Beyond Impact is NISA’s semester program in Nepal, and it combines academic coursework with field-based and experiential learning. Students study Nepal across disciplines, learn Nepali, pursue their own academic interests, and engage with communities, organizations, and practitioners throughout the semester.

All courses are accredited by Kathmandu University and carry university credit.

Introduction to Nepal

Initially piloted through NISA’s Summer Program, this signature course gives students both an academic and practical understanding of Nepal. It explores Nepal’s history, politics, culture, economy, and contemporary challenges, including questions of identity and inequality, migration and remittances, development, and Nepal’s place between India and China. Students learn from Nepali scholars and practitioners and engage with communities and institutions across the country, connecting what they learn in the classroom with Nepal as they experience it.

Nepali Language Study

The Nepali language course provides a practical introduction to spoken Nepali, with an emphasis on everyday communication. Students develop basic vocabulary, pronunciation, and conversational skills for introducing themselves, asking questions, navigating daily life, and communicating with colleagues, host communities, and others they meet during the program. The course is designed to give students enough of a foundation to use Nepali in their day-to-day experiences in Nepal.

Academic Elective

Students choose one of three academic options based on their interests, goals, and requirements at their home institution:

A. Research Methods
A course focused on designing and conducting ethical, community-based research in a cross-cultural setting. Students develop practical skills in research design, data collection, fieldwork, and working with communities.

B. Independent Study
Students pursue a topic of their choice, working with a mentor to develop a question, identify relevant literature and methods, and complete an independent project.

C. Kathmandu University Course
Students may enroll in an eligible course offered by Kathmandu University. This option is particularly useful for students who want to fulfill major or other academic requirements at their home institution, or who want to explore a subject outside the NISA curriculum while studying in Nepal.

Signature Tracks

At the heart of the semester is your chosen track. Each one explores a pressing global issue through the lens of Nepal, where the forces shaping our world are often felt first and most sharply. Every track combines coursework, field experiences, mentorship and collaboration with practitioners and organizations working on these issues.

• Environmental Studies: Explore climate change and natural disasters in the Himalaya, one of the world's most climate-vulnerable regions, and learn how communities adapt, conserve, and respond.

• Social Innovation: Learn alongside Nepali changemakers designing creative, locally grounded solutions to social challenges, and discover approaches that hold lessons far beyond Nepal.

OPTIONAL: Systems Thinking for Social Change ( ½ Credit)

Students enrolled in NISA’s semester offering can also opt into a half-credit course in systems thinking. A signature NISA offering, the course begins with four sessions that introduce systems thinking and mapping, and then asks students to choose a system in Nepal they are curious about — public education, migration, urban development, food systems, or something else. Over the semester, they follow that curiosity through research, conversations, and their own experiences in Nepal, and gradually build a visual systems map of the current state of the system. At the end of the semester, students present the map and share their learnings.