Global Opportunities

When you finish your university education, you will live and work in a globally interconnected society and economy. Drake wants to make sure that you’re ready.

Preparing Global Citizens

A key pillar in our mission is to prepare you for responsible global citizenship. This means providing you with the skills and perspectives to thrive in a multicultural and international environment and to seize all the opportunities it presents, from employment to enjoyment. It also means equipping you to meet the many challenges we now face that extend across national borders, from environmental threats to issues of trade.

Three distinctive programs make Drake a particularly good place for you to prepare for your global future:

• Global Ambassador Program—The Principal Financial Group Center for Global Citizenship brings many internationally recognized speakers to campus, from a Nobel Peace Prize winner to senior statesmen and influential thinkers. It also sponsors the Global Ambassador Program, which provides special learning experiences focused on international affairs, including funding for summer service projects overseas.
• World Languages and Cultures—At Drake, language study combines two invaluable ingredients: first, the opportunity to work with professors who hold Ph.D.s in the languages they teach, and second, the chance to take part in conversational practice groups with native speakers. The results are impressive, from students who converse comfortably while studying abroad to graduates who have gone on to teach in China, receive Fulbright Scholarships, and direct translation services. You can choose to study Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish, all through an academic division called World Languages and Cultures.
• Study Abroad—From Beijing to Buenos Aires, to New Zealand, you can choose among study abroad programs in more than 60 countries. Select a summer, semester, or yearlong program or use the flexibility of Drake’s January Term to complete a month-long experience without missing a semester on campus. Explore Drake’s Chinese Cultural exchange program, which offers many study abroad choices, along with faculty exchanges. Or consider alternatives like Semester at Sea. Also, think about planning an internship abroad as the perfect preparation for international work later on.