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Study Abroad

Psychology in Europe

Psychology in Europe is a study abroad program developed by Dr. Ty Abernathy, who teaches a variety of Educational Psychology courses at Mississippi State University. The program started in 2018, and it has grown into the largest study abroad program at the University.

Three or four study abroad programs to different countries are offered annually—during the Winter Intersession in December, spring break in March, Maymester in May, and sometimes one in June. Dr. Ty is the faculty director for each program.

Additional information for each study abroad program (e.g., application link, trip itinerary, program flyer, etc.) can be found to the right under “Trips.”

 

 

See other trip videos here

Student Testimonials

Academic Information

Course Prefix and Number
PSY/EPY 4710-6710 - International Explorative Travel Program in Psychology and Educational Psychology (3 credit hours)*

*This course is cross-listed in the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences and in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education Leadership, Educational Psychology, and Foundations in the College of Education and split-level for both undergraduate and graduate students.

All of the study abroad programs are OPEN to all undergraduate AND graduate students at Mississippi State University and can count towards your degree requirements or program of study in multiple ways depending on the destination, the content and material, your academic advisor, etc.

Students majoring in Psychology or Educational Psychology have the most flexibility in applying this 3-credit hour course towards their upper-level degree requirements. For example, the course will fulfill upper-level elective requirements for students majoring in Psychology and various curriculum requirements for undergraduate students majoring in Educational Psychology. In addition, the course will fulfill minor requirements in both Psychology and Educational Psychology as well as a graduate elective requirement in both areas. However, students from all across campus have participated in previous study abroad programs to Europe including students majoring in Biology, Business, Communication, Engineering, History, Marketing, Primary, Secondary, and Special Education, etc.—EVERYONE IS WELCOME.

The academic component (lectures, readings, videos, etc.) of each study abroad program is different and specific to the contributions to the development and history of Psychology in the country or countries visited.

Several students have participated in multiple study abroad programs with Dr. Ty. Students can take the course 3 times and earn 9 credit hours.
 

Study Abroad Costs

There are four parts to the costs associated with a study abroad program.

  1. Program Fee - This price is the amount you see advertised for the program and on other promotional materials—it includes hotel accommodations, daily breakfast, a welcome and farewell dinner, within and between country transportation from arrival until departure, and admission to every activity and excursion listed on the itinerary.
     
  2. Airfare - This price can vary depending on departure and arrival airports and dates, seasons of the year, supply and demand, etc. Students are responsible for booking their own airline ticket and the standard recommendation is budgeting between $1,000-$1,500 for this cost. Booking your own ticket allows students to easily leave a couple of days before a program begins or depart a couple of days after it concludes in order to visit another country—many students take advantage of this opportunity to see another culture. Students commonly visit London, Paris, and various cities in Italy before or after their study abroad experience.
     
  3. Tuition - Students participating in a May, June, or December program have a tuition charge for the 3-credit hour course* because the study abroad program dates are outside of the fall and spring semesters. The tuition charge is approximately $1,250 (varies between summer and winter sessions) and all students are charged as in-state residents—there are no out-of-state tuition charges for study abroad participants.
    1. *There is NO additional tuition charge for full-time students who study abroad during the spring semester (i.e., spring break program in March).
       
  4. Spending money - This amount really depends on the student. Students can easily eat for $40 dollars a day while abroad. Students who bring $500 with them on a study abroad program will likely bring some money back (unless they just love to shop at Zara 😊).

The Program Fee and Tuition are charged to your student account.

Application Process

Each student who begins an application in the portal is given a status—1. Pending, 2. Ready For Review, 3. Accepted, or 4. Committed.

  1. Students who are working their way through the initial steps of the application process completing the Pre-Decision forms and questionnaires—Health Information Questionnaire, Risk and Release, Standard Questionnaire, *COVID-19 Acknowledgement and Consent, and International Travel Accident Insurance—are considered to be Pending.
     
  2. Students who have completed the Pre-Decision forms are considered to be Ready For Review.
     
  3. Once a student has completed the Pre-Decision Forms, the faculty director will receive an email informing them that the student’s application is Ready For Review. The faculty director will then review their application and change their status to Accepted.
     
  4. Once a student has been Accepted, they will receive an email notifying them of the status update and informing them that they must login to the application portal to change their status to Committed in order to be included on the official roster for the program. Students must change their status in the portal to Committed in order to secure their spot. The faculty director cannot make this update for students.

