Study abroad programs have been offered by universities for generations. However, it is rare that the study abroad experience affords students the opportunity to earn two degrees in a typical undergraduate time frame.

Funded by a $325,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education, 24 DePaul University computer science students over the next four years will have the chance to earn both a degree from DePaul’s School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems (CTI) as well as a degree in international business from a European institution of higher learning.

Starting in September, a group of DePaul CTI juniors will study for a semester at Ecole de Commerce Européenne in Lyon, France. The students will then attend Linköping University in Linköping, Sweden for spring semester. Students will receive a three-year European bachelor’s degree from Linköping University upon completion of a thesis at the end of their junior year overseas. Then students return to DePaul to finish their CTI technology degree in their senior year.

According to program coordinator Daniel Mittleman, associate professor at DePaul CTI, the program is designed to provide American information technology students with the skills to function in the international business economy.

“Information technology work is increasingly global and virtual. Giving technology students the opportunity to gain international experience, develop inter-cultural teamwork skills, learn a foreign language, and network with European business contacts will set them apart from their competition as they enter the job market,” he said.

Students selected to take part in the program also will receive a $1,200 monthly living expense stipend during their stay in Europe. The program is one of seven different, multidisciplinary study abroad consortia funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Atlantis Program. The FIPSE Atlantis Program is a cooperative between the United States and European Union designed to promote a student-centered, transatlantic dimension to higher education and training in a wide range of academic and professional disciplines. For more information, visit the program's Web site.

DePaul CTI is one of the most innovative and wide-ranging information technology and digital cinema schools in the country. The undergraduate programs enroll 1,125 students and offer 14 different degrees. Approximately 2,000 students are enrolled in its 18 graduate programs. CTI also features a doctoral degree program in computer science. For more information, visit www.cti.depaul.edu.