Semester at Sea is a study abroad program that offers students the opportunity to travel around the world while living and studying onboard a ship that is fully equipped as a “floating university campus.” Participants may select from among three semester-long voyages offered each year: Fall, Spring, or Summer. The Fall and Spring semester voyages circumnavigate the world, last 100 days, and include stops of four to five days each in ten or more ports of call (the countries visited vary from semester to semester). The shorter summer voyage, lasting 67 days, is regional in focus (i.e. Europe, Latin America, Mediterranean , Asia , etc.), and typically visits eight or nine countries. Students take classes on board the vessel MV Explorer and complete field work on shore in the countries visited. There are extensive opportunities to travel within each nation on the itinerary, both independently and on organized site visits and tours. Often there are special opportunities for students to participate in activities not generally open to the casual traveler or tourist, such as university visits and homestays, service visits to orphanages and hospitals, and “behind the scenes” visits to various businesses and government and media offices.

Program Type
Third-party provider agreement with The Institute for Shipboard Education (accredited by the University of Virginia, Charlottesville), facilitated by Duquesne University’s OIP.

Academic Highlights
Semester at Sea students have the opportunity to choose from a large selection of courses in the fields of anthropology, biological sciences, business and economics, English and world literatures, geography, geology, history, history of art and architecture, world music, philosophy, comparative politics, sociology, religious studies, and theatre. (Specific courses vary from semester to semester, according to the ports of call on the itinerary and the specialization of the faculty engaged for a particular semester.)

Courses Vary Each Semester

Language of Instruction
English

Academic Calendar*
Fall Semester: early September to mid-December
Spring Semester: mid-January to late April
Summer Semester: mid-June to late August

*Voyage dates may vary by as much as two weeks from semester to semester

Housing and Costs
Fees include tuition, room and board. Participants are housed in double cabins, priced according to cabin category - inside doubles (2 berths without porthole) or outside double (2 berths with porthole, at greater expense). There are extra costs associated with travel to and from the ports of embarkation/debarkation, travel within the countries visited, textbooks, visas, personal expenses and miscellaneous incidental fees.

Estimated Costs (Category II Program)

Scholarships available through Semester at Sea.

For a more in depth look: www.semesteratsea.com