As future professionals in Health and Exercise Science, we work with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. The Health and Exercise Science Department encourages all majors within the department to study abroad and experience a new culture as part of their time at Rowan.

Rowan's Study Abroad Office offers valuable information for a wide range of eligible study abroad programs for Rowan students. Each semester there is a study abroad fair that we encourage you to attend.

Though it can seem intimidating to go abroad for part of your college education, remember that it is an investment in yourself, your education and your understanding of the world. In short, it's worth every penny - and many programs offer financial aid!

Although these study abroad trips are typically in required classes for Health and Exercise Science majors, all majors are welcome.

Dr. Leslie Spencer is teaching a special section of the 3-credit Contemporary Issues in Nutrition course (NUT 00420) in the spring 2022 semester.  This is a required course for Nutrition, Public Health and Wellness and Health Promotion/Wellness Management majors.  It is an elective for any other student who has taken Basic Nutrition.

The focus of this trip will be a 10-day tour France including French Riviera, Avignon, Lyon, Reims, Paris. Treat your palate to the vibrant tradition of French food, from rustic fare to haute cuisine. Sample regional dishes in the French Riviera and Provence, and attend a chef’s demonstration in Lyon for some authentic inspiration for your own creations. Get a taste of Paris with visits to its most iconic structures before expanding your palette at a colorful city market and cooking lesson. This program is intentionally designed to feature guided learning, cultural engagement, and independent exploration experiences to drive global competency development.

Email Dr. Spencer at spencer@rowan.edu for more information!

Day 1: Fly overnight to France

Day 2: French Riviera

• Meet your Tour Director at the airport
• Take a walking tour of Nice and soak up the white-washed villas and the emerald waters that lap its endless beaches
• Enjoy dinner in Nice

Day 3: French Riviera

• Take a day trip to Monaco, a tiny principality that packs wealth, royalty and the Casino Monte-Carlo into 0.8 square miles
• Participate in a cooking lesson led by local chefs and learn how the region’s cuisine is flavored largely by its geography

Day 4: French Riviera • Provence • Lyon

• Travel via Provence to Lyon, the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris
• Enjoy dinner in Lyon

Day 5: Lyon

• Guided learning: Take a culinary-themed guided tour of Lyon and learn about bouchons, Lyonnais restaurants famous for their convivial atmospheres and culinary expertise
• Cultural engagement: Participate in a cooking demonstration with a Lyonnais chef, where you will cook and eat dinner

Day 6: Lyon • Paris

• Travel by TGV train to Paris
• Take a walking tour of Paris with your Tour Director to explore Île de la Cité and the Latin Quarter
• See Notre-Dame Cathedral, known for its sculptured facade, stained-glass rose windows, and seemingly weightless vaulted ceilings, and see the progress of its restoration following the 2019 fire which damaged much of the building
• Enjoy a scenic view of Paris as you sail along the iconic Seine River
• Enjoy dinner in the Latin Quarter

Day 7: Paris

• Guided learning: Take a guided tour of Paris
• With your expert local guide, you will see:Place de la Concorde, a major public square, Champs-Élysées, an elegant boulevard packed with high-fashion boutiques, Arc de Triomphe, a monument honoring those who fought for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Eiffel Tower, built for the 1889 World's Fair and an iconic symbol of Paris, Hôtel des Invalides, a grand hospital commissioned by Louis XIV 

Day 8: Paris

• Take an excursion to Reims, one of France’s centers of champagne production
• Tour a champagne cellar with an expert local guide, dating back to Roman times and where champagne is aged 

Day 9: Paris

• Cultural engagement: Enjoy lunch at a local market, choosing from artisanal cheeses to farm-fresh vegetables, from heavenly breads to mouth-watering wines
• Participate in a cooking lesson led by local Parisian chefs

Day 10: Depart for home

All majors are welcome to enroll in Adventure and Experiential Learning (HES 00109). The class is required for Health and Physical Education majors. We will meet once per week during spring semester of 2025 with the culminating experience being the time we spend in Costa Rica. This study abroad is an adventure with daily activities that allow for us to be immersed in the beauty of Costa Rica and enjoy working alongside our classmates. During class time we will participate in games and initiatives and we will learn to belay and use the small high ropes course in ESBY Gym. We will then travel to Costa Rica during spring break for the myriad of adventure that awaits us.

Day 1: Fly to Costa Rica

Day 2: San José and Tortuguero

• Snap a photo at Braulio Carrillo National Park which was built to preserve the wildlife of the area including jaguars, ocelots, quetzals and eagles
• Travel by boat and explore Tortuguero which is accessible only by boat. 

Day 3: Tortuguero

• Travel by boat through the canals of Tortuguero and see the biodiversity of the area.
• Visit Tortuguero National Park and see if you can spot a howler monkey, toucan or caiman

Day 4: Tortuguero and Sarapiquí region

• Sarapiquí is known for rainforests and outdoor activities
• Soar like birds on a canopy tour through the cloud forest

Day 5: Sarapiquí and Arenal region

• Whitewater rafting (class 2-3) on the Sarapiquí River 
• Keep an eye out for the mile-high Arenal Volcano
• Visit the hot springs and dip your toes into heated pools

Day 6: Arenal region

• Enjoy kayaking on Lake Arenal
• Visit La Fortuna Waterfall, a 200-foot cascade surrounded by green cliffs

Day 7: Guancaste

• Take in the craggy bluffs cloaked in forests that stretch above
• Visit Rincon de la Vieja National Park, a rain and cloud forest which boasts geothermal hot springs including the Blue Lagoon.

Day 8: Guancaste

• Enjoy snorkeling in the clear Pacific waters and see interesting and unusual marine life
• Take a boat tour of Palo Verde National Park, one of the last tropical dry rainforests in Central America

Day 9: Spend a bit of time before returning to the US