The Best Way to Make a Difference In the World, Is to Explore It.
Study Abroad
Every GRS student goes global — the international internship requirement makes sure of that. But for many, one experience abroad isn't enough.
GRS students pursue international study in three main ways. The required internship places you in a professional setting for 5+ weeks, embedded in real work. Beyond that, students can spend a full semester or academic year at a partner institution — taking courses, living in the culture, and building the kind of fluency that a summer can't replicate. Faculty-led travel courses offer a third path: shorter, structured programs led by GRS faculty that combine travel with coursework, typically over a winter or summer break.
Each option asks something different of you. The internship is professional. A semester or year abroad is immersive. A faculty-led course is focused. Together they reflect what GRS is built on — the belief that understanding global food systems, sustainability, and development requires more than a classroom.
Planning a semester or year abroad takes some groundwork. Not every course at every partner institution will count toward your GRS degree — and that's a conversation worth having early. Start by exploring what your prospective school actually offers, then sit down with your advisor to review which courses align with your requirements and what can be formally accepted for credit. Plan ahead and you'll have options. Wait until after you've landed and you'll have headaches.
Study abroad is open to every GRS student — including those who may have additional questions about cost, accessibility, identity, or military service. Iowa State's Study Abroad for All resource addresses exactly those concerns, with guidance for first-generation students, students with disabilities, multicultural students, veteran students, and more.
The best place to start planning is the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Study Abroad Office. They work specifically with students in your college, know the partner institutions well, and can help you build an experience that works for your degree — not just your passport.
Explore your study abroad options
National Student Exchange
Not every change of scenery requires a passport.
The National Student Exchange (NSE) lets Iowa State students spend a semester or year at one of 170+ colleges and universities across the U.S., Canada, and U.S. territories — paying Iowa State tuition or the host institution's in-state rate, with your financial aid traveling with you. For GRS students it's less common than international study, but the case for it is real: access courses your home campus doesn't offer, build connections in your field, or spend a semester at a school whose graduate program you're seriously considering. There's no better way to evaluate a program than living inside it.
The same advising process applies as with study abroad — explore what your prospective campus offers, then work with your advisor to confirm what transfers and counts toward your degree. 94% of NSE participants say they gained more insight about themselves, and 88% grew more confident in their ability to problem solve. Putting yourself somewhere unfamiliar tends to do that.