FAQs

• Reviewing this website is a great first step. You can also connect with the Faculty-Directed Team for a one-on-one consultation at any time or attend any of the events hosted by Education Abroad to learn a bit more.
• The Emerging Leader Program is also a great opportunity to learn from a faculty mentor for a year before leading your own program. Check out this program here: Click Here

Yes, but please know that domestic, study-away programs are often complicated and logistically challenging programs to develop. Per larger UK policies, domesitc programs do not need to be run through Education Abroad. Education Abroad has also found that student interest in these is difficult to predict. Programs with domestic locations also bring different challenges and my be better suited for your department or college leadership to develop in-house.

Per UK policies, Education Abroad is required to support academic programming. For programs that do not have an academic course connected to it, we recommend working with your department or college. Always connect with UK IC for all international travel-related work connected to the UK.

• The SOI will ask for general information in a few areas: information about your background, information about your proposed program course, information about your proposed course location, and proposed program elements.
• EA recommends always keeping the connection of the academics to the location in mind- why do students need to travel to this place to do/see this thing?

Yes, but these need to be limited. Please contact Faculty-Directed@uky.edu. 

• No, but these are critical parts of program planning. Providing a course option is critical for the review process. If you are creating a new course, that course must be ready for the term abroad. We recommend listing an alternative course, just in case.  
• Some departments require submitting a draft syllabus for review if your program is approved. 

The SOI review process begins shortly after the deadline. EA's goal is to notify applicants by Mid-March. 

• Once submitted, SOIs are reviewed by various entities around campus, including your college/department, UK Education Abroad team, the Education Abroad Committee, International Health Safety and Security, and the Associate Vice President for Internationalization.
• Each level of review looks for different things. For example:
  • UK EA Team—The Education Abroad team assists in developing and managing program applications and other logistics and evaluates the SOIs for feasibility, logistical and financial considerations, and alignment with national and UK-specific best practices in education abroad programming. They have direct connections to UK students and understand trends and current demands from the student body.
  • International Health, Safety, and Security -- The Director of Global Risk and Strategic Operations responsibility is to ensure the safety and well-being of students abroad. They review the SOI's plans on locations, activities, and other factors that can pose potential health and safety concerns and alignment with established policies and procedures related to risk management and insurance coverage.
  • College/Department Leadership— The SOIs are shared with the corresponding college leadership.  They assess the SOI's academic merit and potential contributions to the college's strategic plans and global priorities. They can also speak to the program leader's suitability for directing an education abroad program. These are holistically reviewed to ensure the college maintains a variety of sustainable opportunities.  
  • Education Abroad Committee -- The Education Abroad Committee, a subcommittee of the International Advisor Council, also reviews the SOI. This committee consists of faculty and staff experienced in international education. The EAC evaluates the SOIs to ensure clear goals and objectives, that the academic content and the location are well-justified, and that there is evidence of careful assessment of the program’s likely appeal to targeted students.

There are several reasons why an SOI application would be denied, and these reasons will be shared with you after review. Some previous reasons included: not communicating with your department, a lack of connection between the location and the course, being too similar to an existing program, and an inability to showcase the program’s vision.

The Faculty-Directed team! Please email us at Faculty-Directed@uky.edu to set up a meeting.

• Faculty and Staff with approval
  • UK faculty or staff can apply through UK EA to teach a class abroad with their college/department's support. 
  • For faculty, this includes full-time title series levels such as professor, lecturer, clinical, or researcher. Some exceptions may be granted; for more details, please see the policy or contact the FD Team.
  • Staff must hold a full-time exempt role at the university. If fulfilling a teaching role, they must have permissions and other approvals.
  • Check with the Faculty-Directed team for additional details.

• The most successful program leaders share a variety of traits:
  • Flexible, cooperative, and adaptive
  • Able to customize course content and experiences to maximize learning in the program location
  • Experience working with students outside of the classroom
  • Eager to provide an educational experience that can’t be achieved on campus
  • In good health to handle the physical and emotional demands of the program
  • Enthusiastic when speaking with students to promote the program
  • Have leadership qualities, organization, and planning skills
  • Added bonus - Familiarity with or connections in program location/s and local language (but not required) 

Yes. Faculty-Directed programs have policies and guidance from the larger University, UK legal counsel, International Health Safety & Security, and standards of best practice as stated by the Forum on Education Abroad. You can access the major policies here (link to policies)

• The University of Kentucky has mandated that ALL academic credit programming going abroad MUST work with UK EA.
• Domestic or study away programming can be run through your college.
  • UK EA has limited success with domestic programming, and there are a few limitations in terms of insurance coverage in the US that make these programs less likely to be approved through EA.

Yes. Always connect with your college’s leadership and international contact (if applicable) before submitting an SOI or agreeing to be an assistant/additional program director.

• Faculty-Directed programming typically takes place during one of the following times:
  • May Travel (before summer term- 2 weeks)
  • Summer (2+ weeks)
  • Spring Break (10 days)
  • Winter Break (2 weeks)

• It is never too early to begin planning.
• SOIs are due in January, a full year in advance of your program’s abroad time.
• You can still connect with the FD Team for future planning.

• You can, but it is not recommended to be recruiting students during a term when you are not on campus. 
• Students need to want to go with YOU. If you have limited access to students, this will impact your ability to recruit students.

