International Experience Requirement

The College of Health and Human Sciences (CHHS) has initiated a requirement for students to participate in an international experience prior to graduation. The goal of CHHS’s international experience requirement is to introduce students to international and intercultural perspectives in order to prepare them to live and work in an increasingly globalized world.

Studying abroad is a high-impact educational practice that has been shown to increase student success and employability after graduation. The CHHS International Experience is designed to provide high-quality global learning experiences that are flexible, affordable, and relevant to students’ degree programs and professional goals. There are many options for fulfilling the requirement and advising is available to assist students in all aspects of the process. Students may be able to apply financial aid towards the cost of some SJSU-sponsored study abroad programs, and scholarships are also available through CHHS and other sources.

Meeting the Requirement

The requirements of the international experience include:

• Travel outside of the United States through a Faculty-Led Program, Summer School Abroad, California State University International Programs (CSUIP), International Student Exchange Programs (ISEP), Alternative Break Programs, or SJSU Exchange offered by the SJSU Study Abroad and Away Office
• Program must be a minimum of 9 days
• Student must receive academic credit

If you are unable to participate in a Study Abroad program as noted above and need to participate in an Alterntive or Modified, please see below for more information about these options. You will need to make an advising appointment with an advisor at the CHHS Student Success Center to initiate the petition process:

• Petition for Alternative to International Experience
• Petition for Modification of the International Experience
• Independent International Experience Proposal Form (Now Suspended)

The deadline to submit a petition is August 1, 2022 for Fall 2022 and January 10, 2023 for Spring 2023

Effective Date of the Requirement

The date that the international experience requirement takes effect varies according to school/department. The effective date applies to:

1. Freshmen entering SJSU on or after the semester listed below
2. Transfer students entering SJSU with catalogue rights on or after the semester listed below.

Department of Occupational Therapy

Fall 2015: Graduate-only program—applies to entering graduate students

OT International Experience Brochure [pdf]

Department of Kinesiology

Fall 2016: Majors: Athletic Training, Kinesiology, Kinesiology Preparation for Teaching

KIN International Experience Brochure [pdf]

Department of Nutrition, Food Science, & Packaging

Fall 2021: Majors: Nutritional Science--all concentrations

NUFS International Experience Brochure [pdf]

Department of Public Health & Recreation

Fall 2018: Majors: Public Health—all concentrations, Recreation—all concentrations

PHR International Experience Brochure [pdf]

Note: Students who were admitted to SJSU as undeclared or in a different major prior to the effective date for their current CHHS major are not required to complete the international experience; unless, of course, they were previously in a CHHS major that required the international experience

If you are unsure whether the requirement applies to you, need help selecting a program, or have any other questions about the international experience, meet with a CHHS International Experience advisor in the CHHS Student Success Center for advising.

Email us at chhs-internationalexperience@sjsu.edu