Information for Faculty
For faculty members interested in creating innovative courses with an overseas component for undergraduate and graduate students, the Office for Study Abroad (OSA) provides administrative support, guidance, and funding. Short-term abroad programs can be offered any semester. The entire course may take place abroad or it may contain a shorter overseas component. The former typically lasts 1-2 months, while the latter usually runs anywhere from 1-3 weeks. The majority of courses meet several times on campus or online before and after going abroad, and the group size ranges between 10-25 students.
To pursue a short-term abroad program, faculty members first submit a proposal through this online system. Proposals for new, credit-bearing programs, once approved by the appropriate departmental and dean's offices, are evaluated by the OSA for their innovative approaches and curricular fit for the intended audience.
Once a proposal is approved, OSA assists the faculty leader as he/she monitors the program budget, informs students of key information, and collects student applications for review. OSA's staff will post information on the OSA website, register accepted students, enroll students in insurance coverage, process payments, and collect student evaluations. We will process directors' fees (but not salary for teaching) for faculty. OSA arranges mandatory training for faculty and pre-arrival meetings with students.
Faculty members' administrative responsibility is primarily the arrangement of the overseas component of the program, recruiting and accepting students, and managing all aspects of the program while traveling. Each faculty member is required to hold a safety briefing and orientation with students, led by local experts, immediately upon the group's arrival in the host country. The academic department will secure classroom space on campus (if applicable), ensure any teaching salary is processed, and hire/pay administrative assistant(s) covered in the program budget. OSA transfers funds for the purpose of paying administrative assistants to the department once the administrative assistant is identified.
Deadlines for Program
Proposals are accepted by the Office for Study Abroad once per year with a deadline of June 1, 2019 for the 2019-2020 academic year.
Semester Deadline
Fall 2019 |
June 1, 2019 |
Winter 2019-20 |
June 1, 2019 |
Spring 2020 |
June 1, 2019 |
Summer 2020 |
June 1, 2019 |
First-Time Faculty Proposers
If this is the first time you have considered submitting a program proposal, please contact STAP@gwu.edu, for more information about the process.