International Opportunities

2025 Programs at a Glance (click on the location title to view program overviews, just remember previews are subject to change).

Winter: IBPC - Austin, TX Spring: Brazil Summer: Japan
January 2-11, 2025 March 15-22, 2025 May 19-30, 2025
Student Cost: $300 + air Student Cost: $2,000 Student Cost: $2,750
Program Subsidy*: $1,864 Program Subsity*: $2,406 Program Subsity*: $3,041
Group Size: 12 Group Size: ~25 Group Size: ~25

*The 'Program Subsidy' is the investment in international travel for T&M students made by the Hoeft Technology and Management Program endowment and our corporate sponsors. The program allocates a significant portion of our budget to offset student costs for these critical professional and personal development experiences. Students are responsible for the 'Student Cost' fees that will be assessed in the form of a program fee charged by the university. The T&M program covers the cost of airfare for most international immersion trips. Students participating in the International Business Plan Competition are responsible for purchasing thier own airfare because they start from and return to different destinations all over the world. As a result, the overall student cost could vary for this specific program.

Important Links and Deadlines

International Business Immersion Trips

Students have the opportunity to learn about the global business practices through our exclusive international immersion experience. Students will learn how business is conducted first-hand by visiting multinational companies, while also immersing themselves in the culture, food, and history of some of the most famous sites around the world. Students must register for BUS 199: T&M Global Business Practices, a one-credit hour course offered each fall and spring. Upcoming trips planned for T&M students include:

  • March 2025 - Brazil
  • May 2025: Japan
  • June-July 2025: Sage Corps International Internships in Madrid of Sydney (More details to be released fall 2024.)

International Business Plan Competitions

Each winter, a select group of T&M students travels abroad to compete in a business plan competition. Students form teams with students from Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Hong Kong to solve real, pressing business problems. The location of the event rotates between the four host universities. Upcoming locations include:

  • June 2023: Hamburg, Germany
  • January 2024: Guangzhou, China
  • January 2025: Austin, Texas (hosted by the Hoeft T&M Program)
  • January 2026: Saudi Arabia (tenative)
  • January 2027: Germany (tentative)

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the deadline to apply?

All three trips have the same application deadline. You must get your application in by September 16 to be considered for one of these programs.

The application says Summer Short Term 2025, but I want to apply for the winter or spring break trips. What do I do?

The application is set up in the Gies Global system under Summer 2025. As students are admitted into different programs, we will manually move them into the corresponding program. This is simply a mechanism so that students don’t have to fill out multiple applications. Once you have commited to one of these travel expereinces, you will enroll in a BUS 199 course, which will be affiliated with the correct academic term.

What if I want to apply for more than one location?

We encourage each student to apply to all programs they are interested in. This year there is one application with the opportunity to select all of the locations that interest you. Priority will be given to allow each student at least one travel experience, but if spots remain, we will gladly accept students on multiple 2025 travel programs. You will only pay the application fee for the programs you are accepted in to.

How do you decide who gets to go on each trip?

Our goal is to help as many students as possible have an international travel experience.

  1. Our decision making process gives priority to students have never traveled wtih T&M before, with each student’s travel preferences taken into consideration.
  2. If demand far exceeds the number of available spots, we will use a lottery system to allocate seats in any program. We will assign all interested students to one program and then if spots remain, we will allocate open seats to students wishing to participate in two or more trips.
  3. We reserve the right to deny spots to students who have previously backed out of programs or who are not engaged or in good standing with the program.

Are scholarships available? How do I apply?

T&M is siginificantly investing in the overall cost of the trip for EVERY student accepted for an international expereince. If students need additional support, scholarships are available through Gies, Grainger, campus, and T&M. You are expected to apply for scholarships beyond just the T&M scholarship, as our scholarship funds are limited.

  1. Resource for Campus Travel Scholarships - Application Deadlines vary, please read carefully.
  2. Hoeft Scholars T&M Travel Scholarship Form - Application Deadline is September 16.

What if I want to travel beyond the group experience?

T&M organizes and fully pays airfare for each student pariticpating in an international immersion expereince. You will have the option to tailor your flight itinerary to your specific needs by working with our travel agent and paying the difference in cost for your modified airline ticket.

Students participating in the International Business Plan Competition book and pay for thier own travel because the students start from and return to destinations all over the world. As a result of this, the program fee for this expereince is significantly reduced. We have found this offers students the highest degree of options and flexibility.

What are the deadlines I need to remember:

  1. September 16: Study abroad and scholarship applications due. September 24: T&M program will communicate decisions about trip selections and scholarships. September 30: Students must return their Commitment to Participate to secure their spot.
  2. September 24: T&M program will communicate decisions about trip selections and scholarships. September 30: Students must return their Commitment to Participate to secure their spot.
  3. September 30: Students must return their Commitment to Participate to secure their spot.

The Program fee listed in the travel summary link is higher than the fees published by the program. Am I going to be responsible for more fees?

You will be responsible for the program fees as published in the T&M trip summaries and on the Gies Global application. The program uses the Hoeft endowment and financial support from our corporate partners Abbott, Boeing, bp, Caterpillar, and Synchrony to subsidize a significant portion of the overall expenses incurred for these trips, including airfare for most trips. We allocate a significant portion of our budget toward making these expereinces financially accessible for ALL students because we consider it essential learning to develop an understanding of global business practices.