Every year the MSSU Department of Art and Design leads a group of art majors to the resort village of Mullsjö, Sweden to study Scandinavian Art. During the week the students study print (Black and White) photography as they stay at the Mullsjö Folkhögskola. During weekends the group travels to the Scandinavian Capitals of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden to study firsthand the rich artistic traditions of each country. At the end of the trip students earn six (6) upper division academic credits. This five-week summer trip is the oldest and one of MSSU's most extensive study abroad opportunities.
This program is made possible by the K. L. Hyde Foundation Scholarship Fund. Art majors accepted into the program receive a generous scholarship to help defray the cost of the trip. The travel agenda varies each year but includes visits to the major art museums and galleries in Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Oslo.
The students gain exposure to the contemporary art world of Europe, providing them with an international concept of the current art scene. These chances to study at world-class institutions offer an incredible experience for students to gain in-depth knowledge and understanding of what it means to create artwork in today's interlinked global visual culture.
As travel is essential for artists, each school year the Department of Art and Design strives to send students to the country/region of each themed semester during the preceding spring or summer. Our students then create a public exhibition of artworks in response to their travels. By engaging with the University community in this way, our students have a prolonged conceptual exposure to the culture and artwork that they experience. Previous trips have included Spain, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and Norway.
This program provides a unique international educational opportunity for MSSU students as it is an Art History course with a hybrid studio component. Typically these shorter, 10 day average, trips are held over the spring break. At the end of the course students earn three (3) upper division Special Topic academic credits.
The Department of Art and Design has a bilateral agreement with a two year People's College located in central Sweden dedicated to studies in Art. Any full-time art major in good academic standing can spend a semester studying art at the Mullsjö Folkhögskola for the same tuition rate as a normal semester at MSSU. There they can take advantage of an outstanding photography program, ceramics, drawing, painting, and textile courses, or even German language classes. The instructors speak good English and are willing to work with our students to ensure the lessons and concepts are communicated and understood. We recommend choosing to attend the Fall semester over the Spring to give students time to acclimate to the climate and to also better fit into the Swedish academic programming. The deadline for applying for the Fall semester is usually April 1.
Missouri Southern is a member of the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP)https://www.isep.org/ offering study opportunities in 33 other countries. Exchanges are for one semester or one academic year, and some summer programs are also offered. In addition, every academic year a range of study abroad opportunities are offered by various MSSU departments and programs. Contact the MSSU Institute of International Studies for the full list as well as funding (grant and scholarship) opportunities.
