Global Summer Institute

Join The University of Texas at Austin for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at the inaugural Global Summer Institute! You’ll expand your horizons and make new friends with peers from around the world while studying at the No. 1 public university in Texas and No. 9 in the United States. Experiential learning is at the heart of our programs; you’ll take part in exciting excursions across the region, explore the arts, culture, and history of Austin, and deepen your knowledge in your chosen field.

Deep in the Heart of Texas

Why Spend Your Summer at UT Austin?

• Gain hands-on, practical experience in your chosen field
• Network with top faculty members and industry experts
• Immerse yourself in U.S. academic language and culture
• Enjoy access to UT Austin’s world-class facilities
• Improve English writing and oral communication skills

Program Highlights

• Interactive classes, five days a week
• Campus tours and field trips to explore Texas
• Instruction on the U.S. university admissions process
• Certificate of completion and grade report

Apply For the Program

• Applications are open from March 1 – May 15, 2024
• Applicants must be 18 years or older by the start of the program
• Applicants must have at least intermediate level English

To enroll, complete the application and pay the application fee.

Apply Now

Required Documents

Please submit the following for your student visa application so we can issue the form I-20:

• A copy of the photo page of your passport
• A financial guarantee statement (typically, a personal or family bank statement)

Email these documents to us at txglobal-gsi@austin.utexas.edu.

After everything is submitted, please allow 5 business days for application processing and document issuance.

Program Dates

July 13 - August 10, 2024

Courses Offered

Choose to enroll in up to two academic content courses taught by UT Austin or visiting international faculty in any of the disciplines listed below. For your third course, add a writing, listening/speaking, or reading/vocabulary class taught by UT Austin’s English Language Center faculty. You must enroll in three classes, and at least one must be an English course.

Course Schedule

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
8:30 - 10:30 a.m.	Class 1	Class 1	Class 1	Class 1	Class 1
10:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.	Class 2	Class 2	Class 2	Class 2	Class 2
2:00 - 4:30 p.m.	Class 3	Class 3	Class 3	Class 3

 

 

Business and Accounting

Introduction to Accounting

• The accounting cycle 
• Recording journal entries & the closing process 
• Classified balance sheet & related disclosures 
• Internal controls 
• Asset misappropriation project

Principles of Finance

• Operating environment of the firm, financial statements, and financial ratios
• Calculation of different types of financial values, interest rate, and periodic payments 
• Relationship between interest rates and asset value and return of investments
• Capital budgeting, elements of working capital management, and the relationship of risk to return
• Basics for making appropriate financial decisions

Business Negotiation

• Fundamentals of negotiation: virtual, team, and multi-party settings
• Simulations of distributive, integrative potential, and job negotiations 
• Overcoming obstacles to integrative negotiations 
• Real-world application through a commercial development simulation
• Coalitions, agents, real estate, conflict, and influence dynamics.

Fundamentals of Marketing

• Marketplace and consumer behavior
• Customer-driven marketing strategy: creating value for target customers
• Products, services, brands, and their life cycle
• Pricing, marketing, and communication
• Advertising, public relations, and types of sales promotion

Engineering

Engineering Physics

• Structural analysis and static equilibrium problems 
• Applied principles of dynamics  
• Analysis of simple circuits to determine their defining characteristics
• Simple experiments to test physical concepts

Engineering Design

• Problem formulation and specification development 
• Concept generation and selection 
• Product redesign project 
• Conceptual design project

Quality Management

• Introduction to quality and organizational excellence
• Problem-solving methodologies
• Continuous Improvement Initiatives
• Continuous Improvement Tools & Techniques 
• Emerging Trends in Quality Management

Computer Science

Java Programming

• Java methods, references, variables 
• Linux basics 
• Object-oriented and network programming
• Unit testing, debugging, and multi-threading 
• Java Exception handling and Java graphic libraries

Python Programming

• Practical programming skills and Python proficiency
• Core object-oriented programming
• Efficient code organization
• Hands on-exercises like industry standard coding challenges
• Construct a unique Python game

Introduction to Deep Learning (prerequisite - basic Python programming)

• Introduction to neural networks
• Activation functions and optimizers
• Frameworks, hyperparameter tuning, and practical approaches
• Convolutional neural networks, transformers, vision transformers
• Generative models for text, image, and sound

