International Programs
International Study Tours
The Child Development Laboratories, with participation from MSU Extension and other MSU units and community agencies, host groups of international undergraduate students, graduate students and professionals throughout the year.
HDFS provided an academic program for a group of Chang Gung University of Science and Technology students and professionals from Taiwan who participated in the Child Development Laboratories in September 2011. Students visited with area families, were instructed in the MSU Early Childhood philosophy and enjoyed fall in Michigan!
HDFS has international agreements for students, research and faculty with:
- Chang Gung University in Taiwan
- Fe-Jen Catholic University in Taiwan and
- Lady Irwin College in India
- 3e International School in China
We have also hosted students from Okinawa Christian University and Okinawa Christian Junior College in Okinawa, Japan.
Institutions or individuals interested in spending 1-4 weeks in Western style preschool classrooms should contact the Lifelong Education office at: 517-432-9225 or hdfsadv@msu.edu.
Student Teaching in an International Setting
3e International School
Located in the heart of Beijing China the 3e International School is a unique school where children participate in a program that:
- Is inquiry-based, with a balance of child-initiated and teacher-directed activity
- Is bilingual immersion (50% English; 50% Mandarin)
- Is multicultural, serving families from over 20 different nations
- Offers best-practice education from nursery school to third grade!
In Fall 2011, the first Global Student-Teaching Cohort in Beijing completed their Elementary Education Internship Year in Beijing.
Two Child Development students, Linda Rau and Larissa Skulke taught in Beijing and have been hired for the 2012-13 school year.
HDFS has been proud to be a part of the development of the curriculum and watching the school grow over the last few years. HDFS offers support by recruiting MSU students to be interns, study abroad participants or paid teachers.
Study Abroad
Faculty and academic staff lead and support study abroad programs for Michigan State University students.
For the past three years, Karen Mills, Senior Specialist in HDFS has accompanied the New Zealand Freshmen Seminar Abroad program as an Academic Advisor. This program is for incoming college freshmen to engage them in various international topics in a small class setting (social science, sustainability, food choices and geography), live and learn in an international setting, and expose them to the rigors of academic study and learn about college life before they arrive on campus. In 2012, Karen will help establish a new Freshmen Seminar Abroad in China.
