Faculty Education Abroad Information

for faculty-led programs and courses abroad

Education Abroad

Faculty & Staff Program Directors

We are now accepting proposals for programs taking place during Winter Break 2025-2026, Spring Break 2026, Summer 2026, and Winter Break 2026-2027! Please see the "Proposing a Program" section below for more information.

Overview

Faculty-led programs provide important opportunities for students to engage in meaningful educational experiences abroad. These programs continue to be among the most popular, affordable, and accessible study abroad opportunities for our students and are vital to our mission to help students have transformative experiences abroad. Programs can include but are not limited to:

  • Full courses that take place during Summer or Winter break
  • An embedded aspect of a semester course
  • Fieldwork or research experiences
  • Creative activities
  • Service-learning
  • For-credit or non-credit

The Education Abroad Office aims to support these opportunities for students and thanks the faculty and staff program directors who contribute greatly to our shared mission.

Planning

  • Departmental Approval
    Courses, budgets, travel requests, and compensation are approved at the departmental level and differ by college and department. Please contact your college's dean for more information about these approvals.
  • Providers

    We highly recommend partnering with one of our affiliated organizations or universities below for planning and implementing your program abroad:

    Custom Programs

    Faculty also have the option of teaching a course through one of our consortiums. These programs are pre-planned and are open to students at ETSU and other consortium member universities. These are not custom programs but allow faculty to gain experience teaching abroad.

  • Health & Safety

    Our top priority is keeping students healthy and safe while abroad. As part of the program approval process, you will complete preliminary and final risk assessment forms that will help you consider and address a variety of health and safety concerns that students may face abroad. It is important to consider these concerns from the start of your planning process. Such concerns include but are not limited to:

    • Social, political, and natural environment
      • Personal security/crime risks, including both petty crime and serious crime
      • Gender-based violence, sexual harassment, and assault risks
      • Terrorism and kidnapping risks to foreigners or travelers
      • Potential for social unrest and related risks
      • Level of (non)supportiveness of local law enforcement in handling crimes against or committed by international students
      • Risks related to cultural differences and awareness
      • Potential environmental risks related to weather or natural events
      • Unsafe locations where students would not be allowed to go
    • Health
      • Potential public health risks, including potentially life-threatening risks
      • Potential health concerns regarding the risk of food- or water-borne diseases
      • Potential risks for people with food or environmental allergies
      • Factors that may affect mental health
      • Access to emergency, routine, and specialist medical care
      • Covid-19 requirements or restrictions
      • Access to Covid-19 testing, quarantine, and care
      • Plans if a student or program leader becomes sick during the program
    • Housing
      • Types of housing (hotels, hostels, home-stays, etc.)
      • How housing will be evaluated
      • Vetting processes and communication plans for host families
      • Safety risks in the area(s) nearby program housing
      • Security measures in place for the housing building(s) and rooms (ex. indoor locks)
      • Access to exits for each room and floor
      • Fire hazards and mitigation measures
      • Individual beds
      • Access to safe transportation nearby
      • Access to communication methods (Wi-Fi, telephone, etc.)
      • Appropriate quarantine resources
    • Transportation
      • Types of transportation (group flights, buses, public transportation, etc.)
      • Road and travel conditions
      • Travel disruptions and road blockages
      • Nighttime or overnight travel
      • Students operating motor vehicles
      • Local safety laws/practices
      • Safety and reliability of public transportation
      • Backup options for transportation
    • Program activities
      • Types of activities (museum visits, visits to historical sites, outdoor activities, cultural experiences, etc.)
      • Risks that exist for required and optional activities
      • Extreme sports and/or water sports (mountaineering where ropes or guides are normally used; hang gliding; parachuting; bungee jumping; racing by horse, motor vehicle, or motorcycle; parasailing; etc.)
      • Alternative activities
      • Required minimum fitness levels
    • Other
      • Alcohol or other legal substances and associated risks
      • Additional risks related to health status or health conditions
      • Additional risks related to disability status
      • Additional risks related to personal characteristics (gender, sexual orientation, race & ethnicity, language ability, age, religion, etc.)

     

  • Resources
  • Cost

    The cost of your study abroad program depends on location, length of program, activities, number of students, number of credit hours, provider services, and more. Here are some important factors to consider when planning your program abroad:

    • Scholarships - the ETSU Study Abroad Scholarship factors in program length, financial need, and essay score; students on programs that receive initial approval after January 15 will not be eligible for the ETSU Study Abroad Scholarship
    • Financial aid - students are required to take at least 6 credit hours during the summer to be eligible for partial financial aid, and courses must be within their Course Program of Study; study abroad courses can be combined with online or on-campus courses at ETSU in order to reach 6 credit hours

    • Most summer programs through our partner universities and organizations cost between $4,000 - $7,000 (excluding airfare & other misc. costs) with programs being as cheap as $2,500 (+ airfare & misc. costs) and as expensive as $20,000+ (+ airfare & misc. costs)
    • The Education Abroad Office cannot provide any special funding for faculty-led programs, but other sources of funding may be available in your department or college, in the Center for Global Engagement, or the Honors College. Please email kellercj@etsu.edu for more information.
  • Program design

    Short-term faculty-led programs can be just as impactful as traditional study abroad programs and can build students' global competencies. It is important to design programs intentionally to encourage the most growth.

