Study abroad is an increasingly important component of an undergraduate education. With a strong international emphasis, the department has links to numerous study-abroad programs in Europe, South America, and Australia. Students most often study abroad in spring of their junior year.
The Washington Semester is available each year for six juniors or seniors to spend a term studying in Washington, D.C., in cooperation with American University. Students are enrolled at Lehigh but spend the semester in residence at American University with the students from other 180 participating colleges and universities. The curriculum consists of national-government seminars, an internship, and a written research project. Besides the national government program, the student may choose other program offerings such as economic policy semester, journalism, public administration, foreign policy semester, and justice semester.