Agriculture, Food and Culture

The Germany/Austria study abroad program offers participants the fantastic opportunity to visit farms, farm technologies, traditional and modern food production operations, research facilities, wineries, and cultural sites. Over the course of the two-week program, participants will travel to Munich, Frankfurt, Salzburg and more to gain an understanding of agricultural and food processing practices from farm, to market, to table.  Students will gain an appreciation of culture and history by visiting Hohenwerfen fortress, Mirabell Gardens, Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, Neuschwanstein castle, the Hermann Memorial, and the Mercedes Museum.

Quick Information

Location

Germany, the most highly populated member state of the European Union, is one of the predominant economic and political powers in mainland Europe. Worldwide leaders in industry, technology, education, and philosophy (to name a few), Germans enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world. Germany is the fourth-largest economy in the world by GDP, trailing only the U.S., China, and Japan.

The birthplace of Mozart and a declared UNESCO World Heritage Site, Salzburg, Austria has a rich and vibrant heritage. The Mozart Festival, Salzburg Festival, Christkindlesmarkt (Christmas Market) and the Sound of Music are just a few examples of why people all around the world visit this vibrant city. It is also home to Red Bull and its Hanger-7 where the Flying Bulls aircraft fleet and Formula 1 race cars are stored.

Accommodation and Meals

Students will be housed in Youth Hostels, residence halls and hotels. Rooms will be shared, and the number of participants in a room will vary from a single roommate in one location, to four or more in another. Most bathrooms will be shared, community facilities. Students should plan to bring their own towels. All housing costs are included in the program fee.

Some breakfasts are included in the program fee, most dinners and lunches will be out-of-pocket expenses for students. A detailed itinerary clearly indicating which meals will need to be purchased by students will be provided. Students will be responsible for meal costs not included in the program fee. Though the individual spending habits of each student will vary, please see the budget information below for an estimate of the average out-of-pocket meal expenses.

Program Travel

International round-trip air travel will be arranged for the group. The faculty program leader, John Tummons, Ph.D., travels with the group flight to facilitate airport check-in and transfers.  Because of the fluctuation in airline prices, the airfare estimate is listed separately below; however, once group reservations are made and the flight is finalized, the ticket cost will be added to the program fee and billed to participants’ MU accounts.

All in-country program travel is organized by CAFNR and is included in the program fee. Some individual local transportation costs may be accrued by students wishing to explore program locations independently during their free time.

Academics

Students earn three credits of AFNR 2191: International Agriculture and Natural Resources (humanities; graded A/F) for the spring semester. Students should work with their advisors to determine how these credits will count toward their individual graduation plans.

Please be aware that there will be at least four mandatory orientation meetings prior to departure. Most of these meetings will occur in April. Dates and times for the meetings will be available shortly after the confirmed program participant list is finalized, generally around mid-March. Participants will be notified of the meeting details via email.

Estimated Cost

Missouri Resident Tuition (3 credits, spring semester): varies per student. See website for details