Going to class usually means lounging in any drab building struggling to stay awake, but for students who take embedded study abroad programs, it could mean visiting the ruins of Morocco or Greece.

Embedded programs are undergraduate or graduate courses that feature a brief international excursion as a minor component of the class.

"Some professors advertise only internally to majors in their department and some courses are open to anyone," said Jessica Lindoerfer, promotions and outreach coordinator for the University Office of International Programs.

Students attend classes as usual, but then travel on a one- to three-week trip over spring break or summer vacation.

"The trips are set far enough ahead of time that students can find a trip that works with their schedule, and it shouldn't be too hard to work around," Lindoerfer said.

Ian McGroarty (senior-economics), an education abroad peer adviser, traveled to Bulgaria for 10 days with his Geography 497H (International Environment Sustainability) class.

"The opportunity to go abroad was my main incentive for taking the class," McGroarty said.

After experiencing an embedded study abroad program, McGroarty chose to study abroad for a summer in Salvador, Brazil.

"If the student enjoys being in a new culture and learning about it, an embedded program can bring that out in them and a full study abroad can allow them to develop that part of themselves," McGroarty said.

The embedded programs usually require students to pay for airfare, food and housing, but scholarships are available to help with the cost. Some programs allow students to live with citizens of the country in their homes.

"My 13 students lived with Moroccan families in the old city of Rabat, the capital, and commuted to class each day for a week," said Richard Schuhmann, professor of Engineering 497C (Leadership and innovation for meeting 21st century water resource challenges).

"Traveling abroad like this is a very immersive experience, and it gives students a depth of cultural experience in one week."

Experiencing another culture is invaluable for helping students to grow as global citizens, Schuhmann said.

Whether students study abroad for just one week or an entire semester, it is sure to change their perspective of the world.

"You just have to realize the whole world does not function the exact same way you do, and to me, that's one of the most interesting parts," Erin Bernhard (junior-Spanish) wrote in an e-mail. Bernhard is currently studying abroad in Granada, Spain.

For a full list of embedded courses offered by Penn State, students can visit https://www.international.psu.edu/ea/.