Planning a Faculty-led Group Study Abroad Program
If you want to find out more about planning a PSU Group Study Abroad, read through this section. Then contact the Study Abroad Coordinator to discuss your idea for a program and with any questions.
1. The Faculty Handbook
First read through the Faculty-led Group Study Abroad Programs Handbook. This handbook was written by members of the PSU Study Abroad Committee to provide guidelines for faculty planning group study abroad programs.
Pay close attention to the details that are involved in planning a program, the process to have your program approved, and the timelines explained in the Handbook.
2. Talk with colleagues and the Study Abroad Coordinator
After reviewing the handbook, contact Julia Helminiak, Study Abroad Coordinator with your questions. The coordinator will also be able to tell you how other faculty have planned programs in the past.
There are many members of the faculty that have led programs. They are a great resource for faculty who want to plan a program but have not done it before.
There are many ways to plan a program. Some faculty work with our sister universities abroad in order to plan out a program. Others work through travel companies that specifically work creating group programs for universities. And finally, others work through contacts and connections that they have to create a program on their own.
3. Work with a "veteran" faculty leader to plan and carry out a study abroad program
Take it a step further. Some faculty on campus have taken several groups of students abroad. The study abroad coordinator can help pair you with one of these faculty so you can experience what goes into creating and carrying out a study abroad program before leading a program on your own.
4. Faculty Application
Once you have an idea of your program and have begun the first stages of planning, you must have your Group Program approved by the PSU Study Abroad Committee. You must complete the Faculty Application Submit the application to the Study Abroad Coordinator in International Programs and Services.
Your program should be approved at least eight months before the planned departure date. Be sure to include all the items stated on the application.
After your program has been approved. You can continue with the planning efforts that are specified in the Handbook.
5. Promotion, Promotion, Promotion
After approval, it is time to promote your program. Contact the Study Abroad Coordinator to schedule an info session for your program and discuss other methods to promote the program.
Before you start promotion, make sure you have deadlines set for deposits and trip cancellation if you do not get enough students. Also have a clear refund policy in place.
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Information for Faculty Leaders
Remember that the Faculty-led Group Study Abroad Programs Handbook is your guideline for what is expected of you from PSU. If anything in the Handbook is unclear, please contact Julia Helminiak, Study Abroad Coordinator with your questions.
In this section you will find reminders from the Study Abroad office that hopefully will help your program be a success.
1. Promotion
You will work with the Study Abroad Coordinator to promote your program on campus. However, your involvement is crucial in promotion. Promote within your department and with colleagues in the university. As a faculty member, you have more contact with the student body.
A good kick off to your promotion is the PSU Study Abroad EXPO which is held in October. Contact the Study Abroad Coordinator at the beginning of the Fall semester to find out specific dates and reserve a table.
2. Paperwork
As a faculty leader, your students will be handing in their paperwork to you unless arrange otherwise with the Study Abroad Coordinator*. Once you have a complete packet from each student, you will submit this paperwork to the Study Abroad Coordinator. These forms should be submitted at least three weeks before your departure date. If you are traveling during a break that the university closes this deadline will be adjusted.
The Step 1 application is due before the rest of the paperwork, at least 2 months before your departure date. You can use this as an application to your program especially if more students are applying than you have space for. Work with the Study Abroad Committee to decide who will participate in your program.
Go to the Forms page to see all the paperwork that is necessary for participants to hand in. Also found in that page are the forms that faculty leaders need to turn in.
*If you would like the Study Abroad Coordinator to collect the paperwork, contact her. The Study Abroad Coordinator will then collect the appropriate paperwork from participants. It will be kept in the International Programs & Services office unless copies are requested by the faculty leader.
3. Pre-Departure Meetings
All students going abroad on PSU Study Abroad programs or who are approved by the Study Abroad Committe must attend the Pre-Departure Orientation given by Study Abroad Programs. The orientation will take place once each semester. This is a general orientation.
You will meet with your group to discuss details specific to your program before leaving.
4. Stipends
When you turn in your faculty application, the Study Abroad Committee will also decide if your program will receive funding from the Study Abroad Travel Stipend fund. The Committee follows a formula to decide the amount assigned to each program. Your program must be a credit bearing program to receive funding.
If you have received funding from the Study Abroad Travel Stipend fund for the participants in your program, you must hand in your paperwork on time to receive funding. Any student who does not have a complete packet will not receive a stipend. Students must also sign the Stipend Agreement form which explains what is expected of them upon acceptance of the stipend.
*In order to receive a stipend students must have Social Security # or Tax ID. This is especially important to check if you have international students participating in your program. If students do not have either please contact the International Programs & Services Office for advisement.
5. Travel Consults
The health and wellness checks required for travel on a study abroad program are done at the Student Health Center. Appointments should be made online through Student Health Services. These checks are scheduled for Thursday afternoons and Friday mornings ONLY. The checks should be done approximately 3 months before your departure date. Please advise your students to plan ahead for this check. Keep in mind your program may be leaving around the same time as others.
6. International Insurance
PSU requires that all participants in the Study Abroad program are purchase international insurance for the time they will be abroad. Many students and parents have questions about this requirement. Below there are links to two informational handouts from HTH Worldwide that explain the coverage provided while abroad and the medical issues a study abroad participant should be aware of. Any questions about this requirement can be directed to the Study Abroad Coordinator.
HTH Worldwide: Global Health and Safety Services
Study Abroad Checklist: Medical Preparation for Studying Abroad
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Advising a Student Planning to Study Abroad
1. Planning ahead with a Student
If your advisee mentions he/she is interested in Study Abroad, make sure you are clear with them about what classes they must take on campus. Also be careful in Degree Planning to provide flexibility for the semester that the student is planning to study abroad.
If the student has a program in mind, look together at courses that may be good to take and would be similar to Pittsburg State University courses. This will help the student as he/she works through the Credit Transfer process to have this matching.
2. Course Approval
Each student who will be participating in a individual study abroad program must complete the Course Credit Transfer form. This allows them to be registered in a place holding Study Abroad Course for the time they will be abroad.
The department chair of the department that would approve the course must decide how the courses that the student is planning to take abroad would transfer back to Pittsburg State. Hopefully, the student has already worked with their advisor to give chairs an idea of how they think it could transfer.
*Note to chairs: The students will have more courses approved than they will take during the semester abroad. This is to be prepared in case there are changes in course schedules, course cancellations, or closed courses when the student arrives at the program.
*Also the courses can transfer back as specific courses in your department, as an elective in your department, as a general elective, as a special topics course, or however you see fit.
*Final approval of the course transfers will be done by the Assistant Registrar & Transcript Analyst,
Barbara VanBecelaere. You can contact her or the study abroad coordinator with your questions about this process.
3. Participation in non-English exchange university programs
Each student who applies to a non-English exchange university for his or her study abroad experience must have a recommendation from the Modern Languages and Literatures department as part of their Step 1 application. The classes taken on exchange in English or another language are university courses. In non-English programs, exchange is NOT a language learning focused program. If there are questions about courses and course credit transfer when dealing with non-English exchanges, please contact the study abroad coordinator.
4. Student Questions
If one of your advisees shows interest in Study Abroad, have them contact Julia Helminiak, Study Abroad Coordinator in International Programs & Services, Whitesitt 118.
She will be able to talk with them about the different options that PSU has to offer.
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