• In an ideal world, it would be beneficial to have 12-18 months to plan, recruit, and finalize program details. 
• The SOI process for approvals can take 2-3 months. Development can range from 3-5 months depending on the program. Recruitment for students and pre-departure also take time.

No. We have a strict deadline so we can have reviews completed on time.

Yes, it’s possible, but not recommended. Please reach out to faculty.directed@uky.edu for guidance.

It depends on who your contact is and what services they provide. Contact the Faculty-Directed team for more details. 

• Program budgets begin with a minimum of 10-12 students
• There is no across-the-board maximum, as each location can accommodate various numbers of participants, and leaders have a range that they feel comfortable leading.
• Keep in mind that UK recommends that once programs hit 15 students, two UK employees are required to accompany the program.
• Often company visits cannot handle more than 25 people at once, so larger cohorts may need to be split into different groups for some activities.

• Generally, double-occupancy hotels (business/3 star), apartment-hotels, or dorm rooms are the main types of housing. 
  • Hostels and homestays can also be used.
• Program Directors and other leaders are housed in a standard program housing option - meaning a single-occupancy hotel room or one-bedroom apartment.

Yes. You will receive thorough support throughout the process! Once accepted, you will be assigned a Faculty-Directed Coordinator (FDC) and EA Advisor (for student/application questions). The FDC will be your first and main contact throughout the process.

• UK EA strives to support all families within policy and reasonable accommodations. Not all programs may allow for the inclusion of family or guests. 
• Family travelers cannot add to the cost of students or use resources paid by students. This means that family travelers and their interactions with student participants are limited, and there are restrictions on what activities your family can be part of while you are actively leading the program.
• For more information, please see the NCAI policy from the University of Kentucky and the IHSS.

You are never alone. UK’s international insurance partner is there to support you in emergencies, in addition to UK IC’s Global Risk Director and other leadership contacts 24/7.

Yes! Check out the Events section on the SOI Application page to connect in our events.

Your program will have an application page where students can apply. They can search for your program through ea.uky.edu

• Yes, there are deadlines for students to complete the online application.
• Application Deadlines:   Winter: October 1  -   Spring Embed: November 15  -   Summer:  February 1
  • Students must have completed their application by 11:59 p.m. EST. If these dates fall on a weekend, they have until the next business day to complete it.

Reviews are a joint process with you and the EA Advisor. 

Yes, if your program has clearly reached the maximum number of approvable applicants, UK EA advisors will recommend closing the application to new applicants.

If your program does not recruit the minimum number of applicants, UK EA will review the budget and logistical viability. Your program may not run that year.

Yes, typically they can. Your program page will have more details on applicable financial aid and scholarship information.

• Great question! You are the main star when it comes to promoting the program. We recommend planning to speak to as many classes as possible. 
• UK EA will provide some support with a marketing package and several events, like the education abroad fair, but you are expected to be the main recruiter for your program.

• This will depend on your appointment and the college’s approval. 
• Some faculty will have specific courses they teach abroad, while others have used a special topics class within their department.

In general, there are 45 contact hours for a 3-credit course.

There is flexibility for faculty to teach some content online before, during, and/or after travel. For more information, please reach out to Faculty-Directed@uky.edu

For embedded programs, one course is typically the maximum, while stand-alone (summer) programs can include multiple courses with the approval of your department and connection to location/program

EAP 599 is a 1-credit course for stand-alone programming only that is mandatory for all undergraduate students. This serves as a companion course for the student’s education abroad experience. Participation in EAP 599 waives the departmental course tuition to provide savings to the student.

• Students who have academic and other accommodations on campus are told that accommodations may look different abroad.
• We’re a team in all of this, so depending on the student’s need(s), UK EA, the DRC, our in-country partners, and you can work together to find reasonable accommodations.
• If a student reaches out to you with any questions/concerns, please reach out to Faculty-Directed@uky.edu

• A list of items is found in the Standard Compensation Policy.
• The typical items are:
  • Paid by EA: flights, standard program housing, program inclusions, insurance
  • Reimbursed post-program: cell phone stipend, local transportation to/from airports, per diem, additional program-approved costs
  • Depending on your teaching appointment, program type, and duration, a teaching stipend may also be included.

All program expenses are ultimately paid by student fees.

• This depends on program type, location, and duration.
• For example, an average 3-week program in a major city in Europe could cost $5,000 - 8,000 per student.
• Expenses like classroom space, private bus transportation, and housing are the biggest factors in any budget. These amounts vary drastically between different locations.
• Your Faculty-Directed Coordinator can work with you to advise on cost-saving options for the students.

• You and your Faculty-Directed Coordinator will create a budget and review it before finalizing your program.
• Once your budget is approved and the price is finalized, you must seek permission before changing any expenses

• Students pay for a portion of the program leader(s)’ costs, their program inclusion costs (housing, group meals, activities), and insurance.
• Not included in the program cost are personal expenses, flights to and from the program, passport fees, and meals not provided.
• Your program page will include information about the program costs and estimated expenses

APD stands for Assistant/Additional Program Director. This means a Program Director has asked you to travel abroad and assist with student and program support. The Faculty-Directed Coordinator will reach out to you soon with more details and a form for you and your supervisor to sign.

UK EA allows program directors to put forward names for any support roles. We recommend speaking with those directors and the college leadership.

Employees can participate in a program as a student participant; however, they will have to pay the full program price plus any additional housing supplement, as employees cannot room with students. UK employee benefits do not include education abroad program fees.