What is an International Field Trip?

 International Field Trips can either be credit-bearing (offered in conjunction with a Texas A&M course) or non-credit bearing, such as volunteer or service-learning program. These opportunities can be under the direction of a Texas A&M faculty or staff member. As the name suggests, these are short trips abroad that usually last one to two weeks. They can be academic or non-academic in nature, but they are typically designed for a group to travel together, complete a specific project or academic outcome, or pursue an activity related to the group's mission or purpose.

Faculty and staff leaders interested in coordinating an international field trip should register the experience with Education Abroad in accordance with Standard Administrative Procedure 21.01.03.M0.02. Education Abroad primarily provides health and safety resources, risk management and emergency information and support for international field trips.

For non-academic units coordinating international group trips, please visit the Proposing a Non-Academic Group Program page for next steps.

What is the difference between a faculty-led and a field trip?

 A field trip can be part of a credit-bearing course, or a non-credit bearing program of its own. If a field trip is a part of a credit-bearing course, more than half of the course (50%) must be taught on campus, unlike a faculty-led study abroad course that is mostly taught abroad.

International Field Trip Proposal Process

The process to submit an international field trip to the University has changed and starts with Summer 2021 field trips. Faculty or staff will need to submit an International Field Trip Form to Education Abroad. Once submitted, trips that need to charge a fee to students will be guided to submit financial information to the Provost Office Portal.

STEP 1: Department and College Support

 Faculty wishing to create such a program should meet with the appropriate academic department head and their Education Abroad College Liaison. Colleges may have an internal deadline and additional documents required.

STEP 2: Submitting a Field Trip: NEW form

Your Education Abroad college liaison and the Education Abroad staff can guide faculty in the submission process, such as selection of a program provider to deliver logistical support in the foreign location. EA staff to contact are: Christie Dunn, Associate Director cadunn@tamu.edu, and Corinne Beverly, Coordinator, cbeverly@tamu.edu.

To initiate the process, the fully signed International Field Trip Registration Form with the proposed trip itinerary should be submitted to Education Abroad prior to the deadlines below. If you have questions about how the form should route within your college or department, please reach out to your College Liaison.

• FEBRUARY 1 for Summer and Fall field trips
• OCTOBER 1 for Spring and Winter field trips

International Field Trip Registration Form PDF Download

IMPORTANT NOTE: On the link above, right click "Save Link as" to save the document to your computer.  Please open the document in Adobe reader, not your web browser***

After submitting this form to Education Abroad, you will be eligible to apply for fee approval through the Provost portal (See Step 3 below).

STEP 3: Provost portal for fee request:

 Academic departments/Colleges that need to charge a fee to students (new fee, or decreased/increased fee) will need to submit financial information in the Provost Office Portal. The International Field Trip Registration form should be submitted to Education Abroad beforehand, otherwise the fee request will not be approved.

Proposal Submission and Provost Fee Request Deadlines

• FEBRUARY 1 for Summer and Fall field trips
• OCTOBER 1 for Spring and Winter

STEP 4: Approval & Registration

 Upon completion of the International Field Trip Registration form, an Education Abroad advisor will contact the faculty leader with next steps, including opening the student application portal. The EA advisor will work with the faculty leaders and students to complete training and preparation. Leaders will also be invited to attend a Trip Leader briefing.
Budgeting and Financial Considerations

• As faculty work with their assigned business office to budget, make payments, and charge student fees (if applicable), please ensure that the following costs are included in the budget:
• $200 Education Abroad service fee per student participant. This covers the costs of our services (administration, training/resources, technology, risk management, and emergency response).
• International Insurance: $1.61 per person, per day (2023 rate). The cost of insurance for participants and leaders will be invoiced to the department separately.

Coordination Timeline

 Field trips are managed by faculty and the department or college business office (depending on the college structure). It is important to have as many details as possible in place well before submission of the field trip to ensure all elements and requirements are met. Therefore, the international field trip form and Provost fee submission (if applicable) should be routing no later than one month prior to the deadlines mentioned above.

Resources & Documents

• Checklist and Pre-Departure Considerations for Academic Field Trips.
• Budget template sample (optional)
• Update on Guidelines, Policies, & Procedures
• International Field Trip Registration Form

TOOLKIT FOR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Checklist and Pre-Departure Considerations for International Field Trips
• Budget template (optional)