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Exploring Experience Design and Human Thriving in Scandinavia

Dates: 9 June–18 July 2025
Priority Deadline: 1 November 2024
Application Deadline: 1 December 2024

Join us for the Scandinavian Experience Design and Management study abroad program to four countries: Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland. On this program, we will use positive psychology and experience design lenses to investigate Scandinavian culture, institutions, experiences, and landscapes to unpack why they consistently rank at the top of the World Happiness Reports. We will use what we learn to help us as a group and individually think about how we can be more intentional builders of covenant communities of belonging back on campus at BYU and in other contexts of our lives. As part of this exploration, we will engage in a wide variety of experiences including visits to educational organizations like Kaospilot and businesses like LEGO®, EY, and Coor.

The trip will start in Denmark, with time spent in Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Billund. We will visit the World Happiness Museum, Danish Design Center, and LEGO® headquarters. We will also stop in at the Church of Our Lady to see Thorvaldsen’s Christus and 12 Apostle statues. In Aarhus, we’ll spend a day with educators at Kaospilot engaging in full day experience design workshop. In Sweden we will learn how companies like Coor and EY are using experience design to differentiate themselves, and we’ll learn how Swedes celebrate their second biggest holiday after Christmas, Midsummer. In Norway, experience the midnight summer sun as we explore Oslo and make our way via trains, ferries, and buses to Bergen. Additionally, we’ll travel north of the Artic Circle to visit the incredibly rugged and majestic Lofoten Archipelago. We’ll conclude our travels by spending almost two weeks exploring the culture and landscape of Iceland. The program will include biking, museums, cultural celebrations, hiking, swimming, business visits, hands-on workshops, adventurous eating, ocean safaris, snorkeling, and many other adventures.

Over the course of the trip, we will continuously collect insights about how to intentionally design communities and our own lives to promote thriving and belonging. As a group, we will practice validated positive psychology practices to intentionally and fully engage in the program’s experiences. Our goal is for program participants to return home saying, “I am more confident in my ability to design and live an intentional life focused on helping others and myself thrive.”

Click here to apply today!

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More Information

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Courses

Students will enroll in the following courses while on this program:

BUSM 430—Introduction to International Business (3 credit hours)—to be completed before leaving for Europe
EXDM 490R—Special Topics in Experience Design and Management (3 credit hours)

This program will fulfill course and foreign experience requirements for the Global Management Certificate offered by the Marriott School.

Students may not take any other courses on this program, including BYU Online courses, without approval by the program director and ISP.
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Cost

$10,200–10,600

Includes Latter-day Saint undergraduate full tuition (increased cost for graduates and non–Latter-day Saint students), transfers, group travel within Europe, housing, most breakfasts, group experience activities, and international health insurance.

Does not include other meals, airfare, personal experiences, or personal expenses.
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Funding Sources

Regular BYU tuition scholarships, Pell Grants, and Federal Insured Student Loans may be applied to study abroad programs.

Students who submit the financial aid section of the ISP application and who have a current FAFSA form on file at the Financial Aid Office (A-41 ASB) will be considered for a Study Abroad scholarship.

Academic departments and colleges may assist with scholarships and grants.

Private grants and scholarships outside of BYU may also assist (see kennedy.byu.edu/scholarships).
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Preparation

BYU welcomes students from any university to apply to participate on our study abroad programs. An international preparation course (IAS 201R, 1 credit hour) will be held on Wednesdays at 7 PM during second block of winter semester 2025.

Students must meet all country- and program-specific COVID and health requirements for travel.

International study programs are physically, emotionally, and mentally taxing and you must be in good health to participate. These programs often take place in international locations that do not have the same level of safety and services in terms of transportation, living conditions, residential accommodations, food, public behavior, and policing that you may be used to on campus. If you have further questions or concerns on this, please see our travel policy.
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Housing

Students will stay in hotels, apartments, and hostels with other students in the program.

The program will arrange all housing.
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Travel

Students are responsible for purchasing their own airfare to and from the program sites. Airline reservations must be made through BYU Travel. Students should contact a BYU Travel agent.

BYU Travel
280 HRCB
(801) 422-6293
travel@byu.edu
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Application Process

Students must be 18 years of age or older to participate.

Complete the online application here. A nonrefundable $35 application fee is required; applicants will be interviewed once the application is complete.

Students will be notified via e-mail of their acceptance into the program. The first payment is due upon acceptance; please refer to the Payment Information page.

Priority Deadline: 1 November 2024
Application Deadline: 1 December 2024
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Program Adjustments

International Study Programs (ISP) reserves the right to cancel this program, revise its offerings, or make any adjustments to the preliminary cost.

If it becomes necessary for ISP to cancel a program, all program payments made to BYU ISP will be refunded to the student’s BYU Financial account.

ISP is the only office authorized to cancel any of its programs.
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Faculty

Mat Duerden, a professor of experience design and management, is the director of the program. He has co-directed BYU’s London Centre twice. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about the program.

(801) 422-3834
duerden@byu.edu
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Contact Us

International Study Programs
101 HRCB
(801) 422-3686
isp@byu.edu
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ISP Student Handbook

To see the student handbook, click here.
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Payment Schedule

To see the payment schedule, click here.