Faculty-Led Study Abroad is Back

Pace+is+bringing+back+its+faculty-led+study+abroad+programs+this+spring+for+the+first+time+since+COVID+struck.+Heres+a+photo+from+one+of+Paces+previous+trips+to+Costa+Rica.

Jane Collins

Pace is bringing back its faculty-led study abroad programs this spring for the first time since COVID struck. Here’s a photo from one of Pace’s previous trips to Costa Rica.

Emily Teixeira

Next semester, faculty-led study abroad programs will run for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. Ten different courses are offered and the priority application deadline is November 15.

In past years, Pace offered students a variety of study-abroad opportunities. They gave the option for students to spend full semesters abroad (see more information about partner and exchange programs, also making a comeback, here), or they could enroll in a faculty-led program, a for-credit semester-long course taught by a Pace professor with a one-to-three-week travel component at the end. Fall faculty-led courses took their trip during January intersession, and Spring courses took theirs during Spring Break or over the summer.

In the Spring of 2020, all faculty-led trips meant to take place during spring and summer break were cancelled due to the spread of COVID-19, as were all faculty-led courses scheduled for the Fall of 2020.

Pace tried to offer faculty led courses again in the Fall of 2021 but changed its mind by the end of the Spring. Administration was unsure whether international travel would be safe come January, and they did not want students to book plane tickets and go through the full curriculum if they could not guarantee a trip at the end.

Now that more time has passed, Pace is once again offering students the chance to enroll in faculty-led courses.

“Faculty-led travel offers students the best of both worlds,” says Jane Collins, who formerly ran the Writing About Cultures course and its corresponding trip to Costa Rica. “They get all the adventure and excitement of visiting new and often exotic places while at the same time having the security and the community of being part of a Pace class and traveling with other Pace students and with a trusted faculty member. So, students get the adventure of a lifetime but with the security of a professor guiding the way. It’s a win-win situation!”

As mentioned earlier, ten faculty-led study abroad courses will be offered this spring. Two will travel during Spring Break, and the other eight will take place after the semester has ended.

The list of available courses is as follows:

With travel during Spring Break 2023

With travel during Summer 2023 (May, June, or July)

Students studying abroad are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and they are encouraged to select back-up courses in case their faculty-led course gets cancelled either due to a surge in COVID-related safety risks or low enrollment. They are also encouraged not to book any flights until advised to do so by Pace Education Abroad.

Students enrolled in faculty-led programs will pay their normal tuition, plus program and study abroad fees. Airfare, visas, and some meals are considered out-of-pocket expenses and are not included in the program fee. Students can find budget estimate charts under the Costs/Scholarships tab of the program page on the Study Abroad portal (Terra Dotta) and information on study abroad scholarships here.