Office of Study Abroad

Semester at Sea

Term: Spring

Description:

Semester at Sea gives you a taste of the entire globe as you travel more than 24,000 nautical miles to as many as 13 off-the-beaten-path international destinations ... or to a single fascinating world region for intensive exploration.

Semester at Sea sails four voyages per year for academic credit on the MV Explorer, a modern passenger liner converted into a state-of-the-art seafaring campus.

Established in 1963, Semester at Sea is the only global education program of its kind in the world. Using a ship as our traveling campus, undergraduates, lifelong learners, faculty, and lecturers live and learn together while circumnavigating the globe each fall and spring semester and exploring a world region in the summer term. Credit earned is fully transferable by the University of Virginia, the #2 ranked public institution in the U.S. Students choose from more than 70 courses in a variety of disciplines. Professors on the program are internationalists who integrate course content with field practice. The program is open to anyone from any major and any accredited college or university.

Highlights:

- Global Studies

- Choose from a fall/spring voyage around the world or a  summer regional program

- Study with 700 undergraduate students, representing over 250 schools

- Apx. 70 courses offered in a variety of disciplines

- Faculty with international expertise

- Itineraries focused on the non-Western and developing world

- Program is open to all students in good standing at any accredited college or university

Semester at Sea is much more than another semester at school; it is a life-altering learning adventure. Our itineraries take you to the four corners of the world, making our campus truly global in scope.

Semester at Sea's campus, the MV Explorer, is a 25,000-ton passenger liner that has been specially outfitted as a floating university. It includes classrooms, a library, a computer lab with wireless Internet, a student union, and two dining rooms. It also includes a swimming pool and fitness facilities. Cabins are available in double, triple, and quad occupancy.

Semester at Sea is often called a Voyage of Discovery. The opportunity to spend as many as three and a half months outside of your own culture - investigating new lands, new peoples, and new curricula - is a both an immeasurable educational privilege and an invitation to grow.

Participants repeatedly report that Semester at Sea changed their lives in a positive way, including:

- Improved understanding of the world
- Greater awareness of cultural difference
- Improved self-confidence and autonomy
- Improved flexibility and understanding of multiple perspectives
- Better understanding of own culture
- Greater acceptance of others and their own opinions
- Ability to live in close community

Courses are offered in the following disciplines:

Cost: Please visit our website for rate information.

Cost Includes:
Tuition, Room and Board, gratuities, shipboard email account, and health insurance. Financial Aid is available. Travel to the port of embarkation, travel from the port of disembarkation, in-country travel, and discretionary spending additional.

Scholarships are Available. - Federal grants and financial aid from your home institution may apply. SAS also distributes its own financial aid. Types of assistance offered by SAS include need-based work grants, need-based monetary grants, and monetary grants based on a combination of need and merit. Scholarships up to full tuition.