New Faculty Programs

Translate Your Passion

It Starts With You: Global travel becomes even more rewarding when you apply your unique interests abroad and create an experience for your students that reflects your passions. Regardless of the destination, don’t just follow the typical tourist itinerary but carve out your own special slice of study abroad that delves into what makes you excited. Students studying abroad feed off the energy of the faculty leading the program so as you consider which location or format to consider, reflect on your passions (academic or otherwise) and apply them to a study abroad destination.

Questions to Consider: Think about your own knowledge base and what country would make you most comfortable to operate in. How proficient are in you in the local language and how much does that matter in leading the program? What is your prior experience in a particular country, and do you have a professional or personal connection on-the-ground that might add an immersive experience for your students?

Meaningful Travel: Studying abroad should not be seen as an extension of tourism even though some travel companies market it as such. Rather understand study abroad not as a travel checklist but a means for your students to sincerely connect and learn from local communities on a global scale. In this way, you are not merely passing through a destination but genuinely engaging with it. When building out your program, think about the meaning behind each possible excursion and how it connects not only with your own passions but the larger academic experience.

Spring Embedded Programs

Spring Embedded Programs are academic courses that take place over the Spring semester with a special international experience, either in the May or Spring Break travel period, woven into the traditional class-based setting. Undergraduate students studying abroad with a Spring Embedded Program (Spring Break or May Embedded) pay their typical semester tuition with no additional Seton Hall tuition cost as long their Spring semester course load is 18 credits or less. Please keep the following advantages and considerations in mind if you are considering creating a Spring Break or May Embedded program.
 

Spring Break Advantages:

• Travel to most destinations during Spring Break is less expensive than traveling during the high tourist season which begins in May and continues through summer.
• Courses can have both pre-departure and post-return class sessions. This means students can reflect on their experiences together after they return as a class.
• The weather might work to your advantage during Spring Break especially those traveling closer to tropical and arid climates where those same locations in May might be quite hot.

Spring Break Considerations:

• Travel during Spring Break should only take place within Spring Break meaning that you are generally limited to about 10 days of overseas travel.
• The weather might not be ideal for those traveling to temperate or subarctic climates during Spring Break where precipitation can be more pronounced, and the weather is colder than those same locations would be in May.
• With less class meetings before your travel than May Embedded programs, your students will have less contact hours and preparation with you before departing than those Spring Embedded Programs leaving after Final Exams.
   

May Embedded Advantages:

• Travel during May Embedded is more expansive than Spring Break and programs can go abroad for up to two weeks.
• Students will have an entire semester of classwork before going abroad with their faculty so the entire class should know each other well and be fully prepared for study abroad.
• The weather might work to your advantage during May Embedded, especially those to traveling to temperate climates where the weather would be more ideal than Spring Break.

May Embedded Considerations:

• May Embedded travel can be considered part of the Spring semester if it follows a course that meet regularly throughout the Spring semester and if all required academic components of the course are completed before the start of Summer I. May Embedded travel can start the day after the last day of Final Exams.
• May Embedded travel can fly back or participate in other activities (group dinners etc.) not required to receive a grade after the start of Summer I.
• Seniors in May Embedded programs will have their graduation delayed until August.
• Travel to most destinations during May Embedded will likely be more expensive than traveling during Spring Break as late-May is the beginning of the high tourist season for much of the world.
• There is little to no time available for post-program class sessions in May Embedded programs since after a course returns from abroad, Summer Session 1 is immediately afterwards, and all course content must be concluded by then.
• The weather in May might not be ideal for those traveling to tropical and arid climates where it might be quite hot compared to travel over Spring Break.

Winter Abroad Programs

Winter Abroad Programs is a new format that involves traditional class-based and experiential learning in international settings over Winter Session which runs during the first two weeks of January (after the New Years but before the start of the Spring Semester).  Please keep the following advantages and considerations in mind if you are considering creating a Winter Abroad Program.
 

Advantages:

• Do you want to escape the doldrums of winter? Why not design a study abroad program to the southern hemisphere and have your students experience an Argentinian or South African summer in the middle of January.
• January is generally the low point of international travel for many destinations around the world which means you and your students will generally not experience large crowds which translates to less expensive travel costs for all.

Considerations:

• One thing to keep in mind is that Winter Programs Abroad (like all winter session courses at Seton Hall) are not part of flat-rate semester tuition and students will need to pay for individual course credits alongside the program fee.
• January in the northern hemisphere, especially in temperate and climates can get rather cold, so keep that in mind as you plan excursions (especially those that take place outdoors).

Globalizing Your Curriculum

Course Selection: When selecting which course would work well with a study abroad offering, consider the audience. Courses that have several prerequisites could limit potential enrollment in certain cases. Also consider if the course attracts students outside of your department. Some of the most successful Faculty Led Programs are both major-specific but also accessible enough that students outside of your department could take the course as a School and College requirement or possibly an elective.

