Semester at Sea

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.

The leader in shipboard global education, Semester at Sea sails three voyages per year for academic credit. Our vessel, the MV Explorer, is a modern passenger liner which has recently been converted into a state-of-the-art seafaring campus.

Since 1963, more than 45,000 students from colleges and universities around the world have studied with Semester at Sea, traveling to non-traditional destinations in 60 countries. The Institute for Shipboard Education administers the program, and the University of Virginia, the #2 ranked public institution in the U.S., is the academic sponsor. 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.

Spring 2010 itinerary includes:

* San Diego, California USA
* Hilo, Hawaii USA
* Honolulu, Hawai USA
* Yokohoma, Japan
* Kobe, Japan
* Shanghai, China
* Hongkong
* Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
* Chennai, India
* Cochin, India
* Port Louis, Mauritius
* Cape Town, South Africa
* Accra, Ghana
* Salvador, Brazil
* Fort Lauderdale, FL USA

Summer 2010 itinerary includes:

* Canada
* Spain
* Italy
* Croatia
* Greece
* Turkey
* Bulgaria
* Egypt
* Morocco
* Virginia.

Fall 2010 itinerary includes:

* Canada
* Morocco
* Croatia
* Turkey
* Egypt
* Suez Canal transit
* India
* Vietnam
* Hong Kong
* China
* Japan
* Hawaii
* California

Highlights:
- Global Studies
- Choose from a 108-day fall/spring voyage around the world, or 68-day summer regional program
- Study with 700 undergraduate students, representing over 250 schools
- approximately 70 courses offered in a variety of disciplines offered
- 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 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

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: Please visit our website for rate information.

Experience Required: no

Participants Travel to - Multi-Country Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups

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.

Application Process Involves:

• Disciplinary Clearance Form
• Essay
• Transcript
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad

Semester at Sea's Mission Statement: Founded in 1963, Semester at Sea (SAS) is the nation's original shipboard program for study abroad, offering three academic voyages a year: 108-day voyages in the fall and spring terms travel all the way around the world; summer voyages focus on a world region and last 68 days. Participants travel aboard the 25,000-ton campus of the MV Explorer, attend classes in a closely knit environment with an international faculty, complete fieldwork and travel while in port, and earn transferable credit through the University of Virginia, the program's academic sponsor. More than 45,000 students from approximately 1,500 different institutions have studied and traveled to 60 countries with SAS and its predecessor programs.

Year Founded: 1963