AI Abroad
Bauer Students Learn AI Abroad in Singapore
The Department of Management & Leadership at the C. T. Bauer College of Business is introducing a unique academic focus to the Spring 2027 learning abroad trip to Singapore.
Graduate students and undergraduate students in the Honors College will capitalize on the country's innovative digital landscape to expand their thinking of artificial intelligence.
This initiative was brought to the department by Bauer Honors Faculty Director Norman Johnson.
“Singapore has a highly educated population and a strong digital infrastructure, which is conducive to the widespread adoption of AI,” Johnson said. “There, AI adoption also appears to be relatively broad across the country and, in some areas, may be advancing more rapidly than in the United States.”
Singapore has taken a particularly deliberate approach to encouraging AI adoption, Johnson added.
The government has made AI a national priority and has played an active role in building the infrastructure, capabilities and governance needed to support its adoption and use, he said. Singapore has also emphasized practical, risk-based AI governance, seeking to put appropriate guardrails in place while still providing room for innovation.
“Through the study abroad trip, we expect that students will gain firsthand exposure to how AI is being adopted and governed in one of the world’s most digitally advanced economies,” Johnson said. “We especially want students to come away from their trip with a fresh understanding of how AI is reshaping business globally and with experience they can draw on to stand out and succeed in an increasingly AI-driven economy.”
“We especially want students to come away from their trip with a fresh understanding of how AI is reshaping business globally and with experience they can draw on to stand out and succeed in an increasingly AI-driven economy.”
Bauer alumna Ashmin Kaur (MS '26) traveled to Singapore this spring. She said that along with the valuable connections she made with her peers, she appreciated that the trip helped her to deepen her understanding of international business.
"The companies headquartered there are so expansive in their international reach," Kaur said. "For such a small country, they are a powerhouse across industries."
In Houston, the Bauer College Department of Management & Leadership is introducing several new courses to think critically and apply AI across business.
Department Chair Steve Werner said that with the help of a task force, they are looking to their peer schools to see how they are evolving their curriculum to prepare future workforce leaders. Additionally, the department offers workshops for faculty, so they are well-informed to confidently incorporate AI into the classroom.
The new academic focus on AI for the learning abroad trip to Singapore is just one of the many improvements the department is making to ensure coursework is relevant, Werner said. However, at its core, the original purpose of the trip remains the same.
"Students get a well-rounded, global experience," Werner said. "Some have never even left Texas. This gives them the opportunity to learn new cultures, see how things are done differently around the world and apply that knowledge to operations in the United States."
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