Brethren Colleges Abroad

BCA Study Abroad (originally founded as Brethren College Abroad) began in 1962 as a secular, non-profit provider of academic, language and cultural immersion studies for undergraduates from a consortium of colleges and universities (see below). Faithful to the values of peace and social justice that inspired its founding, BCA Study Abroad facilitates opportunities for growth in intercultural understanding and global awareness through educational programs that foster scholarship, community engagement and guided reflective learning. Currently headquartered at Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, BCA's tagline is: Bridge the world, Connect for peace, Act for justice.

Origins

BCA was founded in 1962 by Morley J. Mays^[1] as a consortium of six charter member colleges affiliated with the Church of the Brethren:

• Bridgewater College
• Elizabethtown College
• Juniata College
• McPherson College
• Manchester College
• University of La Verne

BCA offered its first exchange program with Philipps-Universität in Marburg, Germany, the oldest Protestant university in the world. Today approximately seventy-five U.S. colleges and universities send students abroad through BCA.

Participating International Schools

Today BCA offers 15 semester or year-long programs in 12 international locations, including:

• FH Wein in Vienna, Austria
• Vesalius College in Brussels, Belgium
• Dalian University in Dalian, China
• Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Quito, Ecuador
• University of Gloucestershire in Cheltenham, England
• University of Roehampton in London, England
• Philipps-Universität in Marburg, Germany.
• College Year in Athens (CYA) in Athens, Greece
• Madras Christian College in Chennai, India
• National University of Ireland Maynooth in Maynooth, Ireland
• University of Veracruz in Xalapa, Mexico
• University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand
• Universitat de Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain
• Universitas Castellae in Valladoid, Spain
• University of the West Indies St. Augustine in St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago

In addition to their semester programs, BCA offers 8 summer programs in 7 different locations, including:

• FH Wein in Vienna, Austria
• Traveling program in Exeter & London, England
• University of Roehampton in London, England
• National University of Ireland Maynooth in Maynooth, Ireland
• Trentino region of Italy
• Dar Loughat Cross-Cultural Language Center in Tetouan, Morocco
• University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand
• Universitas Castellae in Valladoid, Spain

Program

BCA's programs offer the opportunity to study peace and justice issues in places where conflict has profoundly affected culture, history, and daily life. A resident director is on hand at all locations to help students with the academic and cultural transitions. The study abroad programs provide cultural immersion experiences for U.S. students which in turn help bridge the world we live in.

References

External links

• BCA Official Site