    Faculty should aim to provide students with culturally immersive experiences, including but not limited to:

    • Research projects
    • Service-learning projects
    • Co-teaching by host country faculty
    • Interaction with student peers abroad
    • Meeting with experts in host country
    • Local interaction (e.g., homestay, authentic meals, etc.)
    • Pre-trip & post-trip class sessions, meetings, or discussions

    Predeparture meetings and activities should prepare students to build their global competence abroad. Ideas for how to do this include:

    • Group settings
    • Printed or visual materials
    • Quick activities
    • Facilitating discussion to promote reflection & learning (debrief feelings, discuss purpose and meaning of activities, etc.)

    During the program, onsite activities should encourage students to observe the people around them (how they dress, non-verbal communication, what they eat/drink, etc.), the places they visit (architecture, sustainability, etc.), how they feel about these observations, and what they learned.

    It is important that students continue their reflection after the conclusion of their study abroad programs. Some examples of re-entry activities include but are not limited to:

    • Having students rank their growth in areas such as resilience, adaptability, language ability, communication, and more
    • Mock interviews to help them understand how to discuss their study abroad experiences in a professional setting
    • Discussing one aspect of the culture they would like to bring home and one aspect of the culture they will not be sad to leave behind
    • Discussing how they can use their experiences abroad to improve ETSU, their communities, and society

Proposing a Program

Step 1: Interest Form

The first step in the program proposal process is to complete an interest form. 

To find the form:

  • Click on the link below
  • Log in by clicking "Go to Portal" and using your ETSU email and password

  • Click "Apply" and select the planned program term

  2026 Program Director Forms

Troubleshooting

  • If the link takes you to a dashboard upon logging in, click the "Explore Programs" button and type "ETSU Faculty-Led Program Director Submission" into the search bar
  • If you are unable to click "Apply" on the program, make sure you are in Traveler view (as opposed to Administrator view). To change your view, click on the profile icon in the upper right corner and click "Change Role."
  • If you experience any other issues with the form, please email Courtney Lucas, lucascp@etsu.edu. 

Step 2: Cohort Meetings, Risk Assessment, & Initial Approval

All faculty who submit the interest form will be invited to participate in cohort meetings. These meetings will cover:

  • Timeline & due dates
  • Departmental approval
  • The Study Abroad Fair
  • Working with providers
  • Risk assessment forms
  • Preparing for student applications
  • Reviewing and approving student applications and forms
  • Communicating with students
  • Student predeparture meetings
  • Scholarships
  • Resources

All faculty are also required to submit an initial risk assessment form. After this form has been approved, the Education Abroad Office will open student applications for your program, and you will be invited to participate in the ETSU Study Abroad Fair in November.

Step 3: Student Applications & Approvals

Program leaders are responsible for reviewing and approving student applications and predeparture forms. Students submit applications and forms in the Bucs Abroad portal, and each faculty will have permission to view the applications and forms associated with their programs only.

You must be in Administrator view to see student applications and forms. To change your view in the Bucs Abroad portal, click on the profile icon in the upper right corner and click "Change Role."

Step 4: Final Risk Assessment & Approval

Prior to program departure, faculty must submit a participant spreadsheet checklist, program proposal/itinerary, approved contract, budget overview, risk assessment materials, and course syllabus to the Provost for approval.

Policies Related to Programs Abroad

Emergency Contacts

In case of a life-threatening emergency while abroad, faculty, staff and students may refer to the appropriate numbers below. 24/7/365 availability phone numbers are noted.

International SOS

    • 24/7 medical, security & emergency assistance and help with cost prepayment and insurance claims are available through ISOS's global assistance centers
    • ISOS will also notify the Education Abroad Office of any emergency situations
    • Please use the ISOS Assistance App to contact or locate the nearest assistance center and local authorities
    • Our dedicated assistance number: +1 (215) 942-8478
    • Our membership ID: 402GDA958978

CISI/ Chubb Health & Travel Insurance, ISOS Team Assist

Team Assist/ International SOS

CISI claims department

    • For reimbursement of covered medical and travel emergency costs 
    • EST office hours phone: +1 (800) 303-8120 (toll-free) | +1 (203) 399-5130
    • Email: claimhelp@mycisi.com

ETSU Police Department

    • For help contacting the appropriate office at ETSU (Education Abroad, Academic Affairs, etc.)
    • 24/7 phone: +1 (423) 439-6900