# The Impact of Short‐Term Leadership Study Abroad on Student Leadership Competencies

## TL;DR

Short-term study abroad programs help students improve leadership skills like self-awareness, independence, and social responsibility.

## Contribution

This study demonstrates how short-term study abroad enhances specific leadership competencies in students.

## Key findings

- Students showed growth in personal behavior, self-awareness, and civic responsibility.
- Leadership skills such as emotional intelligence and responding to ambiguity improved.
- Study abroad supports career readiness and should be integrated into leadership curricula.

## Abstract

Short‐term study abroad programs have become increasingly popular in US higher education, as they offer powerful development opportunities for undergraduate students. This mixed methods study examined the impact of three faculty‐led short‐term summer study abroad courses in a leadership studies curriculum. Through the lens of Seemiller's student leadership competencies, survey data from six student cohorts revealed growth in key competency clusters, particularly personal behavior, self‐awareness and development, civic responsibility, and learning and reasoning. Short‐term study abroad helped students develop leadership skills such as functioning independently, responding to ambiguity, emotional intelligence, and social responsibility. These leadership competencies help augment students’ college experiences, as well as provide them with enhanced career readiness. These findings support the integration of study abroad into leadership development curricula and suggest the use of competency‐based frameworks for intentional program design.