*Students DO NOT need to be vaccinated in order to participate in any of the study abroad programs led by Dr. Ty.

Scholarships

Mississippi State University

The information directly below about ACT scores* only applies to students who are currently Seniors (entered MSU in the fall of 2021), Juniors (entered MSU in the fall of 2022), and Sophomores (entered MSU in the fall of 2023). Freshman students (entered MSU in the fall of 2024) and transfer students are not eligible for the ACT Study Abroad Scholarship because the process of awarding study abroad scholarships has changed (see below).

*In-state students who are Mississippi residents and have an ACT score of 30 (or higher) have a Study Abroad Scholarship that was automatically awarded to them when they were admitted to the University. Out-of-state students who have an ACT score of 35 (or higher) also have a similar Study Abroad Scholarship. If awarded a Study Abroad Scholarship, the scholarship and award amount can be viewed in the scholarship portal. The scholarship will show as OAS Pending. The Scholarships Office can provide additional information to students who qualify for this scholarship.

Scholarships Office
scholarships@msstate.edu
(662) 325-3076
101 Montgomery Hall

Beginning this fall semester, entering freshman, entering transfer, and current MSU students will have the opportunity to apply for a $2,000 Study Abroad Scholarship to be used towards an MSU affiliated study abroad program. To apply for these scholarships students must submit the General Scholarship Application and check “Interested in Study Abroad.” Once the General Scholarship Application has been completed, a separate Study Abroad Scholarship Application will show under ‘Recommended Opportunities’ within the scholarship portal. The Study Abroad Scholarship Application will be open from October 1st-December 1st, 2024 for students who would like to study abroad in March, May, or June of 2025.
 
Both Mekenzi McPherson at mrm596@msstate.edu and Anna McKell at acm744@msstate.edu in the Scholarships Office have been extremely helpful in regard to explaining the application process and answering questions. I would strongly encourage students to reach out to either of them for additional information.

Shackouls Honors College

Students who are active members of the Shackouls Honors College may also be eligible to receive a study abroad scholarship. Please contact the College for more information. Several students who have traveled with Dr. Ty have received funding to study abroad from the Shackouls Honors College—the application link is directly below. The due dates for application submissions are rolling throughout the year and different depending on when the student plans to travel. I would recommend having a study abroad program in mind before completing the application.

https://www.honors.msstate.edu/study-abroad/scholarship/

Shackouls Honors College
shackoulshc@honors.msstate.edu
(662) 325-2522
210 C Griffis Hall

Office of Study Abroad

The Office of Study Abroad provides additional information about Scholarships and Financial Aid on their website.

Scholarships & Financial Aid

https://www.international.msstate.edu/offices/study-abroad/students/scholarships-financial-aid

An MSU degree-seeking student who participates in an MSU sponsored or affiliated Study Abroad program is eligible to apply for Financial Aid to help cover the required costs. Each program is handled on an individual program and student basis, and most costs associated with the Study Abroad program can typically be taken into consideration when determining Financial Aid eligibility. The amount of aid received for Study Abroad is dependent upon the individual student's eligibility at the time of application. Students who wish to receive Financial Aid to help pay for a MSU Study Abroad program should contact Jackie LeSueur at jll368@msstate.edu or jacquelyn.lesueur@msstate.edu in the Department of Student Financial Aid to discuss Financial Aid options and availability. The Study Abroad Financial Aid Request form is available at http://www.sfa.msstate.edu/forms.

Some MSU Colleges and Departments, such as the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (see below), have study abroad scholarships available for students of that college to apply for. The Office of Study Abroad encourages you to check with each of your academic colleges and/or departments to see about study abroad scholarship opportunities.

https://www.cals.msstate.edu/students/studyabroad/scholarships.php

Frequently Asked Questions for Students

https://www.international.msstate.edu/offices/study-abroad/students/faqs

Contact

Thank you for taking the time to read about my study abroad program—Psychology in Europe. I feel confident that studying abroad will be the best decision you ever make in college—the reason I know is because students tell me all the time!

I hope you will take some time to read a few student testimonials and watch a few videos from previous trips that are included on this website.

Please reach out to me when any questions. I am available and happy to help.

Dr. Ty
ty@ra.msstate.edu

#travelwithty