Program Overview

Interested in the political and economic challenges facing Sub-Saharan Africa and developing nations? Is learning about West African musical and dance forms more your style? You can do all of this and more on CIEE’s Arts and Sciences program in Legon, Ghana. One of Africa’s most stable countries, vibrant Ghana offers a rich cultural heritage and fascinating history of politics and social change to explore. The program offers wonderful opportunities in the classroom and in the community for students to explore critical issues relate to public health, development, and African history and culture.

Study abroad in Legon and you'll:

Get to know life in West Africa by living with a Ghanaian family, volunteering with a local organization, doing an internship, or simply observing day-to-day life
Enroll in a wide range of courses, including West African performing arts, Twi language, African studies, social work, politics, economics, and religion
Experience firsthand the issues challenging Ghana today
Enjoy CIEE-led travel excursions to different parts of the country
Receive extensive and ongoing support from CIEE staff and CIEE-trained University of Ghana “U- Pal” students

Coursework

The Arts and Sciences study abroad program in Legon provides an opportunity for students from all academic disciplines to study in Ghana. Popular areas of study include political science, history, dance, and music, but a full range of academic areas are provided and available. Every CIEE student has the option to take a Twi language course, to learn the predominant local language in Ghana.

Volunteering and Community Service[study abroad in Ghana]Immerse yourself in the Ghanaian culture while giving back to your host community. You may volunteer at local businesses, social services, and cultural institutions, as well as in local schools. Previously, students have volunteered in hospitals and rural health clinics, the Ghana National Museum, various NGOs, day care centers, elementary and junior high schools, media houses (print media), domestic violence support centers, and law and human rights organizations.

The CIEE Study Center in Legon also undertakes community service every semester. Past projects have included painting, weeding, and scrubbing at a special needs center; donation of cloth items and water tanks; and the building of a water filtering system at a village.

Excursions

Excursions bring your coursework to life in Ghana. After an insightful lecture on the impact of slavery in the country, you’ll head to Cape Coast to explore slave castles where transatlantic slavery took place. You’ll explore the traditional chieftaincy institution, history, and culture on a weekend trip to the Ashanti Region. And you’ll enjoy day trips to places like Aburi Botanical Gardens, the Tetteh Quarshie Cocoa Farm, Boti Falls, and the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum. Students have also enjoyed visiting Lake Volta, the National Museum, the W.E.B.Dubois Center, Dodi Island, and the coastal town of Elmina.

Internships

Gain important real-world experience by pursuing an internship. You might shadow doctors and nurses during ward rounds at the Ghana Police Hospital; teach English or math to kids at the Future Leaders Underprivileged Care Center; or work as a field officer for Mail Finance, which promotes the economic well-being of market women and petty traders.