CGI Launches Prague Study Abroad Program

Carlson School undergraduate students have a new option for completing core classes—traveling to Prague, Czech Republic. 

The I-Core Abroad: Gold Block in Prague program, offered through the Carlson Global Institute (CGI), includes four required business courses and a non-business elective course that features traveling seminars. The program, designed for students in the first or second year of their undergraduate degree, began in Spring 2025 with 19 students. 

Participants travel in a cohort and take classes together at a study abroad center with other American students. They also get plenty of opportunities for local connections, including potentially living with a Czech roommate. 

“It’s a very structured program, meaning there’s a lot of support on-site for students,” says Kate Terry, senior program director at CGI. “They’re living in apartments throughout the city, but it’s organized for them. There is a lot of intentional programming happening in Prague, and with those traveling seminars, there are a bunch of cultural activities.” 

The traveling seminar elective, which can fulfill a UMN liberal education requirement, takes students on two trips outside of Prague. Destinations include Austria, Hungary, and Poland. 

Along with the benefits of traveling and fulfilling course requirements, Terry says study abroad teaches many skills that students can carry into their future careers. 

“Flexibility, adaptability, cross-cultural communication skills, team building, overcoming adversity, resiliency—all of these skills that students are building on their study abroad experience are also what employers are looking for in the career search,” she says.