UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Twenty Penn State World Campus students traveled to Hungary for a weeklong immersive experience in April as part of their course work for programs offered through the Penn State School of Labor and Employment Relations.

Through business and cultural site visits, the students were able to compare employment relations in Hungary and the United States, applying concepts learned earlier in the semester.

Students visited companies in multiple industries and were able to observe production processes and discuss issues and ethical decision-making with professionals.

“This travel abroad course wasn’t just a line on my transcript,” said student Patricia Rodriguez. “It was a transformative journey that cultivated a global mindset, strengthened my interpersonal skills, and expanded my professional network in profound ways.”

This trip is one of many immersive educational experiences available for students learning online through Penn State World Campus.

International travel for immersive experiences

Since 2017, the Penn State School of Labor and Employment Relations has offered the international learning experience through the course “LHR 499: Foreign Studies.” The course consists of instruction about global human resources and employment relations policies and a weeklong trip outside of the United States for students to observe what they have been learning.

The trip is a way for students to learn beyond the written curriculum, said Trisha Everhart, assistant director of online programs for the School of Labor and Employment Relations.

“It’s an opportunity for them to experience a totally different culture,” she said. “Over the course of the week, we watched students grow — not just in what they were learning academically, but in how they engaged with a new culture. Their confidence, curiosity and cultural awareness all expanded in ways that only happen when you’re really immersed in a different environment.”

The trip is not required coursework for the fully online program but does fulfill credits toward the master of human resources and employment relations and undergraduate degrees in labor and employment relations. This semester, the course focused on comparing Hungary to the U.S.

Course instructor and School of Labor and Employment Relations online teaching professor Brian Redmond said students first learn about the basics of their destination, including location, history, government structure and culture. Then, they travel from across the U.S. and the globe to their destination.

This year’s trip included visits to General Electric (GE), Suzuki, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Greif, Egis and Széchenyi Thermal Bath. The Penn State School of Labor and Employment Relations is connected to a global research network that includes the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The business site visits were organized in partnership with József Poór and Katalin Szabó, both from the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Bencé Végvári of Széchenyi István University.

“We got to talk with their HR teams as well as get to know what global companies look like when they’re located in Hungary,” Redmond said. “It’s interesting how each one adapted a little bit differently.”

Broadening perspectives

Patricia Rodriguez is working toward a master’s degree in human resources and employment relations. She became interested in the trip as soon as she learned of it. The initial anxieties surrounding traveling so far and being away from her young children for an extended trip lessened when talking with students who had already taken the trip.

She said the richest part of her experience on the trip to Hungary was the daily immersion within a different culture than her own.

“This cultural exposure wasn’t just about seeing new sights,” she said. “It fostered adaptability, empathy, and a deeper understanding of global interconnectedness — skills that have proven invaluable both personally and professionally.”

Rodriguez said the businesses she and her classmates visited demonstrated a genuine curiosity in the students’ perspectives, mirroring the Penn Staters’ interests in their operations.

“We really were able to have an open and honest dialogue about AI usage in the HR workspace with PwC, an open discussion about recruitment and retention struggles with Egis and GE, and a deeper discussion on HR structure and supportive employee programming with Greif,” she said. “This reciprocal dialogue fostered an environment conducive to mutual learning, extending beyond the student cohort.”