Getting Started

UNT faculty led programs are designed to encourage a variety of students to study abroad. These opportunities would not be possible without the dedication, passion and tireless effort of the faculty who lead these programs. Faculty are key to the sustainable success of study abroad at the University of North Texas and have tremendous influence on students' learning and development. In addition to interactions with students in the classroom where we encourage you to promote study abroad, faculty have the opportunity to work with the Study Abroad Office to plan, create, and teach a program abroad.  The Study Abroad Office (SAO) provides administrative and logistical support for all faculty led programs, offering international educational opportunities to students throughout the year.

The first thing to consider when planning a study abroad program is which type of program best fits for your goals. The Faculty Led Handbook explains these program types in further detail and also contains additional considerations for academic integrity and curriculum planning, fiscal responsibility, health and safety abroad, and more. 

• Traditional Faculty Led Programs travel in the Summer or Winter Session and include a minimum of 51% of the academic contact hours abroad. This highly customizable program type is excellent for faculty with a strong sense of which international destination is appropriate for their content or prior experience in the host nation.  SAO provides:
  • Consultation on program design
  • Facilitation of relationships with study abroad or travel providers to support the program 
  • A participant application system including payment and document collection
  • Budget development and financial management
  • General Pre-Departure Orientation
  • Insurance and risk management services in collaboration with UNT Emergency Management 
  • A program webpage and a suite of promotional materials

• Eagles Abroad Programs are faculty led programs in which SAO has established relationships with international organizations in set locations and solicits faculty applications to teach a course at one of the locations during the summer. 100% of academic contact hours are delivered overseas.  These programs are ideal for new faculty leaders or those with limited experience in the destination as there is very strong support from the host organization for student services, pre-set cultural and co-curricular programming, and housing.  SAO provides:
  • Consultation on course selection
  • Logistical arrangements and course-specific inclusions in collaboration with the host organization
  • A participant application system including payment and document collection
  • Budget development and financial management
  • General Pre-Departure Orientation and program-specific pre-departure meetings
  • Insurance and risk management services in collaboration with UNT Emergency Management
  • Program website and a suite of promotional materials 

• Global Intensive Opportunity (GIO) is our most accessible and inclusive faculty led program model. These are shorter, intensive field experiences abroad. They are run as zero-credit pass/no pass courses, so while the program will be transcripted as such, students save on not having to pay tuition for this program model. These programs are typically 8-12 days in length. These optional, intensive field experiences abroad must be tied to a credit-bearing parent course and could also be tied to additional credit-bearing secondary courses where the field experience complements what has been learned during the previous semesters in the primary and secondary courses. This program model is ideal for faculty who want to offer an abroad experience to a wide variety of UNT students such as our non-traditional students, graduate students, and students who have work, internship, or family obligations. This program model has the most flexibility and can run during Summer and Winter Sessions, but also Spring Break, or during a semester with the appropriate permissions. Instructional contact hours are limited as this model is more focused on the faculty facilitating and making the linkages between the students’ parent or secondary courses and experiencing it in the field. SAO provides:

  • Consultation on program design
  • Facilitation of relationships with study abroad or travel providers to support the program 
  • A participant application system including payment and document collection
  • Budget development and financial management
  • General Pre-Departure Orientation
  • Insurance and risk management services in collaboration with UNT Emergency Management 
  • A program webpage and a suite of promotional materials

Charn Fund

New and prospective faculty leaders are encouraged to apply for Charn to fund a study abroad site visit. These site visits provide prospective leaders with on-the-ground experience in their potential program destination to better equip them in developing a strong and academically engaging faculty led program. Preference will be given to new faculty leaders, underrepresented disciplines, and/or underrepresented locations. Applicants must meet with the Director of the Study Abroad Office (Amy Shenberger) to discuss the proposed study abroad program and site visit prior to submitting a Charn Fund application. The maximum award amount is $3,000 for one faculty to participate in a 2-5 day site visit. Please contact Dr. Amanda White Bennett in the Global Engagement Office for additional information.

Applications for 2024 have now closed. You can view an application preview here.

Best Practices

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board governs courses taught outside of the U.S.  See Texas Administrative Code § 4.262 (18, 31).  

The University of North Texas study abroad practices are based on Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad and the Code of Ethics for Education Abroad. These documents provide a strong foundation for the development of academically sound programs and successfully guide educators through each stage of the international experience. 

The Forum on Education Abroad awards faculty led programs from across the country for Excellence in Education Abroad Curriculum Design. Past recipients can be found on their webpage and can offer faculty inspiration in designing their own program. 

Contact Us

Interested in leading a program abroad? Contact Haley Arnold, Faculty Led Programs Advisor, or call 940-565-2207 to arrange a consultation.