Please note: All SILS faculty-lead Summer Seminars are on hold until further notice. This includes the May 2023 Barcelona trip. Please monitor this page for updates.
In addition to summer seminars, SILS and UNC have exchange agreements with the following universities.
- Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile in Santiago, Chile
- Royal School of Library and Information Science in Copenhagen, Denmark
- Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) in Seoul, South Korea
- Universidad Carlos III de Madrid in Madrid, Spain
The exchanges are administered through the UNC Study Abroad Office but are managed by SILS. Please notify SILS if you plan on participating in an exchange. Students should apply through the Study Abroad Office at the links below, and are encouraged to meet with a Study Abroad Advisor before applying. For additional questions please email SILS at silsinfo@unc.edu.
In addition, UNC at Chapel Hill has formal university ties with approximately 75 other universities. In most cases, students can find courses in which they can earn Information Science or Library Science credit. Benefits include low cost for in-state students, full immersion into the host culture, and a wide range of subjects and courses from which to choose.
Course Credit
Students who wish to study abroad are encouraged to talk with the SILS International Programs Coordinator. Study abroad credit transfer is not guaranteed and should be confirmed with SILS before beginning the exchange.
Funding Resources
SILS and UNC offer a number of competitive and noncompetitive funding options for undergraduate and graduate students. Click here exclusive for the SILS Summer Seminar Scholarship Application.These can be used for field research, study abroad, international internships, conference participation, foreign language training and more. You may also wish to visit Study Abroad 101's page on the costs of study abroad, and for tips on how to reduce your costs.
Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic (This program is not currently active.)
Located in Prague, a beautiful city with a long history, Charles University is a popular destination for students from around the world. It was founded in 1348 and is one of Europe's oldest universities in continuation. It ranks as one of the best universities in Central Europe. Charles University started offering courses in Information and Library Science in 1950. Now, more than thirty years later, leading experts and theorists in the field of information science, librarianship, library science teach at the Institute.
Language requirement: The program offers courses in both English and Czech; students may enroll in the courses taught in the foreign language provided they have completed at least the minimum prerequisite level of Czech. Students can choose classes from both the information school and from other departments within Charles.
Minimum class standing requirement: Junior
Course Listing (Generally, fall semester will offer a larger quantity and variety of courses taught in English. However spring is still an option for study.)
National University of Singapore: School of Computing, Singapore
Students will learn and live at NUS’s main Kent Ridge Campus in southwest Singapore. This exchange option is housed in the School of Computing at NUS and is intended for UNC undergraduates in the Department of Computer Science and the School of Information & Library Science. The NUS School of Computing has two departments: Computer Science and Information Systems. The Department of Computer Science offers three undergraduate programs: Computer Science, Information Systems, and Computational Biology. All courses are taught in English, but student will have the option to take a language course.
Language requirement: None
Minimum class standing requirement: Sophomore
Course Listing
Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile in Santiago, Chile
This program is primarily for Master's students. Undergraduates can participate, but will not have access to Information Processing and Management courses. More information in course listing links below. With that said, the Engineering school has some undergraduate courses related to Business Intelligence and Data Mining.
Currently, there are over 20,000 students at UC enrolled in graduate and undergraduate programs. In 2008, UC was ranked second in Latin America. UC-Chile is located on four campuses in Santiago, the bustling capital city of Chile. Courses in Databases, Information Architecture, Information Retrieval, Social Media, and Natural Language Processing, are among a few of the offerings. As a southern hemisphere school, Chile's semesters run from ~February - July and ~August - December.
Language requirement: 5 semesters of Spanish
Minimum class standing requirement: Junior
Course Listing (undergraduates)
Royal School of Library and Information Science in Copenhagen, Denmark
RSLIS educates information specialists, communications specialists and librarians. RSLIS students are experts in the interaction between information needs, cultural consumption and digital media. RSLIS's education programs target tasks in both public and research libraries, public administration, organizations and private companies. Librarians and graduates are also employed as information specialists, researchers, web managers, document managers, knowledge managers, information workers and cultural mediators. RSLIS has nearly 1000 students and about 60 faculty members.
Language requirement: None
Minimum class standing requirement: Junior
Course Listing (undergraduate students will take Master's level courses, similar to UNC SILS 500-level courses)
Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) in Seoul, South Korea
Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) was founded over 600 years ago, and is one of Asia's oldest institutions of higher learning. Students attending this program will have access to one of the most respected Library and Information Science programs in Asia.
SKKU's location in Seoul, along with the wealth of cultural activities planned for exchange students, provide students with the opportunity to have an immersive cultural experience in one of the world's largest and most cosmopolitan cities.
SKKU also offers an International Summer School, which is separate and different from the semester exchange. More information can be found here.
Language requirement: None
Minimum class standing requirement: Rising sophomore
Course Listing (for undergraduate semester)
Course Listing (for graduate semester) - graduate semesters are handled on a case by case basis. Please meet with the SILS International Programs Coordinator to discuss course possibilities. Oftentimes, you will work closely with SKKU faculty to develop a schedule which pertains to your specific interests within IS or LS.
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid in Madrid, Spain
UC3M has 18,916 students, 18% of which are international. Students are able to enroll in any academic department, but the degree in Management of Information and Digital Contents (within the School of Humanities, Communication, and Library Science) is the SILS equivalent. Courses relate to Business, Information Technology, Law, and Information and Documentation.
Language requirement: 4 semesters of Spanish
Minimum class standing requirement: Junior
Bachelor's degree courses