Central Europe Study Abroad Program

Global Business in the Midst of Economic, Political & Cultural Change  

Frequently Asked Questions

1.  May I just take 3 credits during the program (i.e., either BUAD 843 or BUAD 840/867, but not both)?

No.  All participants must enroll for 6 credits (regular enrollment, not auditing). 

2.  I've applied for the program.  When will acceptance decisions be made?

Applications will be taken until the program is filled, or early October, whichever comes first.  Review of applications, and acceptance decisions, might start as early as mid- to late summer, provided there is a sufficient pool of applicants.  Thus it is to your advantage to apply early.

3.  How many students will you take on the program.

Most years we are able to take twelve students.  Occasionally we have been able to take one or two more..

4.  May I bring someone else along (e.g., spouse)? 

Maybe, but (a) we can't tell you for sure until autumn, when we see how many students are going on the program, and (b) it will depend partly on whether the additional person wants to go along on our company visits, etc., some of which may have size limitations for our group.  Any person who accompanies you will need to pay the full program fee (but not tuition).  Also, the University of Delaware requires that any person not a student in the program who accompanies you be a legally recognized family member.

5.  Will you obtain any necessary entry visas for non-U.S. citizens?

Non-U.S. nationals will need to arrange for their own visas, if required, for entry to any other countries we visit or pass through.  All of the countries we visit are part of the Schengen zone, thus requiring just one visa for the entire zone (normally obtained from the consulate of the first Schengen country you will enter).

6.  What about personal safety?

There are no serious health-related travel warnings for any of the places we will visit, and good medical care is available.  Information about any necessary vaccinations or other health issues will be provided to participants later in the year, but you can look things up on your own at the State Department web site.  Also check the Center for International Studies web site for health related information and links. And yes, the water is safe to drink.

The only problems we've had have been typical tourist scams -- in the past a few students have encountered some overpriced taxis or similar petty fraud.  According to U.S. embassy sources, the most frequent problems foreign visitors have in Prague and Budapest involve incidents such as pick-pocketing, especially in crowded shopping, tourist, and transportation centers.  Some care needs to be exercised in Budapest and Prague involving some fairly predictable tourist-oriented scams (e.g., taxi drivers who overcharge, padded bills in restaurants, etc.).  The State Department describes Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic as having low rates of violent crime (they use the same categorization for places like France and Germany), with violent crime being especially rare in Austria.  But as in most any major city, there may be a few areas you probably shouldn't visit alone late at night.

7.    What's the weather like?

The weather is variable.  Winters in Budapest, Prague and Vienna are much like winters in Philadelphia or New York -- they can be mild some times, and cold, wet and snowy other times.  Our city tours involve considerable time out-of-doors (travel between site visits, walking tours), so you should be prepared for the possibility of cold, wet weather.  Also, we often use public transportation and walking in order to get to the companies and institutions we visit.  Good footwear, suitable for use in bad weather and on rough (i.e., cobblestones) pavement, is essential. Note that the cities we visit do not have the same kind of accessibility options as American cities do (e.g., there might be no elevators or escalators in some locations, meaning you'll have to carry your luggage up and down stairs).

8.    May I arrive in Europe early, or leave later, for some extra touring?

Yes, as long as you're in Newark for any classes to be held on-campus, either before or after the travel portion of the program.  If you go to Europe early or leave later, all hotel and travel arrangements for that extra time are your responsibility to arrange.  If you have unusual schedule constraints, please contact the program director.

8.    What companies and institutions do you visit?  Who are the guest lecturers?

The list varies a bit each year, depending on availability.  On past trips we have visited various companies, non-governmental organizations, and institutions such as:

KFKI Computer Systems (Hungarian information technology company)

Westel (wireless communications) (Hungary)

US Embassy commercial service, Hungary

American Chamber of Commerce, Hungary & Czech Republic

GE Hungary (lighting)

Juventus Radio (commercial radio in Hungary)

e-Control (Austrian electric utility agency)

Greenpeace (environmental organization)

Merkantil Bank (Hungary)

FIPRA (Slovakia)

Czech Telecom

DuPont Czech Republic

European Union Affairs office, Hungarian Foreign Ministry

Transparency International, Prague (anti-corruption nongovernmental organization)

NV Phillips, Ltd.

Czeska Sporitelna (Czech bank)

Polo Handels (Austria; packaging products)

Egon Zehnder (Austria; human resources)

Graphisoft (Hungary; software development)

Trigranit (Hungary; real estate development)

Austrian Economic Chamber (employers' association)

Allianz Insurance (Hungary)

Schutz Marketing (Austria -- pharmaceutical marketing services)

ALCOA (Hungary)

Comact (Austria--communications & corporate responsibility consulting)

Rail Tec Arsenal (Austria; transportation equipment climate testing)

PFK Consulting (Austria; hotel industry consulting)

Fraunhofer (Austria; technology/logistics projects)

Skoda (Czech; automobile manufacture) 

Budapest Stock Exchange

Regional Environmental Center (European Union, United States, and corporately-funded agency dealing with environmental issues in the region)

Austrian Business Council for Sustainable Development (corporate-funded sustainable business organization)

We also enjoyed lectures and discussions with people such as the vice-chair of the Hungarian Parliament (i.e., #3 person in the national government), the former president of the Hungarian national bank and minister of trade and industry, and faculty from Central European University (Budapest) and the Czech Management Center (Prague).  We also have a dinner with some Central European University MBA students, and spend some time with a small business owner.

9.    Do you include any cultural events?

Yes.  These have included, variously, "Black Light" Theatre or ballet in Prague, a concert or opera in Vienna, walking tours, a visit to the imperial palace in Vienna, etc. Also, there is free time in Budapest on the middle weekend, in Vienna on the final Saturday, and on Saturday in Prague if your flight arrives early enough to have some daylight left.  In addition, some of the evenings are free.

10.  Will I have language problems if I only speak English?

Language problems are unlikely, and no prior students have complained about language problems.  All lectures and company visits are conducted in English.  Also, you will find that most restaurants you are likely to visit have at least a few employees who speak basic English, and many other retail establishments, at least in the center of the city (where we spend our time) will have one or more English-speaking employees.  Many restaurants also have English-language menus.  And if they don't have such or speak English, consider playing sign-language with a waiter or shopkeeper part of the fun of foreign travel.