Study Abroad Since 1959
DIS began in post-World War II Europe, when students and teachers at the University of Copenhagen formed a committee with the goal of creating opportunities for Danish students to connect across borders.
Years later, Whittier College contacted this University of Copenhagen committee in hopes of establishing a study abroad opportunity in English for their students. The result: in 1959, DIS was established as its own educational organization, accepting the first 20 students and beginning our history of over 60 years as a study abroad organization.
Throughout the decades, DIS has grown and adapted to meet the needs of our students while building our unique academic model of place-based learning and course-integrated Study Tours. We have grown in enrollment and – in Fall 2016, opened a new program in Stockholm – while maintaining our non-profit status and spirit, as well as our dedication to high-quality and engaging study abroad experiences. Today, we remain deeply tied to the same mission that brought our first 20 students abroad to connect across borders and learn together from each other and sit as a leader in the study abroad field.