Case Studies: When developing your study abroad proposal it is very important to think about how course content and reading materials should illuminate your student’s study abroad journey. Beyond the existing text for your class, you should consider adding supplementary content that provides context to the destination your students are exploring. Perhaps include a few scholarly articles that bridge the content of your established texts with the how those course themes are being applied on-the-ground in your destination country. If you have a local guide or content expert on-the-ground who is going to be exploring a particular aspect of the destination, make sure that content is covered ahead of the travel. Therefore, at the destination, your guides will not be relaying on basic content as they would for a typical tour group but delving deeper in the academic areas you've already covered so far during the term. 

Assignments: This is your opportunity to think creatively about how course requirements could be adopted to a global environment. For example, instead of in-class PowerPoint presentations perhaps each student could be assigned an abroad site where they present to their fellow students on-the-ground in your destination country. In this way, your students are not just following around a tour guide or learning from the professor but learning from each other as the guides themselves. Other faculty in the past have led symposiums or discussions in scenic, outdoor locations abroad which truly makes the destination your classroom. Finally, think about having a reflective component that allows students to critically assess their study abroad experience through journaling or a field report. The possibilities are endless! Join the Study Abroad Faculty Learning Community for ideas to bring back to your department.

Class Discussion: Given the interactive nature of study abroad, students will not only be sitting in class next to each other but traveling with each other during a portion or the entirety of the course. To prepare students for this experience it is strongly suggested that faculty interweave ice-breakers and destination-based discussions throughout the course. This is especially important for Spring Embedded Programs where students will have a much more fulfilling travel experience if they feel known to their fellow classmates ahead of their international travel. If you know the local guides or content experts that will be leading students in your destination, perhaps have your students meet them briefly over video chat during a pre-departure class so that connections are made before they arrive abroad. 

Vendors and Budgeting

It is never too early for faculty to consider the structure, vendors and costs of their Faculty Led Program. Please read to following to understand all the questions, resources and guidelines involved in the study abroad budgeting process.

Questions to Consider:

• Do you want the program fee include roundtrip flights for all participating students?
  • FYI: Most Spring Embedded Programs include roundtrip flights as part of the program fee since students are generally leaving and returning to campus together while most Summer and Winter Abroad Programs don't include roundtrip flights since students are generally leaving and returning from various locations around the U.S. 
• How many meals do you wish to provide for your students and does any housing or excursions include meals in its package?
• How many of the excursions can you lead without a tour guide and when is a tour guide necessary or mandatory with a particular site?
• What type of local transit is best to navigate your host location while keeping costs in check? Is public transit a safe and reliable option in your destination?
• Are there student or education discounts for certain sites (such as museums) you wish to include in your excursions?

Faculty Led Program Budget
A Faculty Led Program Budget includes the approximate budgeted cost (in U.S. Dollars) per student (based on the program's minimum number for enrollment). The following budget items should be considered but depend on the type of program being offered (with the exception of GeoBlue Health Insurance which should be built into every budget):

• Roundtrip Group Flights
• Student Housing
• Excursions (including the cost of Tour Guides/Honoraria/Tips)
• Group Meals
• Local Transit (examples: public transit, regional train tickets or private bus services)
• GeoBlue Health Insurance (Medical and Evacuation - $3.00 per day per individual up to 74 years old)
• Faculty Costs (the total faculty costs of flight, housing, excursions, group meals, local transit and GeoBlue health insurance, divided by student enrollment minimum)
• Contingency - It is strongly recommended that every FLP budget includes a contingency of at least 10% to take into account unexpected additional pre-departure or on-the-ground costs. 
  
  

Travel Vendor Guidelines: Faculty Leaders must use a minimum of 2-bid process to select a vendor. You will submit your vendors and bids using the FLP Launch Form for OIP to review. Please keep in mind the following requirements: 

• All vendors must accept payment by check or ACH-Wire Transfer (Purchase Order’s preferred for international payments), not credit cards or cash advances.  
• If a vendor requires a deposit, it must be at most $500 per participant (to match OIP’s confirmation deposit) and no vendor deposit may require payment less than a month after the student's confirmation (deposit) deadline of their respective program which is November 1 for Spring Embedded or February 1 for Summer Abroad.
• Faculty must structure the program to align with vendor’s requirements and Seton Hall’s payment schedule.  
• All Vendors must produce a W-9 if they are a domestic vendor or a W-8BEN-E if they are an international vendor.
• All Vendors must have General Liability Insurance.
• No vendor's final balance may require payment less than a month after the student's final payment deadline of their respective program which is January 6 for Spring Embedded or April 1 for Summer Abroad.

All Faculty must select from the following pre-approved vendors*. For an up-to-date list of these pre-approved vendors please email [email protected].

*Important: Faculty may propose another site-specific vendor if there is a unique and legitimate need for their services that the pre-approved providers cannot provide. If that is the case, the Office of the Provost and OIP in coordination with the Division of Finance will review the site-specific vendor to ensure it follows the University's payment rules and schedule before proceeding. 

Vendor Payments: Payments to vendors are managed by your School or College coordination with the University’s Finance Team. Although the Office of International Programs, in coordination with the Office of the Bursar manages the collection of student program fees (via TouchNet), OIP  does not manage payments to vendors. Please reach out to your school or college’s finance point-of-contact in your respective Dean’s Office for more information on how to proceed with vendor payments.