SA Faculty & Staff Resources

During the planning process, please consider these official A-State Study Abroad Guidelines linked below prior to forming your study abroad opportunity.

• Faculty-Led Programs Safety and Emergency Guidelines
• Faculty-Led Procedures, Policies, and Guidelines     

Contact Hour Example

• Faculty-Led Budget and Expense Guidelines

Once you have reviewed and agreed to the terms of the guidelines, you may start creating your preferred destination(s), dates, and itinerary. You have the option of running your study abroad opportunity with an affiliate partner (see below) or with your own independent itinerary, both of which have to be approved by the Study Abroad and Exchange Office.

A-State affiliate third-party vendors are approved by the university to provide a range of short and long-term Study Abroad programs. Through our collaboration with private vendors, faculty members can design tailor-made faculty-led programs that best fit their education and departmental needs.

Things to consider while planning your trip

While in the planning stage, feel free to watch this Prezi about the different models and how study abroad works.

Here is an example of a prezi on our site already if you need to refer to it: http://www.astate.edu/a/study-abroad/study-abroad-students/index.dot

Once you have decided how you will offer your study abroad opportunity and your preferred location(s), dates, and itinerary, you will need to fill out the Study Abroad Proposal Packet. All trips must be approved via a proposal packet in the Study Abroad and Exchange Office before the trip can be promoted to students. Proposal packets should be signed by all parties before turning the packet into the Study Abroad and Exchange office and should include a syllabus and sample schedule/itinerary. 

Once the completed and signed approval packet has been turned into the Study Abroad and Exchange Office, please allow the office up to one week to review for approval. During the review process, the Study Abroad and Exchange Office will be considering different items, such as:

• ​​The packet is filled out completely and has been signed by the appropriate faculty or staff.
• All locations meet the CDC's and Department of State's travel advisory guidelines.
• The dates of the program fall within only one academic term or session of the academic calendar.
• A proposal has not already been completed and approved by a faculty member in the same discipline for the same session to not create competition of students. 

 Please be advised that during the review process, the office may need to reach out to you for further clarification on certain items before approval. 

Upon approval, you will be notified via email of the approval status, along with next steps, such as the following: faculty-leader orientation, creating a budget, setting a minimum number of students needed to run the program, forming a recruitment plan, and ensuring all information about your program gets listed in our program search database.  

Please be advised that you cannot recruit for your program until your proposal packet has been approved.                     

The recruitment process will consist of different measures, such as:

• ​​The faculty member hosting an information session 
• The Study Abroad and Exchange Office distributing flyers that are created by our office, unless done by the affiliate partner
• Classroom Visits arranged by the faculty member but presented by the Study Abroad and Exchange Office 
• Posts on the Office's social media accounts
• One-on-one advising for the program done by the Study Abroad and Exchange Office
• A feature in our study abroad program search software (for student access)

Throughout the recruitment process, students will be signing up to attend your program and filling out the appropriate forms for approval. For an overview of the student's process, check here.

Please be advised that the Study Abroad and Exchange Office has final approval on students' eligibility to study abroad.

The Study Abroad and Exchange Office will be the sole contact for applications and forms in regards to applying to your trip. 

​As you get closer to your study abroad departure date, you will need to ensure you have worked with your department to fill out all travel forms. These forms can include but are not limited to a travel authorization report in Concur and the export control forms. You will also need to sign up for the Department of State's STEP program, which your students will do during their pre-departure orientation. Lastly, a joint pre-departure orientation will be held between you and the Study Abroad and Exchange Office as an orientation focused on just your ​​​program and location. The Study Abroad and Exchange Office will arrange this orientation, and all students must​ attend before going abroad.       

While you are abroad, you have specific faculty responsibilities as laid out in the faculty-led policies and guidelines handbook referenced in the planning step. 

You should also be aware of and follow the official A-State Study Abroad Crisis Communication Plan while abroad.