Study abroad
Stamp your passport, expand your horizons, view the world through a social work lens.
VCU and the School of Social Work can help you go global – and help to pay for it.
VCU’s Global Education Office offers a variety of study abroad programs and funding sources. The school also offers a Global Social Work Enrichment Fund that will pay VCU students $2,000 if they are accepted to any school-sponsored program.
The School of Social Work has four faculty-led study abroad opportunities – some of which may not be active in a given academic year – in Ghana (summer), India (winter), South Africa (spring), South Korea (summer) and Spain (spring).
International Social Work Collaboratory
Learn more about how the VCU School of Social Work is creating research partnerships, learning opportunities and teaching collaborations that are spanning from Richmond across the globe, furthering the transfer of knowledge and skills in both directions.
VCU Summer: Exploring Ghana Through the Lens of Art, Identity, and Social Justice
- Program director: Nicole Corley, Ph.D., social work associate professor: ncorley@vcu.edu
- Dates: June 2-12, 2026
- Application deadline: Closed for 2026
- Eligibility: Open to all students
Central to this study abroad in Ghana, West Africa, is recognizing the value of African knowledge and African solutions in the international community. To that end, this trip is less about traditional service learning and more so about gaining a holistic understanding of Ghana and the richness of its cultural identity expressed through music, art, and other cultural traditions.
Participants will experience authentic Ghanaian life and engage in genuine interactions with people from diverse communities. Through visits to historical sites, learning institutions, and by engaging in immersive cultural experiences, participants will reflect on the global impact of the country’s history, particularly through the lens of the diaspora and how it impacts identity both inside and outside Ghanaian borders.
Local engagements with Ghanaian social work organizations offer students the opportunity to learn about the key social challenges in Ghanaian communities and the African-based solutions developed to address them. Connecting with local organizations will enable students to bridge their skills with community members and learn important new perspectives from local professionals.
The aim of this cross-cultural exchange is to help participants develop meaningful relationships that will enhance students’ critical thinking capacities and their awareness of social justice that transcends borders.
Learn more:
» School of Social Work's legacy in Ghana
» 2023 trip with the blog, Akwaaba – A journey abroad to Ghana
Dr. Corley learning how to weave Kente cloth on a loom.
A VCU student prepares a traditional Ghanaian dish during the 2023 study abroad trip.
Participants cross the 1,000-foot-long canopy suspension bridge in Kakum National Park, Ghana.
VCU Winter Break: India: Human Rights and Social Justice in Social Work and Social Welfare
- Program director: Denise Burnette, Ph.D., social work professor: jdburnette@vcu.edu
- Dates: TBD
- Eligibility: Open to all students
This program offers an exceptional opportunity to explore the embodiment of India’s ancient humanistic principles of rights and justice in the “Kerala Model” of social welfare. Through field visits and cultural events, students will learn about the key role that social work has played in implementing this distinctive model, which prioritizes sustainable social and human development over economic growth.
Finally, we will explore how physical, social and cultural geography have shaped the unique development of Kerala, which National Geographic Traveler deemed “one of ten paradises on earth” to visit in one’s lifetime.
Learn more about the 2024-2025 trip to Kerala ».
The program focuses on human rights and justice, letting students learn about India’s history and social work structure.
Students have time for sightseeing and recreational activities in addition to learning and cultural exchange.
Students have the unique opportunity to celebrate New Year's Eve and New Year's Day abroad during this winter break program.
VCU Spring Break: Camp Qmunity Cape Town & Johannesburg: LGBTQIA+ Intersectional Experiences of Post Colonial South Africa
- Program director: Maurice Gattis, Ph.D., social work associate professor: gattism@vcu.edu
- Dates: March 7-15, 2026
- Application deadline: Closed for 2026
- Eligibility: Open to all VCU students
Through an intersectional lens that includes gender, sexuality, race, and class, this program will highlight social issues and how local organizations address issues experienced by the local LGBTQIA+ community.
