University of St. Thomas announces that it is now the lead representative of participating Catholic universities and colleges in the United States in the Study USA Program.

What is the Study USA Program?

The purpose of the Study USA Program is to enroll third-year students from Northern Ireland in business-related or STEM classes in US universities and colleges. This program is designed to provide students with knowledge and international experience, which they can take back to the Northern Ireland to improve its economy and encourage a culture where historic divisions are set aside.

Additional goals of the Study USA Program are to develop future managers for Northern Ireland, to develop students’ business, management and STEM skills and to provide them with an outward-looking international experience. The program is intended to raise the economic and cultural awareness of Northern Ireland in the United States.

The Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland sponsors the Study USA program. The British Council oversees Study USA as the United Kingdom’s international organization for educational opportunities and cultural relations. In the 1990s, church and government leaders from the U.S. and Northern Ireland created this opportunity (originally known as the Business Education Initiative) to enable students from universities and colleges in Northern Ireland to attend faith-based universities and colleges in the United States (Catholic, Presbyterian and United Methodist).

The William J. Flynn Center for Irish Studies at UST

UST has participated in this program through the William J. Flynn Center for Irish Studies for 13 years. Promoting peace and reconciliation and cultural exchange are part of the Center’s mission. The Center provides incoming students with a full-tuition scholarship funded by donations and their counterparts provide room, board and airfare.

Irish Student Michaela Murphy Studies at UST

This year, UST and the Center host Michaela Murphy from Ulster University. Murphy is studying business and is pursuing a career in marketing. She also is studying Irish language and is a member of the Irish Club. She is from Newry in County Down, Northern Ireland.

Additional Benefit to the Study USA program

Beyond the immediate value of having a Northern Ireland student on campus, an additional benefit of the Study USA program is that participating U.S. universities and colleges may nominate students to apply for a semester of study at a participating Northern Ireland college or university under the Irish American Scholars Program. For more information, see https://irishamericanscholars.com/ or emaill Lori Gallagher at  gallagl@stthom.edu.