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Faculty-led Short term Overseas Academic Program (OAP)

Domestic and International Travel Courses

Since 2013, student participation in study abroad/study away programs has more than doubled.  Programs include semester-long study at exchange partner universities, internships, and student teaching.  The greatest growth, however, has occurred in the creation of new shorter-term, faculty-led travel courses to domestic or international destinations.

These credit-bearing courses are proposed, planned, and offered by SUNY Potsdam faculty, in collaboration with the Lougheed Center for Applied Learning and international partners.  To ensure these courses meet the same standards for academic rigor and quality as on-campus courses, while also providing students meaningful, safe intercultural experiences, course proposals are vetted through a special review process as outlined in the Domestic and International Travel Course Policies and Procedures (PDF).

Faculty interested in developing new travel courses are encouraged to consult with the Lougheed Center for Applied Learning as early as possible.  The proposal, planning, and recruitment process for a brand new successful, high quality, and well-subscribed program generally takes 12 months prior to your group’s departure.

Deadlines to submit travel course proposals are: 

  • Winter Session/January term travel
  • Spring course with spring break travel
  April 1
  • Spring course with travel completion by June 1
  • Summer course with summer travel
  October 1

Ready to get started?  Review the Faculty Manual, and begin the process checklist.

The first steps are to determine both the class registration term AND the specific travel dates for your proposed travel course. Both items will determine whether the student will need to pay tuition for the travel course and/or be able to seek federal and/or state financial aid. To make that determination, please review the following carefully:

Travel Options and Financial Aid for Faculty Led Courses, 2022-2023 Academic Year

When will the travel occur? When is the course registered? Allowed Travel Dates When is tuition paid (in/out of state per credit hour)? When is financial aid received?
During fall break Fall Oct. 8-11, 2022
Nov. 23-27, 2022
Course is added to fall course load - no additional tuition if student is in full-time status Aid received in the fall
Dec/Jan Winter Session Dec. 19, 2022 - Jan. 13, 2023
Winter session tuition is paid per credit hour
Half aid increase in the fall; other half in spring
January - all travel starts and concludes within 14 days of the start of the spring semester (see Note 1) Spring Jan., 9 - 22, 2023 Courses is added to the spring course load - no additional tuition if student is in full-time status Aid received in the spring
During spring break Spring March 4 - 12, 2023 Courses is added to the spring course load - no additional tuition if student is in full-time status Aid received in the spring
May - all travel starts and concludes within 14 days of the end of the spring semester (see Note 2) Spring May 20 - June 2, 2023 Courses is added to the spring course load - no additional tuition if student is in full-time status Aid received in the spring
During summer Summer May 31 - Aug. 9, 2023 Summer tuition is paid per credit hour To be eligible, students must be registered for min. 6 credits in the summer term. Aid received in the summer - typically after July 1

Send an initial notification to the Office of International Education in the Lougheed Center for Applied Learning – international@potsdam.edu – documenting the following:

  • the proposed study location(s)
  • the proposed registration term and tentative travel dates
  • academic discipline(s) and a short description of the anticipated topic and academic focus

Complete the Travel Course Proposal Form, Itinerary, and Budget Template including Department Chair(s) signature and submit it to the Office of International Education with the required supplemental documentation by the deadline. Late or incomplete proposals will not be accepted.

Complete any department or School curriculum processes. Submission of a proposal does not guarantee approval via the appropriate School curriculum committees and/or general education committee. Faculty leaders are expected to pursue those approvals separately.

Once approved by the Dean(s), the faculty leader(s) will work with the Office of International Education to finalize logistics, overall program budget and the per student program fee. They will also receive the appropriate training regarding the SUNY Clery and Title IX Procedures for Domestic and International Travel Programs. Coordination for all aspects of travel courses – including budget administration, creating/adding courses in the Banner catalog, student registration, etc. will be completed along with the Office of International Education.

Contact Information

For information or assistance, contact: Jenica Rogers
Director of Applied Learning / Senior International Officer
international@potsdam.edu