning in the multicultural environment of Miami.”

The following are four stories of students who are back from career-building and life-changing experiences — both in and out of the classroom.