Variations in Marketing and Depiction of Study Abroad Programs: A Content Analysis of Engineering Study Abroad Programs

Abstract [STUDENT PAPER] Engineering companies have become more globalized over the last decades, requiring that engineers can function in transnational societies, designing products, services, and solutions that consider cultural perspectives. To correspond with this globalized workforce demand and help students develop such competencies, higher education institutions have turned to study abroad programs. These programs have taken critical steps in marketing and depicting study abroad experiences in ways that attract students. However, minimal research has given attention to the marketing and promotion of study abroad programs. In this study, using content analysis, we assessed how engineering programs are presented to students as consumers using materials from four Research 1 Universities websites. Our purpose was to identify how international engineering program websites' content depict and market study abroad programs. Our results show depending on destinations, study abroad programs are more or least likely to be