About Study Abroad
We want you to study abroad as part of your Asian Studies major or minor! Study abroad is an excellent way to satisfy language requirements for the AS major and to experience the broader world. Our undergraduate advisor is happy to help you understand how to set up study abroad as part of your program plan.
The University at Buffalo has many international partnerships, and with the number of scholarship opportunities here at UB and from external funding sources, study abroad can be more affordable that you may expect. You can search the UB study abroad options to find the best place for you!
The Office of Study Abroad Programs has developed study abroad programs throughout Asia with cooperating institutions.
China
Capital Normal University
Korea
Korea University
Japan
International Christian University
Kanazawa University
Konan University
Meiji University
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
Singapore
Singapore Institute of Management
Nanyang Technological University
India
Through our membership in the American Institute of Indian Studies, our students are eligible for their language study abroad programs in India.
2023-2024 Study Abroad Information
Learn more now about programs and funding so that you'll be ready. The UB Study Abroad Office is hosting a series of information sessions about programs. Contact studyabroad@buffalo.edu for details about how to participate. For more information about UB Study Abroad programs, visit their wesbiste.
Asian Studies Study Abroad Stories
Russell Guilbault is a fourth-year Asian Studies and Philosophy dual major who has been frightfully productive in pursuit of his research. In addition to founding and serving as president of the Buddhist Student Association and Undergraduate Asian Studies Association, Russell has presented on religion and philosophy in East Asia at conferences both near and far—from Geneva NY, Nashville TN, and Oxford MS to Taipei and Kobe. He is also a 2018 recipient of the Asian Studies Program Study Abroad Award, which supported his participation in the summer 2018 program at International Christian University in Japan.
Thanks to the AS Study Abroad Award, I was able to study Japanese in Tokyo this summer. Between living with a wonderful host family, going everywhere I could in my spare time, and making some great Japanese friends, my language skills got a major boost. This has been especially helpful in that it has enabled me to better handle primary sources in my research, which deals with Buddhist philosophy in East Asia. I feel much more confident in my language skills and more prepared for my future pursuits! I am applying for a CLS award this summer, which would allow me to return to Japan for more training.
Kayleigh Hamernik is a fourth-year Environmental Studies major and Asian Studies minor. She was able with Asian Studies Program Study Abroad Award to pursue intermediate and advanced Hindi in Jaipur, India, during the fall 2017 semester. Here’s what she had to say about her experience:
I loved living in Jaipur, but my favorite part of my study abroad in India was by far the weekends where my friends and I would catch a 12 hour bus after school on Friday and wake up in a different part of the country on Saturday morning. The UB Asian Studies Study Abroad Award made it possible for me to see Diwali fireworks at the Golden Temple, go to the Wagah Border Ceremony, see the Himalayas in Shimla, descend into Happy Valley in Mussoorie, and hike up to Sinhagad Fort in Pune. It took me a few weeks into my program to gain the courage to travel, but once I did I was on a roll! Had I only stayed in one city, my understanding of Indian culture and languages would not be as developed as it is today. I am currently applying to return to AIIS Jaipur next year, and I’m excited to refocus on my language learning as well as seeing more of the beautiful cities around India that I didn’t get a chance to see last time.
Carmila Stafford is an outstanding second-year Linguistics major with a concentration in Japanese. Having studied Japanese with a tutor in high school, Carmila was able to enroll in second-year Japanese as a freshman. She is now spending the year abroad in Kobe on the Konan University Year-in-Japan program. She hopes to obtain the highest possible level of fluency in Japanese in order to pursue her goal of becoming a professional translator.
One of my favorite things about Japan is the trains. They’re clean, they’re safe, they’re inexpensive, they’re on time, everyone is mindful and they go everywhere. I’ve never had so much freedom before in my life.
In Japan both traditional and subcultures are very much alive and very easily accessible as well. In the span of one week I saw a pro wrestling tournament, a traditional Noh play and went to a Jinja, all near the same station. Going out and exploring is very doable and well worthwhile for anyone studying at Konan, and while the language barrier is certainly present, so long as you make an effort to observe what’s going on around you everyone is extremely kind and helpful.
I’ve long studied Japanese with the hope of some day going abroad and without the generosity of those that support the Asian Studies award and others like it, this experience simply wouldn’t have been possible. Where I had initially thought I would never have the chance to go overseas and was concerned if picked the wrong career path, I’m now swiftly finishing out my first semester in Japan, more confident of my path of study than ever before.
Cristina Czach was a 2018 Rustgi Awardee and she is an Asian Studies Major. Our Asian Studies student office crew interviewed her. This profile is by Julie Zeng ’20 and Enhao Zheng ‘20
The American Institute of Indian Studies intensive summer language programs in India are designed for students with an interest in South Asian languages from U.S universities. Our UB Asian Studies Rustgi South Asian Language Award supports the full cost of AIIS summer program tuition and roundtrip airfare to India, and last year we were pleased to fund Cristina Czach’s enrollment the program. We interviewed Cristina, an Asian Studies major, about her experience in the program.
Cristina Czach is a participant of AIIS Intensive Summer Language Program in India and the 2018 winner of UB Asian Studies Rustgi Award. After having studied online through the STARTALK program, she wanted to learn more about India’s cultures.
Where did Cristina study abroad?
Cristina went to Lucknow, the capital city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
What was it like?
The AIIS program usually will assign two students to one local host family. Cristina was placed with an elderly host who spoke fluent English. Because Cristina could communicate with her host in both English and Urdu, she learned a lot about Urdu and culture of Lucknow. Lucknow is a large city with 2.8 million residents, however there are not that many fluent English speakers. This means that Cristina had to use her new Urdu skills to communicate with local people as she explored and traveled. Cristina said that this was a challenge but also a great opportunity for her to practice Urdu language skills.
Learning a New Language and Culture
Cristina was unfamiliar with the Indian teaching style, in which teachers tend not to interact with students as much. AIIS program instructors are trained to interact more intensively with students, but Cristina found the style to be remarkably different. Cristina had many opportunities to discover India outside of class, because the AIIS program gives students freedom and flexibility in their schedules. This flexibility was one of the reasons why she chose to apply for AIIS.
Should other UB students apply for this program?
Definitely yes! During this summer program, Christina was impressed by Indian history and culture, which made her more interested in studying Urdu. She highly recommends that UB students apply for AIIS summer program. Not many colleges offer Urdu language courses or study abroad opportunities in India. For other students, this study abroad experience would be useful and low-cost. Daily expenses are relatively inexpensive for American students studying abroad in India, and there are many different ways for tuition to be covered, of which the Rustgi Scholarship is only one for AIIS program. Cristina recommends that students to stay for longer since two months seems like hardly enough time to get used to the local environment.