Study Abroad Around the World
Add a truly global semester to your college education with Semester at Sea, the leader in global, comprehensive study abroad. With the world as our classroom, our unique shipboard program integrates multiple-country travel, interdisciplinary coursework, and hands-on field experiences for meaningful engagement in the global community. Visit up to twelve countries and earn up to fifteen credits in ONE semester. Financial aid and scholarships are available.
Global Itineraries
Fall Voyages & Spring Voyages:
- Last 100-108 days
- Include up to 12 international destinations
- Circumnavigate the globe
- Explore multiple countries and continents
- 12-15 transferable credits from the Colorado State University
Floating Campus
Semester at Sea's campus of the MV World Odyssey is just like your home campus, only it floats and has a better view. Complete with a student union, wireless Internet, 9,000-volume library, fitness center, and many of the amenities you'd find on a land-based campus, the ship functions as both a traveling university and residential home to more than 1,000 participants each year; a hub for students, faculty, staff, lifelong learners, international guests, and crew. The place you'll call home for 4 months, the MV World Odyssey is where you'll eat, sleep, study, listen, share, and learn.
Make the World Your Campus
Academic Program
Semester at Sea is a pioneer in the field of global, comparative education - a form of international study that focuses on surveying the world's peoples, patterns, cultures, and traditions. Courses are open to all majors and classes meet daily while the ship is at sea, providing classroom contact as on a traditional land campus. Hands-on field experiences are held in every port, ranging from required field labs which are part of a students grade in every course, to optional field excursions, including service trips or dinner at the home of a local host family.
Class session aboard the MV World Odyssey
Community Engagement -
Service Learning on Semester at Sea
As part of the International Field Program on each Semester at Sea voyage, participants have the opportunity to take part in more than 30 service projects, including Habitat for Humanity, the $100 Solution, and other community engagement-related projects. By actively participating in addressing the needs of a community, these experiences give Semester at Sea participants the opportunity to integrate practical hands-on service with their coursework, adding a deeper, more tangible dimension to learning.
Students participate in a service project
at an orphanage in South Africa
Student Body
Undergraduate students from more than 1,700 universities have experienced a shipboard semester abroad with Semester at Sea (SAS). College-bound students who have completed high school and are taking a gap semester may also apply to SAS.
Faculty
Selected by a dean from the academic partner, Colorado State University, Semester at Sea faculty - a team of 28-30 individuals each academic term - come from colleges and universities all over the world and are chosen for their global scholarship and teaching ability. They are supported and complemented by a group of 28-30 additional staff members, in roles ranging from physician to Resident Director.
"You can do things on Semester at Sea you just can't do on a land campus. There is an intense convergence of the academic and the experiential--integrating classroom work with first-hand experience in the field--which is what Semester at Sea does so incredibly well."
--David Gies, Ph.D., University of Virginia, SAS Academic Dean, Fall 2010, Summer 2014
Academic Community
Undergraduates: Up to 560 students from the U.S. and around the world, representing up to 300 colleges and universities
Lifelong Learners: 10-20 non-student adult learners with a wide variety of educational and career experience, cultural backgrounds, and interests
Faculty: 30 faculty, all of whom hold Ph.D.s or terminal degrees and are global experts and leaders in their field of study
Interport Lecturers: 8-10 lecturers: host nationals or country/topic experts or scholars
Interport Students: 10-20 students: host nationals who provide peer insight into their home countries
Staff: 30 qualified staff members support academic and shipboard life
Crew: 200 officers and crew, many with more than 15 years of experience
Join Semester at Sea's
Floating Academic Community
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Program Information
UVA Students
All students are encouraged, but not required, to meet with the UVA Semester at Sea Education Abroad Advisor to discuss the program, courses, and application process and answer student questions. To apply:
- View the online Education Abroad Workshop
- Review the Semester at Sea website, including course and cost information
- Complete the online UVa education abroad application*
- Complete the Semester at Sea application
- Submit the Disciplinary Clearance Form to your Education Abroad Advisor
SAS Scholarship for UVA Students
The UVA/SAS Merit Scholarship will be awarded on a rolling basis and will range from $500 – $5,000. Students must be a UVA undergraduate and maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA to qualify.
Non-UVA Students
Apply directly through Semester at Sea.
Course Credit
The required course load during the 100-day fall or spring semester is 12 credit hours (four courses). The maximum academic load permitted is 15 credits.
Explore and Compare Multiple Countries
and Cultures in ONE Semester
SAS International Field Program
SAS Student Service Learning project
Shipboard Learning
Shipboard Life
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