Introduction to Big Data & Data Mining (prerequisite - basic Python programming)

• Connect data mining to student’s field of study
• AI techniques to practical problems 
• Project proposals: choose from improving existing approaches, applying algorithms to new problems, stress testing, or designing new approaches
• Emphasis on creativity by allowing students to mix and match approaches in their project proposals

Social Sciences & Humanities

Cognition and Human Learning

• Survey of theoretical perspectives of learning and motivation
• Analysis of various behavioral methodologies and human development theories
• Review of multicultural issues: substance abuse/addiction, basic therapeutic skills, and diagnostic information
• Application of interventions and assessments with peers using real life scenarios

Western Culture & Communication Strategies

• Survey of historical and popular culture
• Linguistic and skills strategies for different communication styles
• Familiarity with diverse vernacular accents, dialects, slang, idioms, and history
• Application of primary and secondary research skills
• Experiential field trips and in-class projects

Introduction to Advertising

• Social and ethical issues surrounding advertising
• Criteria used in executing an advertising campaign 
• Components of an advertising campaign like strategy and research
• Diversity of people and jobs within advertising
• History of advertising and its effect on modern practices

Contemporary International Politics

• Events shaping post-World War II international relations
• Effects of issues in Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East on the international system
• Regional agendas and their impact on the global system
• Contemporary international relations in specified regions.
• Fundamental knowledge for global developments

Digital Empathy and Impact

• Social media fostering understanding and driving social impact.
• Strategies for managing the flood of digital information.
• AI supporting humanitarian efforts while addressing ethical concerns
• Virtual reality promotes empathy and positive social values.
• How to craft impactful messages and narratives for digital platforms.

Economic and Political Trends in Latin America

• Historical roots of globalization
• Economic and political aspects of globalization
• Trade specialization: general trends, composition of trade in goods and services
• Impact of media on elections
• Strategic public policies on poverty, insecurity, climate change

Public Health

Global Health and Epidemiology

• Factors for improving health in communities globally
• Field methods - needs assessments, data collection, management, analysis, and visualization; report preparation, and resource identification 
• Cultural understanding of a community in health program implementation
• Overview of the basic principles of field epidemiology
• Application of epidemiology methods to basic and clinical science

English Language (Intermediate and Advanced)

Academic Writing

• Review of sentence types and paragraph organization principles
• Instruction on the transition from paragraph to academic essay
• Overview of the writing process including multiple drafts of an essay
• Practice with the principles of coherence, cohesion, completeness, and unity
• Considerations in research writing

Oral Communication

• Activities for building fluency
• Instruction and feedback on presentation skills
• Pronunciation practice
• Listening and note-taking
• Participation in formal group discussions

Reading, Note-taking, and Vocabulary Development

• Increasing reading speed and accuracy
• Learning to understand meaning from context
• Synthesizing information from multiple texts
• Note-taking skill development
• Vocabulary improvement using the official academic word lists

Program Details

Program Cost

• Early Bird Application Fee: $200 non-refundable (March 1 - April 15, 2024) or $250 (April 16 - May 15, 2024) due at time of application submission
• Program Fee: $5500 (due by May 20, 2024)
• Program fee is refundable with proof of visa application denial

Program fee includes room and board, tuition and required fees, educational trips, relevant immigration documents (acceptance letter and I-20), required health insurance, final reception, program certificate, and grade report. Rooms are double occupancy in a university dormitory.

Airfare, SEVIS fee, and the visa application fee are NOT covered in the program fee.

 

Evaluation & Certificate

Student work will be evaluated according to the grading requirements of each course. A final grade report will be emailed within a week of program completion. Students who pass all classes with A, B, or C grades and have at least 75 percent attendance will receive program certificates.

It is your responsibility to receive approval from your home institution to earn credit for Global Summer Institute courses. We recommend that you work with your international/study abroad office.

Immigration

For international applicants, once accepted, we will email you a packet that contains a Form I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility for an F-1 student visa). You must then contact your local embassy to begin the student visa application process.

Prospective Faculty Members

Applications for faculty members are now closed for the Summer 2024 institute. Summer 2025 applications will open in September.  Learn how to apply and teach the next generation of leaders.