Before you Propose – Proposing and directing a study abroad program requires a large amount of effort on the part of the Faculty Director. In order to mitigate issues with student recruitment, please review these points before you propose.
Guidelines for Success – The program descriptions provided are based on The Forum on Education Abroad’s Standard’s of Good Practice for Education Abroad, the field’s definitive source for quality education abroad practices.
Ideal Timeline – This timeline will give you an idea of what to expect, from the moment you begin to think about directing a program through your departure.
Faculty-Led Program Proposal - Faculty members interested in leading a program must submit the proposal to the Office of Study Abroad by the deadline for the term in which they are proposing:
Winter 2024/25 programs – July 1, 2024 – Winter Proposal
Spring Break 2025 programs – July 31, 2024 – Spring Break Proposal
Summer 2025 programs – September 3, 2024 – Summer Proposal
In order to adequately market the program and recruit students we cannot accommodate incomplete proposals or proposals submitted after the deadline. Please keep in mind that your college may require proposals to be turned in earlier than OSA's deadline to give them time to review it.
Faculty-led budget for the program and what is included in the cost to participate. The complete budget form will be submitted with your Program Proposal. Your college may have its own proposal deadline prior to OSA’s. If you need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our office.
Recommended Providers for Custom Programming – In order to mitigate the risk involved with taking students abroad, we strongly suggest faculty directors use an academic provider company to handle the logistics of their program. In addition to mitigating safety and security risks, the use of provider companies proved to be very helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that our programs that partnered with provider companies were able to recoup 100% of the program fees for their students when the programs were cancelled. The five companies below are affiliated with MSU and provide assistance with arranging transportation, airport pickup, housing, cultural excursions, emergency protocol, access to local university facilities and faculty, technology, visa acquisition, translation, internship and service learning opportunities, and more. These options offer you as much or little control as you would like. Please check their websites to see if they offer services in your preferred destination.
- ISA/WorldStrides– ISA can support programs of any duration in a large number of destinations using personalized program models.
- CEA – CEA offers access to their study centers in significant cities across Europe, South America, and Asia, with options for internships, service learning, and volunteering.
- AIFS – American Institute for Foreign Studies offers partnership programs for 4-week programs and up, including a full range of social and cultural activities.
- API – Academic Programs International offers programming where you instruct, host country faculty instructs, or a combination. They also offer options for traveling programs.
- SIT – School for International Training has a heavy focus on experiential education in Critical Global Issues, focusing in non-traditional study abroad locations like Jordan, Madagascar, Ghana, Serbia, Nicaragua, Panama, Bali, and Vietnam to name a few.
The Forum on Education Abroad - The Forum on Education Abroad is a professional organization dedicated to improving education abroad programs to benefit the students that participate in them. It is achieving this goal by establishing standards of good practice and quality assurance programs, improving education abroad curricula, and promoting data collection and outcomes assessment, all to advocate for high quality education abroad programs.
The Forum provides immeasurable resources to administrators and faculty members in the development of sound study abroad programming that are rooted in their Standards for Good Practice for Education Abroad. The Standards are recognized as the definitive means by which the quality of education abroad programs are judged.
Membership through The Forum on Education Abroad is institutional, which grants everyone employed by MSU to have access to all member benefits. We encourage you to take advantage of these benefits by contacting OSA for log-in credentials for their website. We encourage all faculty directors planning a program to take advantage of these resources.
UCCC – To create a new course not already featured in the MSU course catalog, you will have to submit your course for UCCC approval. Recurring programs preferably should submit a permanent course, while first time courses can submit Special Topics courses.
Procurement and Contracts – All written contracts and agreements, including those with study abroad/travel/tour companies, hotels, conference centers, bus companies, etc. must be signed by the Director of the Office of Procurement and Contracts. You cannot prepay or make deposits without a contract and pre-approval from the Office of Procurement and Contracts and IHL. If you are unsure if this requirement pertains to your program, please contact the Office of Procurement and Contracts for clarification. Be sure to read the contract carefully to ensure the Application Cycle you selected will enable you to fulfill all contract requirements, especially as they pertain to payment. OSA is available to review the contract prior to submitting it to Procurements and Contracts to verify the impact of payment schedules, inclusions, exclusions, etc. as it pertains to the study abroad program itself. Programs cannot be advertised until all contracts have been approved and signed by the Office of Procurement and Contracts.