Students will engage in lectures and dialogues where they will listen and learn from individual lived experiences and stories of local community members from all walks of life. Students will also engage with the country's historical and cultural experiences through a number of immersive experiences:
- Cape Malay Cooking experience in a house in the Bo-Kaap neighborhood
- Service and community dialogue at Pride Shelter
- Tour of Khayelitsha township and meeting with residents
- Conversation with the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation and students from University of Western Cape
- Dinner with well known South African LGBTQ+ rights activist Shifra Jacobson from the Counseling Hub
Dr. Gattis during a Fulbright Scholarship appointment to Cape Town, South Africa, where he also led a 2023 study abroad trip.
The 2023 trip to Cape Town, South Africa, included a mix of VCU students from social work and other academic programs.
Dr. Gattis has a research partnership with the Department of Social Work at the University of Western Cape.
VCU Summer: Korea in Transition: Society, Culture, and Emerging Challenges
- Program directors: Youngmi Kim, Ph.D., social work professor, and Kyeongmo Kim, Ph.D., social work associate professor: ykim@vcu.edu and kkim7@vcu.edu
- Dates: May 26-June 6, 2026
- Application deadline: Closed for 2026
- Eligibility: Open to all students
The School of Social Work and VCU's Global Education Office are excited to host a unique and exciting program in Seoul, South Korea. On this program we will view South Korea as a country where thousands of years of history meet fast-paced modern change, through the lens of social justice and culture.
This immersive summer program gives students the chance to explore important social issues like population shifts, inequality and youth mental health, as well as the worldwide influence of Korean culture. Led by VCU faculty, students will participate in meaningful field visits to community centers, take a guided tour of the DMZ, and experience an overnight stay at a traditional temple.
With thorough preparation before departure and ongoing support during the program, students will engage deeply with Korean society, develop critical thinking skills and build intercultural understanding. This program is designed to help students from all majors connect classroom knowledge to real-world challenges in a global context.
VCU Spring Break: Spain: Promoting the Welfare of Older Adults in the Context of Population Aging
- Program directors: Denise Burnette, Ph.D., social work professor: jdburnette@vcu.edu; and Sarah Marrs, Ph.D., gerontology assistant professor: marrssa@vcu.edu. Humberto Fabelo, Ph.D., social work associate professor, is an assistant program director for this trip: hfabelo@vcu.edu.
- Dates: March 7-14, 2026
- Application deadline: Closed for 2026
- Eligibility: Open to all students
This unique program is focused on aging in Spain. In 2024, 30% of the population of Spain was aged 60+ and 21% was aged 65+. Sizeable growth in this population, especially for the sector aged 85+, is projected well into the current century.
Spain has a well-developed National Strategy for Aging that closely aligns with key global initiatives, including the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development, the WHO- and UN- sponsored Decade of Healthy Ageing (2020-2030) and the WHO Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities.
Building on these demographic trends and policy responses, this course will focus on initiatives that are designed to support the well-being of older adults, including “Age-Friendly Communities” and “Livability” in Córdoba, Spain and its surroundings. The University of Córdoba (UCO), one of the foremost academic institutions in Spain, is heir to a centuries-old historical and cultural legacy renowned for knowledge, tolerance, and harmony among civilizations. It is an ideal context to learn about how a country is responding to the diverse strengths and needs of a rapidly aging population.
The Puerta del Puente (Gate of the Bridge) in Córdoba, Spain, is a 16th-century Renaissance triumphal arch.
The Tío Pepe sign in Madrid's Puerta del Sol (Gate of the Sun) square is an iconic, historic neon advertisement, depicting a sherry bottle wearing a flamenco hat and jacket with a guitar.
Dating to the 8th century, the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, showcasing a unique blend of Islamic and Christian architecture.
Social work goes abroad in a big way
In a year of unprecedented travel in 2023, five faculty, eight students and a recent graduate from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work renewed old connections, made new ones, fulfilled Covid-delayed plans and – most importantly – immersed themselves in local culture and knowledge.
Exploring and growing as educators, researchers and future social work practitioners, they embodied the unlimited opportunities and uncommon impact that characterize the School of Social Work.